This entire column is a breath of fresh air. I'm a lifelong Democratic voter who will pull the lever for Biden in November if need be, but I really wish we had a different candidate and I'm tired of being gaslit that I'm some dope buying in to "media hype."
I listened to his recent appearance on the Conan O'Brien podcast and even though I like Biden personally and think his administration has been pretty successful, it was *very* hard to listen to his thin, reedy voice and meandering comments; of course, as a top celebrity podcast that is pre-recorded, I'm sure there were less flattering moments that were edited out...
I dare anyone to watch any of Biden's speeches from 2019 and then his recent press appearances and not cringe at how much he has deteriorated in that time. And how could he not?! Barrack Obama left the Presidency looking 20 years older and he was a young man! Biden is facing non-stop crisis after crisis, from the covid-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine to a post-pandemic economic rollercoaster to the growing conflict in the Middle East.
This is not the same kind of phony issue ginned up by the right like Hillary's emails, and it will only get worse going forward, because, ya know, that's how TIME works. If Biden serves another 4 years he will be 86 when he leaves. All four of my grandparents died before 86 and had significant infirmities in their final years. It is insane to deride anyone who worries about the health and vitality of Biden as ageist.
I'm convinced the vast majority of Democratic party elites actually AGREE with all of this in their heart of hearts and would say as much if you have them truth serum. But they are paralyzed like a deer in the headlights based on the poor performance of last minute presidential candidate substitutions like in 1952 and 1968. They also sensibly worry about the fact that currently, Harris polls worse against Trump than Biden (of course that could change if she was the nominee and got a campaign together, but I digress). IMO, those real risks are still not a reason for denial and inaction.
The main thesis of the optimists seems to be: The anti-MAGA majority in this country will come home to Biden and hold their nose to vote D once the stakes become clear. In other words: We will win in SPITE OF Biden's weaknesses because Trump is uniquely awful. Ok, well if that's the case, wouldn't that mean ANY candidate with a (D) in front of their name would perform well against Trump???
That's why I find these electability arguments completely outdated. Our last two presidents have been a habitual pussy grabber and a guy who looks like a melted candle and appears to be entering the early stages of dementia. Before 2020, Biden lost all three attempts to become president, and his win was more of a reflection of negative partisanship than a ringing endorsement of him as a candidate. Even if Bernie Sanders or Amy Klobuchar was slotted instead, it would've been a similar result because removing Trump from office was the imperative; whoever was on the ticket was the vessel for doing so.
The ageism backlash is what happens when identity politics becomes the driving force of your political program. This just echoes all the sexism accusations that would be directed at anyone who pointed out Hillary's weaknesses in 2016 (turns out there were many). It also doesn't help that the right has hurled so many bad-faith arguments at the Democrats and the left, and it has conditioned many liberals to assume that any criticism of the Democrats and Biden must be due to some reactionary tendency or support for Trump. Guilt by "association."
This is why I've made the argument that liberals are more susceptible to groupthink and propaganda than they are comfortable admitting to themselves. Just repeating these ageism comments is giving the DNC free labor in spreading their spin. Instead of blaming a failing political party for their part in abetting fascism, voters who raise concerns are the targets instead. And this just perpetuates the status quo and gives the DNC an out to not have to change course.
Anyways, thanks for the read, and I appreciate your response!
I've mentioned it before, but the left is terrible at messaging. A good portion are also both comfy and complacent--a dangerous combination if ever there was one. These are usually the people who can be found rattling off twee aphorisms like "when they go low, we go high." That's not how it works in politics, and it demonstrates a terrible underestimation of the right (who, for as f'ed up as they are, are masters of messaging and staying on point).
Ideally, we'd adopt something like Ranked Choice voting at the national level. I don't see that happening in my lifetime, but having an actual Democratic primary is not an unreasonable ask. Why does it take a state supreme court ruling to get someone like Dean Phillips on the ballot?
With you 100% on ranked choice. It would force the opposition/minority party to compromise and be less partisan to garner votes.
I think the messaging has to do with an outdated "conventional" understanding of politics. Like this idea that bipartisanship is inherently good. Yeah, in an ideal world, there would be more compromise between both parties who were acting in good-faith to advance a common good. But bipartisanship also got us the repeal of Glass-Stegal and the Iraq War. The Democrats are still stuck in this post-McGovern mindset that prioritizes appealing to this fictitious moderate Republican instead of standing for the values that its base cares about.
