We need to change the narrative. For the past two weeks, the media and other prominent voices have been telling voters that our president and the Democratic nominee for the 2024 election is too old, weak and feeble minded to win against his opponent, Donald Trump. This is purely based on speculation. It’s a story rooted in fear and anxiety about the future. There is no evidence of Biden’s incapacity to serve or that he cannot win the election. In other words, it’s a myth.
Trump is a master of spinning mythology about himself, his supporters, and his vision for America. After the unthinkably horrible assassination attempt, the entire Republican Party rallied behind him at the RNC. He is viewed simultaneously as an action hero and a Christlike martyr.
Joe Biden was right to immediately and unequivocally condemn political violence and call for calm and unity. The way to win political battles is at the ballot box, not with guns. This shows true leadership and gives us an opportunity to reframe our thinking.
Myths and stories are important because they have the power to shape us psychologically and influence our actions in a subconscious way. Trump understands this. So does Taylor Swift, who is nothing like Trump personally but who is also beloved and fiercely defended against criticism by her fans. They are both “masterminds” at shaping public opinion.
Democrats would do well to take note. Instead of casting Biden as the senile and incompetent old fool, or a tyrant like King Lear, we can choose to see him as the wise, noble and steadfast elder statesman that he is. Biden doesn’t need to emulate Trump in order to win. He doesn’t need to be a charismatic speaker like Obama. He just needs to be himself and keep doing his job as he has during the past three and a half years. Contrast that with what Trump did during his time in office and what he plans to do if reelected. Trump is an agent of chaos. Voters want a return to normalcy.
If we let him, Biden can be our Gandalf or Obi-Wan, the wise mentor who leads the quest until it is time for a new hero of a younger generation to step into power. It’s not time for Biden to pass the torch, not yet. He has to get us through the election first. But soon enough he will, if we can only hold on and not abandon the mission. We have to stay true and stick together.
A biblical figure who comes to mind is Moses, who led his people out of Egypt but never saw the promised land. He lived to the age of 120 and guided the Israelites within sight of their goal. Moses, like Biden, was “slow of speech and tongue.” Moses said to his god, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.” Yet he was still the champion his people needed. Trump may be a great entertainer, but America needs more at this moment than a president who looks good on tv. By changing the narrative, we can change the outcome if we can summon hope and the courage to believe.
