Admin correction: This story’s headline and text has been edited to remove violent hyperbole, in violation of the Rules of the Road.
I can remember back in the bad old days of the George W Bush administration, when Kossacks used to proudly proclaim ourselves the ‘reality-based community’. How distant those halcyon days seem now.
Now, it seems, a fairly large chunk of this community is still ‘Ridin with Biden’ and castigating other members urging another candidate as ‘pearl clutchers,’ ‘bed wetters,’ ‘hand wringers’ and other fairly nasty epithets that used to be reserved primarily for ‘Bernie bros’ and other progressives. A large segment of the community is still ‘Ridin with Biden’ and scolding us if we’ve given up on his candidacy. Still ‘Ridin’ despite the data supplied by their own eyes and ears, despite trend lines in most (granted, not all) the polling, despite a large element of Dem voters (2/3, likely more, perhaps less), and despite the reverse flow of donations to Trump and away from Biden. This group continues to insist that Biden can win if only Dems will get on board. Reality takes a back seat for these posters. This is not a reality-based segment of our community.
This group also seems detached from reality in insisting we can win if we just unify behind Biden. They seem to take it for granted that any Dem not ‘Ridin with Biden’ won’t vote for him in November and that somehow these wayward sons and daughters must be brought back into the fold. That’s fantasy. Few Dems are going to cast their vote for Trump. Or RFK. Or sit out the election. That’s not the problem. We’ll vote for Biden if he’s the nominee. We’d vote for a ham sandwich if it was the nominee.
The problem is that we’re not the only voters out there. And the problem is we’re not motivated by Biden. It is a fact that many Dems were unenthused about Biden’s campaign for a second term. Trump’s dystopian future is terrifying, yes. But there’s no fire in the Biden campaign. No energy. And very little vision. It’s hard for a frail octogenarian to rally the troops against the fascists when he’s only good for about 8 hours a day and when he’s often very bad even during those 8 hours. It’s not our job to infuse enthusiasm in undecided and independent voters. It’s Biden’s. If he can’t do so, then there’s really no way for his campaign to bring to his side that large body of voters who aren’t impressed with either candidate.
The writing is on the wall, writ large in letters 10 feet high. There is no way, short of divine intervention, that Biden wins in November. There is very likely going to be a blowout for the GOP if he continues his candidacy. His approval ratings remain mired in the low 40s or high 30s. Regardless of his legislative and administrative victories (many of which will be reversed by conservative courts), the White House aging process has taken a visible toll on him. That’s to his credit I might add. The stress of decision-making for a President with a shred of conscience is massive. Compare photos of Lincoln in 1861 . . . or even 1863 . . . to photos of him in 1865. Every President has left the White House looking worn and haggard. The only exceptions are Trump and Reagan (he still looked okay, outwardly, though his brains were mush by 1985), and that — to me — is proof neither of those Presidents had a shred of conscience. If you don’t care, why would you get stressed by the consequences of your decisions?
Biden is simply too old. Too frail. Too scattered to lead the sort of energetic campaign that must be led against the fascists backing Trump (or the deluded souls who think he’s better for the Republic somehow). Many here will remember the disastrous George H W Bush visit to Japan, when he collapsed and vomited at a state dinner. His candidacy was cooked. The physical collapse was the final blow. That’s simply reality.
I’ll leave with one question for those still aggressively challenging whether we’ll support Biden in November if he’s the candidate: Will you support the Democratic nominee in November if it’s not Biden? And will you enthusiastically support that candidate’s campaign?
Turnabout is fair play.