This was excellent. So many good points. I know I’m not alone in feeling like we are throwing away (and possibly worse) the next 4-5 years, because there are no good options here once again.
Yeah, I thought Biden was supposed to be the one-term placeholder president. The Dems have really failed at developing young talent (Beto, Kamala, and Mayor Pete are equally uninspiring). AOC is too young and she'd get hit for being inexperienced. The party really is a gerontocracy, and by stonewalling Bernie and all the young energy he could've brought to the base, it feels like they squandered an opportunity to bring in a lot of fresh blood to the party.
Ouch. But I suppose we should confront this. It’s hard to have faith in system that is re-running both of these candidates but it’s a symptom of a bleak situation.
I understand Bernie is also an old candidate, but at least he represented a different direction. I just don't get how the Democrats keep repeating the same strategy and program and expect different results.
Curious? No mention of Robert Kennedy Jr.? Why do die hard dems think it's a two man race? Why aren't those folks considering Dean as a Biden replacement? He's a total party loyal.
It doesn't help that the party has cleared out any opposition. Personally, RFK Jr. strikes me as a fringe candidate whose candidacy won't go anywhere. I'm particularly not a fan of him because his program is a hodgepodge of hobby horses that vaguely represent a superficial kind of anti-establishment posturing. Not that I'm opposed to the idea of an insurgency candidacy (RE: Bernie), but I don't think he has the juice to have mainstream appeal in the Democratic primary.
I’m gonna vote for him. I think the time is right for a third party to be taken seriously, if not simply to shake the tree and watch the rotten fruit fall. I’ll take my chances bc nothing could possibly be worse than a Biden/Trump rematch in my very humble opinion.
I don't consider myself the voting police, nor do I believe it is my moral imperative to make people vote for either party. I don't blame people for being frustrated with both parties, and I would love for a third party to be taken seriously. I wish Cornel West's campaign could put it together.
Yeah, I am opinionated certainly but every person must come to their own conclusions. I love Cornel too but he definitely doesn't have the political connections needed to compete in such a dirty race. His soul is too pure.
This entire column is a breath of fresh air. I'm a lifelong Democratic voter who will pull the lever for Biden in November if need be, but I really wish we had a different candidate and I'm tired of being gaslit that I'm some dope buying in to "media hype."
I listened to his recent appearance on the Conan O'Brien podcast and even though I like Biden personally and think his administration has been pretty successful, it was *very* hard to listen to his thin, reedy voice and meandering comments; of course, as a top celebrity podcast that is pre-recorded, I'm sure there were less flattering moments that were edited out...
I dare anyone to watch any of Biden's speeches from 2019 and then his recent press appearances and not cringe at how much he has deteriorated in that time. And how could he not?! Barrack Obama left the Presidency looking 20 years older and he was a young man! Biden is facing non-stop crisis after crisis, from the covid-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine to a post-pandemic economic rollercoaster to the growing conflict in the Middle East.
This is not the same kind of phony issue ginned up by the right like Hillary's emails, and it will only get worse going forward, because, ya know, that's how TIME works. If Biden serves another 4 years he will be 86 when he leaves. All four of my grandparents died before 86 and had significant infirmities in their final years. It is insane to deride anyone who worries about the health and vitality of Biden as ageist.
I'm convinced the vast majority of Democratic party elites actually AGREE with all of this in their heart of hearts and would say as much if you have them truth serum. But they are paralyzed like a deer in the headlights based on the poor performance of last minute presidential candidate substitutions like in 1952 and 1968. They also sensibly worry about the fact that currently, Harris polls worse against Trump than Biden (of course that could change if she was the nominee and got a campaign together, but I digress). IMO, those real risks are still not a reason for denial and inaction.
The main thesis of the optimists seems to be: The anti-MAGA majority in this country will come home to Biden and hold their nose to vote D once the stakes become clear. In other words: We will win in SPITE OF Biden's weaknesses because Trump is uniquely awful. Ok, well if that's the case, wouldn't that mean ANY candidate with a (D) in front of their name would perform well against Trump???
