Joe Bader Biden
If Joe Biden is the Democratic nominee in November, you should vote for him.
If Gretchen Whitmer is the nominee, you should vote for her. If Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the nominee, you should vote for her. If a carton of rancid buttermilk is the nominee, vote for it. Twice.
Anyone and anything is better than the monster running as the Republican. Not just because he’s a career criminal, ignoramus, pathological liar, sexual predator, emotional toddler, racist, Putin stooge and narcissist for the ages, but because with the enthusiastic help of his fascist cult, he will destroy American democracy. And with it the world.
So if there is a choice between him and Joe Biden, ask Hobson. There is no choice.
But as we have all by now seen, that should not be the choice. This is what the White House, Democratic Party, Biden campaign and Biden family should do immediately.
Check all the gas burners in the White House, Camp David and Delaware. They are probably on.
Find a dignified way for Biden to withdraw. If not to acknowledge his cognitive deficits, maybe something about a “previous engagement.” Like a long-planned destination wedding. Or a nursing home. Or heaven.
Locate a replacement candidate who has name-recognition, political experience and the ability to walk without looking like Tim Conway’s “little old man.”
Inform the president that he will not be running for re-election. He will not like this. He will lose his temper. He will say, “This is my home and you can’t make me leave it!” He will say, “You’re just trying to get my money!” But as all Baby Boomers well understand, elder care is not easy. No senior wants to be infantilized. But it is time to take the car keys away.
This is not a novel observation. I am the 66,014th journalist to make it in the last six days. Strangely, though, many people miss several key points. They are as follows:
Many independents are loath to vote for the Duke of Orange, but have long felt uncomfortable (or much worse) about Biden. Have you seen approximately EVERY POLL over the past year? Me, I think his presidential record has been quite remarkable considering the rightwing disinformation and total obstruction in Congress. But I have only one vote, and it isn’t even in a swing state. Biden is an extremely unpopular president. He could be the physical specimen of Jalen Hurts and still lose. And the stakes are too high. The republic cannot take a risk on Joe Bader Biden.
Whoever comes away with the nomination will have a publicity windfall unprecedented in American politics. Trump, who has managed to lie, bait, threaten and rage his way into the foreground will suddenly find himself out of the headlines — except for his prison sentence for 34 felonies and other trials ahead. Whether the candidate is Whitmer, Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg (my fave) or even Michelle Obama, Trump will be neutralized. And, God willing, incarcerated.
Let’s just imagine that Biden stays in the race and wins. The whole world saw him struggle Thursday night. Maybe his team was right: “one bad night.” Probably so. But what about 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028. Age-related cognitive decline never gets better. On the contrary, with time it only accelerates. Now he is shuffling and mumbling. The near future will be dramatically worse.
His loved ones and supporters must take away the keys. Not just for the car, but for the missiles.
Biden has been a good, arguably a great president. But the clock ticks, the dusk deepens. There is no retreat.
The president says that all he needs is a little more sleep, an 8PM lights out, maybe some warm milk and a kiss on the forehead from Jill. That might work fine for a workday filled with photo ops and principals meetings. But is that the voice you want answering the phone at 2AM when the shit has hit the fan in some odd corner of the world or when terrorists hit Ottumwa, IA?
Mr. Biden missed the opportunity to exit the stage with maximum grace six months ago. He should take the opportunity to exit the stage with some grace and dignity before the Democratic Party, or worse, the voters, give him the hook.
"I would love to lead America to new heights in a second administration - and I am damned well ready and able to do it. But as much as I am today as I have always been a fighter, I recognize that the American people worry that I am old, perhaps too old to battle Trump for the presidency, perhaps too old to lead well for another four years.
"The single most import task in front of me is to save America from a second Trump administration, an eventuality that would mark the end of the beginning of the destruction of American democracy. The Democratic Party has an abundance of bright, articulate, strong leaders including my outstanding vice president, Kamala Harris. While I relish the opportunity to again vanquish Mr. Trump at the polls, I must accept the reality that I may best serve this great nation by passing the torch to a new generation.
"I withdraw from the running for the nomination of the Democratic Party and release those delegates pledged to me. I will campaign tirelessly for the candidate my party chooses and together, together in the largest sense of the word, we will march into a new dawn of peace and prosperity for all Americans."
Bob, you write, "Locate a replacement candidate who has name-recognition, political experience, and the ability to walk without looking like Tim Conway’s 'little old man.'"
That candidate is obviously Kamala Harris, whom anyone who doesn't want to see another President Trump will be happy to vote for. If Biden resigns the Presidency before the Democratic Convention there can be an orderly and democratic process to select a vice-presidential candidate.
Chaos averted.