Notebook: Stuck on Joe
EDITORIAL MUG: Larry Anderson
Last election Joe Biden was viewed by the left as the sure-fire solution to the horrible, awful Donald J. Trump. Biden was the second coming of Obama, the torch bearer of liberalism, and the senior Democrat most deserving of reward. The party got behind the old boy and pushed him over the goal line. Uncle Joe became number 46; Trump grumbled toward the exit.
Well, things have changed for Uncle Joe; indeed, the sands continue to shift daily as the Democrats try to figure out what best to do with a stubborn, senile warrior of old who has decided he likes the White House after all. Now he is anchored as the incumbent with committed delegates and a family determined to keep him on the job to provide cover and perhaps a pardon or two.
The Democrats are in a conundrum of their own making. They knew Biden was a codger before they pushed him initially, but now he is seen by many as an aging liability incapable of beating a resurgent Trump who has been picking off swing states like ripe plums. Indeed, following the disastrous first debate, Trump could afford to kick back momentarily while Biden floundered like a dinosaur in a tar pit. Trump has a strategy; the Democrats have Joe.
The big question is does the Democrat party continue to support the old man, or should it head in a new direction with time slipping away and donations leveling off? Biden is hanging on but the image is one of a man clinging to a cliff by his fingertips. Democrats, after all, are most loyal to winners bearing the flag. That loyalty doesn’t extend to those in trouble, and losers are soon trucked to the political landfill. Ask Al Gore or Hillary Clinton if they’re still feeling the love.
The Democrats are groping their way these days with no easy solution in sight as of this writing. If Joe hangs in, Dems don’t want to alienate him or face presidential wrath when coattails are essential to re-election in Congress. On the other hand, if Biden is unelectable, then no Dem wants to be connected to a political wreck defeated by the symbol of all that is unholy to liberalism. Trump, of course, is fully aware of the situation and knows how to exploit it.
Voters are making their determination. They can’t forget the image of Biden at the debate and shouldn’t. He made the case himself for being too old for the job and has reinforced it since with more fumbling. Joe inspires only sadness and regret. The contrast with an energetic Trump who already has a legacy couldn’t be more pronounced. There is a sea change underway even if Biden and his dwindling supporters can’t admit it.
Voters not only have to consider the situation now but where we could be in four years should Biden manage to pull this election out of the fire. At the end of a second term, Joe would be 86. When exactly would things improve for Biden as he grows older and increasingly helpless? Biden is a risk the country doesn’t have to have, and clearly the country’s future is uncertain under his presidency.
My personal feeling is Biden will retain the nomination even if party support is grudging. Attempting a new direction with a substitute is too divisive and the Democrats’ bench is as shallow as a desert stream. This probably isn’t a winner for them as opportunity dwindles, but that’s the bed they made. I have zero sympathy for the party that opened the border, denigrates our heritage, taxes and spends, and forces a dogma alien to a nation who won its rights and freedoms the hard way.
Democrats’ days of gloating, plotting and obfuscating could pause in November, but I have no doubt they still have a few tricks up their sleeve because that is who they are. The next four months will be mighty interesting as the left shows its cards, picks its lane, and has a convention. We will see if Trump can remain a step ahead of the game as he has done with ease so far.
Larry W. Anderson is a retired educator.
