I haven’t posted for several weeks, as I am in the sort of catatonic state in which so many non-fascists find themselves these days. Like so many, I’m stunned that the media has decided to do its best to get the genius re-elected. I won’t go into detail about the one sided coverage. I’ll only point out that if Biden, two weeks ago, had wondered aloud whether he’d rather die from being eaten by a shark or electrocution we would be reading and hearing about it still.
This post is about Biden, and the movement to have him drop his candidacy. Had such a movement begun 2 years ago led by top Democrats confidentially pressuring Biden to drop out, and had he done so before the primary season, I would have no problem.
At the moment, it doesn’t seem feasible for a number of reasons. I may be wrong, but it appears to me that none of the Democrats calling on Biden to withdraw have clearly delineated a path forward should he do so. If he drops out, presumably his delegates are free to back whomever they please. He cannot order them to back anyone in particular, and even if he could it’s not clear that it would be a good idea. If any of the politicians calling for him to withdraw have named a replacement, outlined a strategy to obtain a unanimous (or nearly unanimous) convention endorsement for that replacement, or dealt with the fact that said replacement, basically the result of a back room deal, might alienate large groups of Democratic voters.
So, if he drops out, we’re likely to have a battle at the convention.
Harris would be the obvious choice to succeed. After all she is vice president. But the media has had it in for her ever since she was put on Biden’s ticket. There’s no question in my mind but that they would jump at the chance to amplify whatever racist talking points (hedged in order to allow them to deny the racism sufficiently to satisfy the media) the Republicans trot out. Those talking points are likely to be more effective against her, a relatively unknown quantity, than the anti-Biden talking points have been against him. What would be needed would be the unthinkable from today’s politicians: a decision on Harris’s part to put the interests of the country over her own, and join in strongly endorsing a candidate who is as bullet proof as possible.
In any event, if Biden withdraws, there’s a good chance we’ll come out of the convention with a fractured party resulting in more stories about Democrats in disarray.
As with so many problems the Democrats run into, this one is somewhat self created. Sure, Biden did not do well in the debate. At the same time, Trump lied whenever he opened his mouth. Let’s reverse the situation and pretend that it was Trump that underperformed according to the media’s definition and Biden that lied with every word he spoke. The Republicans would, in unison, have 1) insisted that Trump won the debate no matter what the media or pollsters might say, and 2) attack the media for failing to concentrate on Biden’s lies. The Democrats, of course, did none of those things, nor are they engaging in a concentrated attack on the media for ignoring Trump’s clear signs of senility, such as those he showed last night during his acceptance speech.
There are a few Democrats attacking the media, but not nearly enough. The media is currently willing to give a pass to Trump and other Republicans in part because the Republicans spent years attacking the “liberal media” for telling the truth about Republicans. The media found it easier to stop telling the truth than to fight back. It’s one of the reasons we are now on the brink of fascism.