That's why I find these electability arguments completely outdated. Our last two presidents have been a habitual pussy grabber and a guy who looks like a melted candle and appears to be entering the early stages of dementia. Before 2020, Biden lost all three attempts to become president, and his win was more of a reflection of negative partisanship than a ringing endorsement of him as a candidate. Even if Bernie Sanders or Amy Klobuchar was slotted instead, it would've been a similar result because removing Trump from office was the imperative; whoever was on the ticket was the vessel for doing so.
The ageism backlash is what happens when identity politics becomes the driving force of your political program. This just echoes all the sexism accusations that would be directed at anyone who pointed out Hillary's weaknesses in 2016 (turns out there were many). It also doesn't help that the right has hurled so many bad-faith arguments at the Democrats and the left, and it has conditioned many liberals to assume that any criticism of the Democrats and Biden must be due to some reactionary tendency or support for Trump. Guilt by "association."
This is why I've made the argument that liberals are more susceptible to groupthink and propaganda than they are comfortable admitting to themselves. Just repeating these ageism comments is giving the DNC free labor in spreading their spin. Instead of blaming a failing political party for their part in abetting fascism, voters who raise concerns are the targets instead. And this just perpetuates the status quo and gives the DNC an out to not have to change course.
Anyways, thanks for the read, and I appreciate your response!
I've mentioned it before, but the left is terrible at messaging. A good portion are also both comfy and complacent--a dangerous combination if ever there was one. These are usually the people who can be found rattling off twee aphorisms like "when they go low, we go high." That's not how it works in politics, and it demonstrates a terrible underestimation of the right (who, for as f'ed up as they are, are masters of messaging and staying on point).
Ideally, we'd adopt something like Ranked Choice voting at the national level. I don't see that happening in my lifetime, but having an actual Democratic primary is not an unreasonable ask. Why does it take a state supreme court ruling to get someone like Dean Phillips on the ballot?
With you 100% on ranked choice. It would force the opposition/minority party to compromise and be less partisan to garner votes.
I think the messaging has to do with an outdated "conventional" understanding of politics. Like this idea that bipartisanship is inherently good. Yeah, in an ideal world, there would be more compromise between both parties who were acting in good-faith to advance a common good. But bipartisanship also got us the repeal of Glass-Stegal and the Iraq War. The Democrats are still stuck in this post-McGovern mindset that prioritizes appealing to this fictitious moderate Republican instead of standing for the values that its base cares about.
This was excellent. So many good points. I know I’m not alone in feeling like we are throwing away (and possibly worse) the next 4-5 years, because there are no good options here once again.
Yeah, I thought Biden was supposed to be the one-term placeholder president. The Dems have really failed at developing young talent (Beto, Kamala, and Mayor Pete are equally uninspiring). AOC is too young and she'd get hit for being inexperienced. The party really is a gerontocracy, and by stonewalling Bernie and all the young energy he could've brought to the base, it feels like they squandered an opportunity to bring in a lot of fresh blood to the party.
Ouch. But I suppose we should confront this. It’s hard to have faith in system that is re-running both of these candidates but it’s a symptom of a bleak situation.
It really feels like this is 2016 3.0...
I understand Bernie is also an old candidate, but at least he represented a different direction. I just don't get how the Democrats keep repeating the same strategy and program and expect different results.
Curious? No mention of Robert Kennedy Jr.? Why do die hard dems think it's a two man race? Why aren't those folks considering Dean as a Biden replacement? He's a total party loyal.
It doesn't help that the party has cleared out any opposition. Personally, RFK Jr. strikes me as a fringe candidate whose candidacy won't go anywhere. I'm particularly not a fan of him because his program is a hodgepodge of hobby horses that vaguely represent a superficial kind of anti-establishment posturing. Not that I'm opposed to the idea of an insurgency candidacy (RE: Bernie), but I don't think he has the juice to have mainstream appeal in the Democratic primary.
I’m gonna vote for him. I think the time is right for a third party to be taken seriously, if not simply to shake the tree and watch the rotten fruit fall. I’ll take my chances bc nothing could possibly be worse than a Biden/Trump rematch in my very humble opinion.
I don't consider myself the voting police, nor do I believe it is my moral imperative to make people vote for either party. I don't blame people for being frustrated with both parties, and I would love for a third party to be taken seriously. I wish Cornel West's campaign could put it together.
Yeah, I am opinionated certainly but every person must come to their own conclusions. I love Cornel too but he definitely doesn't have the political connections needed to compete in such a dirty race. His soul is too pure.