Biden His Time
Remember Ed Helms in The Hangover? This is us. We have a black eye and our head is on fire. There’s a passed out hooker covered in cocaine on the sofa, an infant is crying in the kitchen and a tiger is sitting at the foot of the bed licking its chops. We just want it to end, we want to go home. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I’d prescribe to someone suffering the worst hangover of their life is to smoke a pack of Lucky’s, drink a fifth of Stoli and spend the day riding rollercoasters at Six Flags.
So let’s cut the crap. There’s no coup, no billionaire conspiracy to subvert the will of the people. Pete Buttegieg, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke are not corporate shills. Joe Biden is drawing a surge of late support for very rational reasons; people like him, they do not want a revolution, and they believe he can beat trump.
Our collective head is swimming in appalling parallel realties we can’t even focus on, because there is Just. Too. Much. Every. Single. Day.
Here’s a smidge of the past 48 hours; The Republicans dug up their favorite bone as US District Court Judge Royce Lamberth deposed Hilary Clinton over, you guessed it, emails and Benghazi. Tornadoes ravaged Tennessee killing 25 people. There is an utter lack of coherence and transparency from the White House on COVID-19, not enough test kits, questionable reliability of the tests, no one knows how to get one, and the hotline ain’t so hot. So to clear things up Virus Czar Mike Pence held a prayer meeting photo op. Ambassador Birx is a positive addition, but the US is shamefully behind the Corona eight ball. People will avoid getting tested for fear of the cost. Stories are circulating of a guy getting walloped with a $3000 bill. Pro tip- wash your hands, don’t touch your face or anyone else’s face. Lastly, the Supreme Court is hearing a case on whether trump can fire the head of the CFPB which would “loyalize” another independent agency, an abortion test case is tee’d up next. And as always trump’s goons continue to pillage the federal government behind the scenes.
Apropos of nothing a priceless moment of unscripted TV occurred at 7 o’clock last night, when long time pundit Chris Matthews sat at his desk on Hardball stared into camera one and abruptly quit in a flush of pique, leaving a stunned and speechless Steve Kornacki to carry on. Obviously Matthews was fired for going too far, far too many times, (maybe comparing Sander’s supporters to Nazis was a tad unfiltered), but it was clear that no-one at the studio knew that was coming. I did not have Chris Matthews gives the finger to NBC on live TV on my Super Tuesday bingo card.
Anyway, down at the bottom of the rabbit hole was today’s stock market, still the bellwether of the economy. After a welcome rally yesterday, trump decided to juice the market with his ineffable magic and bullied Jerome Powell into cutting the Fed short-term rate to ~1%, which had the opposite impact trump expected. The market plunged 850p at midday erasing yesterday’s recovery. Note- an off-cycle rate cut hasn’t occurred since 2008 so if the virus itself isn’t making you sweat, then admitting our government is trying to stave off a pandemic with a toothless economic cure just might.
We are exhausted wandering in the woods with no leadership. No, not no leadership; trump. He’s the opposite leadership, he’s the black hole of leadership; he’s that shade of black that is so black it’s illegal to use as paint, that’s how fucking not a leader he is. And though the United States is off the rails, there’s a chance to save ourselves in eight months, and voting for a return to boring old sanity is the choice many are making. We really need to sleep through the night.
From the very start I said it should be Biden. I got side tracked with so many great candidates. Joe wasn’t my first choice, but always in the back of my mind are three Biden truths that all lead to the key word; Electability.
Trust: Biden has name recognition. That familiarity translates into comfort. This the not the moment for guessing games or more pandemonium. Maybe in four years we will have that revolution (probably not). In my circles we are politically astute, even a bit obsessed. But many people are what’s euphemistically known as ‘low information voters’ they walk into the booth, recognize ‘Biden’ and pull that lever. There are also more conservative Democrats that would prefer a top down centrist ticket. As I keep repeating, congressional races are everything.
The world also knows Joe, and the only leader who won’t heave a sigh of relief will be Vladamir Putin. He wants trump but he’ll settle for Sanders. That’s why team trump is busy digging up fake (as in not legit) dirt on Biden (never forget trump is a Russian asset!) However, Biden has been vetted down to his descending colon. They got nothing on him.
Credibility: Biden is a known quantity in Washington DC. Yep the swamp. Where we need to form coalitions and alliances to get shit done. Biden can broker deals. He’ll form a top notch cabinet and we can move forward. On expanded Medicare. On rejoining the Paris Agreement, enshrining LGBT rights and gun laws, address wealth inequality and other critical issues. Mainly, putting back together everything trump wrecked. The Democratic Platform will be updated at the convention, let’s make sure it includes toothsome progressive ideas.
Heart: Uncle Joe has been in the public eye for a long long time. He’s a meme for crying out loud. We have seen him at his worst (Anita Hill trial), we have seen him at his best (blasting house Republicans for voting against the Violence Against Women Act). We have witnessed Joe goofing-up, and drowning in grief If this man is masking his true self he should quit politics and open an acting academy. What we see is what we’re gonna get. And what Joe Biden is, even if you disagree with his policies, is a mensch, who sincerely wants to heal the country. I truly believe that he did not take up this fight to stroke his own ego, but as his patriotic duty and to lead the party. Though the last 48 hours have certainly been some of the most rewarding of his career.
As Jim Clyburn so eloquently put it, Joe Biden is not just someone you know, he is someone who knows you. Biden is not deaf, he hears what the people are saying, he is not blinded by his own ambition, he sees what the country needs. Biden has one shot to to get this right, to be inscribed in the book of life as the president who got the U.S. back on course after its rockiest four years since the Civil War. Trust me he is not going to blow it. For love of his country. For the gratitude at being given this opportunity. For Obama. For us. For Beau…. Are you crying yet.