Go Joe! For others however, it's more like Joe, Go. While some consider open divisiveness or "sorting through" a hallmark of democracy, that luxury must be put aside for the time being, as we have a common enemy now against which we must unite without reservation, not to mention the entire structure of the republic hanging in the balance. Things need to get stable, fast. From the AP:
President Biden, in a letter to congressional Democrats, stood firm against calls for him to drop his candidacy and called for an “end” to the intraparty drama that has torn apart Democrats about whether he should stay in the race after his dismal public debate performance."
There's also this quote from last week:
“Chaos is our friend,” a person close to Trump said."
Autocrats enjoy chaos, and if they are not the direct source of the chaos, they will take advantage of it any way it comes, inserting themselves into the void it creates. This is my theory as to why Trump has been uncharacteristically quiet lately.
And now we have Biden’s letter to Congress:
Do we now just say this process didn’t matter? That the voters don’t have a say?
I decline to do that. I feel a deep obligation to the faith and the trust the voters of the Democratic Party have placed in me to run this year. It was their decision to make. Not the press, not the pundits, not the big donors, not any selected group of individuals, no matter how well intentioned. The voters — and the voters alone — decide the nominee of the Democratic Party. How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party? I cannot do that. I will not do that.
It does feel like the voter’s choice is being supplanted by forces more powerful and unbidden, and they are resenting it. A new battle is forming: Biden vs. elites. If Biden can covertly or overtly frame it this way, it will accomplish several things. It will take the wind out of Trump’s sails by dispelling the Sleepy Joe motif — look Biden’s a fighter, he’s ballsy; all the things Trump fancies himself to be. It’s been Trump vs. everybody from Rosie O’Donnell to Jim Comey. Now Biden can claim a little of that, however superficial, but we are really talking about Biden the candidate now. In our current media climate, a brawl gets one seen, and hopefully will shift the narrative off of the debate. One of his weapons is the presidential apparatus at his disposal — reminding us who IS President.
True fighters for the people are principled. Could be the media in meltdown mode did Biden a favor — it will cast Biden as champion of the voter, of the voiceless little guy, which he already is, but there’s a different frame now. The use of the elite class as an oppositional force is a popular one, especially with the right leaning. The only thing left is the overcoming of ageism, and the recognition that a weaker voiced, slower Biden is just the wrapping; what’s inside is still viable. That’s another reason Joe needs a fight; at this point he needs to calm jitters, and show signs of strength. Go Joe — do whatever it takes.
And hey, if you have to Joe, you might even want to break a law or two — don’t worry about it. That’s a gift from SCOTUS.