It’s Biden Until It’s Not Biden.
Among many Democrats, you’ve seen the post debate concern about President Joe Biden. His performance, and let’s differentiate that from content, did nothing to help him. But performance aside, he was in firm grasp of what his administration has done and wants to do in comparison to the invented results under Trump.
So post debate was pretty harsh on Biden and with justification. Yet, the very next day, at a rally in Raleigh, you had a far more energetic Joe Biden.
Leaving me and many wondering, where was THAT guy? This could have been his closing speech.
We have been brought up to see what affect 8 years in the presidency has on a person, at least outwardly. And we are in uncharted territory with both candidates. There are plenty of examples of Donald Trump rambling incoherently on the stump.
Reasonable people can dismiss Trump as a dangerous narcissist, devoid of even a basic understanding of issues, a convicted felon, Russian asset, racist, misogynist, dumpster fire of a person and so much more. And it is so shameful that there are voters who would put him back in office, amused as a child would be with a wind up toy that clangs cymbals together. By now, there is no secret to what Trump is. You’ve had 8 years to see it. Yet I am reminded of the saying it is easier for people to keep believing lies, than convince them they have been lied to. Human weakness. And human weakness is now a huge threat to democracy.
So we turn back to Biden. The presidency wears on a person. But what if, and this is only my conjecture, what if Biden is far less micromanager, more overseer of the government? What if a president sets the broad parameters of policy and, more than previous occupants, delegates? Give me some ideas how we reduce student debt…. ok Mr. President we can do a,b,c,d. Great, put together an executive order on a and c.
Do you see someone who you think does not have a grasp on information? The speaking issues can have an affect on people’s impression. But do people know that Biden has, and spoken often, about his dealing with a stuttering issue his whole life? Again, one of those things I do not know is whether age and a stressful situation can exacerbate that. I just know it was far more challenging for him to speak in the debate than his post debate rallies with a friendly crowd.
Ultimately, you have to trust not only Biden, but people around him. There are people far closer to him than what we see. Would Dr. Jill Biden, would others step up as an act of love for the man, to say it was time to let go of the race. I have to believe they would.
And for a long list of reasons, keeping a Democrat in the White House (and Congress) matters more now than any time in US history. Democracy, rule of law, the environment, the economy, housing, I could go on with things that matter. Supreme Court appointments? NATO? The last person you want in the White House is Donald Trump.
Your choice is Joe Biden. Until it isn’t.