The Witness Chronicles, June 6, 2024

Biden in denial, Trump’s fear

Photo by Kjartan Einarsson on Unsplash

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Trump is Beatable, and He Knows It

That needs to be the focus, not Biden, but…

Just to clarify, the Stephanopoulos interview last night did not change my mind. I think Biden’s mind is sound but his age is an insurmountable problem and that’s the way most voters see it.

He made a fundamental mistake last night even though he was prompted not to. When Stephanopolis reminded him that elections are about the future, Joe went back to talking about his accomplishments. In other words, the past.

And then he said something terrible. He said, and I paraphrase, if I lose I’ll take satisfaction that I did my best.

Not acceptable Joe. Losing is not an option. What that told me is that he has embraced a myth that he and only he can win. The reality is that almost any competent democrat can beat Trump, and Trump knows it.

What I heard from Joe was a man who is in denial about how bad things would be if Trump wins. He did not speak of the threat to democracy, the single best reason he should leave the race.

Here is the reality as I see it. The Trump campaign is terrified of Joe Biden stepping away and endorsing another candidate. They know they can beat Biden on the age issue, though everything we see says Trump is far more a victim of age and fear.

Let’s say Kamala Harris becomes the candidate. You may think she is not the best choice but as Joe’s running mate she would legally be able to take over his campaign money, and she was a successful prosecutor in her career before becoming VP. And prosecution is what Trump fears.

Everything Biden said last night was true but irrelevant, because the country is worried about the future, not adding up the significant accomplishments of the Biden administration. Trump needs to be attacked relentlessly.

We all know Trump’s problems, the felonies, the future trials, the legal bills, the endless lying and fear mongering. They may play well with his hardcore supporters but for normal humans they are not acceptable. And the plans of his allies are terrifying.

So terrifying that the Trump campaign tried to distance themselves from the worst of it, the Project 2025 plan that, in excruciating detail, outlines a planned takeover of the entire government. The leader of the Heritage Foundation, which wrote the document, threatened a violent revolution this past week if the ‘liberal communists’ resist.

This is far past the wack nonsense Trump spouts out at his rallies and his campaign knows it. We know Trump is full of sh*t but Project 2025 is real scary stuff.

This is all so bonkers that any sane opponent should be able to tear it to pieces but Joe did not, other than repeatedly noting that Trump lied 28 times during the disastrous debate. The craziness of the right is the issue right now, not the border and the price of groceries.

I know the polls dispute that but if a Democrat stands up and attacks the vision of America’s future that Trump represents, voters will pay attention. The Trump campaign is weak on policy and cannot rely on Trump to pay any attention to anything serious. So they cooked up a future with every right wing fantasy of a white Christian America, betting that is what we all want.

There is no evidence that we want that, unless you live in the Deep South or a vivid red state where fantasies of white supremacy still have roots. The country has moved past that but the best the MAGA Republicans can come up with is fantasy from an imagined past.

And a deranged candidate desperate to avoid further prosecution of crimes against the country he wants to lead.

Simply put, a younger experienced Democrat, speaking sanely about this reality, beats Trump. His campaign knows this and they are doubling down on their fantasy, thinking they can control a Trump dictatorship. That is nonsense and if we cannot beat it, something is seriously wrong with our country.

Speak truth to power and it will wither.

But fighting old age is a losing game.

~ 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 also write The Remarkable, a recovery letter, about my addiction and reentry experience. 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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