The Witness Chronicles, July 12, 2024
Democratic chaos
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Political Chaos Won’t Win This Election
And that is what the Democrats have
I didn’t watch Biden’s NATO press conference last night. It kept getting stalled and I decided to take a walk. I know he is sharp on foreign policy, maybe more than any President in my lifetime (a lot). But I knew what would happen.
He would get a few things screwed up, generally be knowledgeable but not looking vital. The guy is eighty-one and has a workload none of us can comprehend. And he spent the whole day dealing with world leaders. So, I can cut him some slack.
But as politics, it ain’t flying with voters. We do not want an old guy this time around. By the way, Donald Trump is probably physically older and definitely mentally ill. And he is not being covered on that subject or held up to any kind of sanity standard.
We are not far from the election. About four months. And things are a total mess in the campaigns. The Trump people have gone full whack, in part because the media are simply not doing their jobs. These people are dangerous and all we read about are Joe Biden’s slight gaffes, mixing up names, etc.
But that is the reality right now and there is no clarity on the Democrat side, just chaos. And we can’t win with chaos. That’s Trump’s territory. He loves chaos because it keeps reasonable people from having a clue just how bad his vision of the future is.
There is only one way this changes and that is what many Democrats do not want to hear, but everyday more are realizing it is the only way we win. Joe has to keep his promise of being a one term guy and step away. His age is not going to improve and the Republicans are having a field day with it.
The reality is that Donald Trump’s mental state is what should be scaring the crap out of all of us, but for a significant number of voters being polled it is not.
Trump’s worst nightmare is Biden handing the reins to another competent younger Democrat. That’s obvious to everyone but Joe. In an average election I’d say, go for it Joe. But this is not an average election.
The people around Trump are seriously dangerous maniacs with seriously developed plans to destroy our democracy permanently. They have already made huge progress by packing the courts and holding off Trump criminal convictions and trials in a series of delays which can only be characterized as treason against the Constitution.
That is why Joe has to be stopped and convinced to do the right thing.
To be clear, his record in his first term is stellar. Really amazing, given what he has had to work with. But the overwhelming perception is that he has paid a price, is old, and is not the man we elected in 2020. All of this by the way is normal for an 81 year old man who has been working hard all of those years.
But normal won’t cut it, given the odds and the stakes of this election.
The American people are not buying Biden’s assertion that only he can beat Trump this fall. In fact, they believe almost any other Democrat can do the job. I’m not big on polls but they have been incredibly consistent. Biden is losing to a certified nutcase, a convicted criminal, and his cadre of fascists.
That’s reality. It can change and it must. But the circumstances right now on the Democratic side are chaotic and the Republicans are thrilled to death. I don’t know how we convince Biden that this is reality but it must happen.
To the hardcore Biden supporters: I get it but look at the numbers. He is losing and it’s over an issue he cannot change, the march of time. Trump is beatable but not the way things are going.
Everything changes, constantly. That too is reality and someone needs to tell Joe Biden it’s time. Step aside gracefully and know you will be remembered as a great President and a great American.
~ I write The Grasshopper, an occasional letter on the creative life and it’s sister, mostly daily publication The Witness Chronicles, a place for my articles on politics and climate. They share a free and paid subscription.I don’t paywall any content in these, however this is how I live and I strongly believe all writers and creatives should get paid, if we provide value. Your support with a paid subscription helps make that happen.
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This all a lot of nonsense from all of you armchair neurologists. Your refrain to all of your friends and family should be. "I will vote for Biden if his head is stuffed and on the wall before I will vote for Trump. Biden's accomplishments and his surrounding staff and cabinet have been extraordinary at doing their jobs and getting things done. That is not going to change." What needs to change is all the pearl clutching by those acting out of fear. Biden's accomplishments demonstrate his vision for the country. The absolute requirement for a dedicated and informed staff in the complexities of running the administration will keep that vision in place. The alternative is too ugly to even imagine. I suggest everyone read or watch Professor Alan Lichtman.
Thanks as always, Martin. Did you happen to see the press snippet of a Kamala Harris speech from yesterday? She was spectacular (at least in the snippet I saw). I'm paraphrasing but my emphasis point is hers; she said:
Donald Trump's instigation of the insurrection on Jan 6, 2021 DISQUALIFIES him to be Commander in Chier. Let me repeat that (she said): It DISQUALIFIES him from being Commander in Chief.
Of course, she was talking morally (not making legal proclamations). But it was spot-on, forceful, compelling.
My husband--who my political junky friends and I classify as a "normy" (not as obsessed with politics as we are)--was duly impressed and said something to the effect: That is the kind of thing Dems need to be out there saying to beat tRump.
My husband is kind of my touchstone for what resonants with "average voters".