Thank You For Your Service, Joe.
You’ve done an okay job, Mr. Biden: You brought America back onto the world stage as an almost-trusted partner again; brought stability to the Oval Office, and did a reasonable job of handling our economy. Americans are also indebted to you for slightly delaying the ongoing fascist coup …until the next election; but your handling of the Ukraine War has been too little-too late… and next to no one supports your policy on the Israeli War (not even the Israelis). You claim good things for infrastructure, though most people, including myself, haven’t seen it yet. While an unfavorable media environment set the stage, you are a very unpopular president because your style of consensus building and bi-partisan co-operation are an anachronism that reflects a bygone era. When you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. When you compromise a sane policy with extremists, the result is worse policy, not better.
You obviously feel like you have a lot of miles left in the tank …but you don’t. Your nation is engaged in an epic, global battle of wits and endurance …and you’re eighty-plus. There are good reasons we’ve never had an eighty-five year old president.
Democrats watched in slow-motion horror as Ruth Bader Ginsberg clawed and grasped after more power until the very end. It cost America Roe v.s Wade. With a little push, it might cost us our democracy.
In your recent debate, we watched in horror as you misspoke, mumbled, and had McConnell-sized minutes in the ozone. Mitch hit his head and had a concussion as his excuse, but Presidential debates matter, Mr Biden.
I’m pretty sure Richard Nixon, Michael Dukakis, and Dan Quayle would argue that a single debate blooper can end an otherwise successful campaign. Please don’t do that to us. You had a cold? Okay, but what if you have another cold at the next debate? You may feel like taking a gamble with our freedoms by staying in the race, Mr. President, but we don’t want you rolling the dice: It isn’t necessary because the Democrats have a deep bench. If you lose the final debate for any reason, like a cold or the flu …America loses its Democracy to a Sopranos-wannabe. That’s a gamble most of us really don’t want you to undertake on our behalf.
The Republicans spent the last four years plotting and laying groundwork for their takeover of America. They have already invested billions of dollars to manipulate the media and prepare dissatisfaction and unrest throughout the nation ahead of the coming election. They’re targeting you and your family personally, and now they are waiting for Ms Harris to step on a carefully placed land mine. The Republican attack is so ponderous an assault that they couldn’t stop it now even if they wanted to (money has already been spent, palms lubricated, deals written in blood), and while it may be early in the game, it’s very late in the election cycle. Is it really too late to change horses before the race?
It is, but that’s a double-edged sword.
If it’s a little late in the game for the Democrats, nut it’s equally too late for the Republicans to switch their attack from Joe Biden to somebody else. If you step aside now, Mr President, they don’t have time to rewrite their ad campaigns or re-jigger their skulduggery to target an unexpected, surprise candidate. Rupert Murdoch wouldn’t have four more years to brainwash MAGA with hatred toward a new candidate. For the Republicans, switching attack targets now would be like trying to turn an aircraft carrier around in a parking lot (which they will surely do, regardless).
Why not step aside, Mr. President, and let a Newsome-Wittmer ticket blow Trump out of his jockey strap? I know you wanted to work forever. but you have become a liability to our democracy; if you think you are the only Democrat capable of beating Donald Trump, you are mistaken. Donald Trump is a dangerous sociopath, and my fear is that you, sir, may be the only candidate Trump actually can beat, thanks to four years of Fox “News” and other Murdoch propaganda saturating the nation with concerns about your age. Trump gamed a helpless old man at the debate, Joe, and now it’s looking like a Trump presidency unless the Democrats take a page from von Clausewitz* and hit ’em where they least expect it. Give the Republicans a new target they don’t have so much time to lionize. Make them spend billions more to rewrite the ad campaigns. Step aside, send in a ringer, and sucker-punch the bastards, Joe!
Again, thank you for your service, Mr. President. America couldn’t have asked for a better steward than you were, but please don’t wait for the next debate to blow up.
*Note: Carl von Clausewitz wrote that the “fog of war” is an essential element of any well-coordinated surprise attack. Shock and awe. Let’s give Donald Trump a little “fog of war” of his own, eh?