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POLITICS
Why Democrats Need To Risk Winning — For Once
Democrats need to focus on beating Trump by shaking up the race, or all may be lost
I hadn’t really planned to watch the debates. I can’t stand listening to Trump speak, and I figured Biden would be tedious at best. I could always watch it later, or at least bits and pieces, if it was warranted. It would be covered widely, so I wasn’t likey to miss anything. Still, I ended up tuning in, just for the beginning—out of curiosity, I guess. I didn’t last 30 seconds. Biden shuffled out like he was entering the Day Room at the senior center, then started muttering and trying to clear his scratchy throat.
“I can’t watch this shit,” I said as I turned off the television.
The news reports that followed didn’t do anything to allay my fears that we were in trouble. At the time, I didn’t think there was even a remote possibility that the Party might find a spine and move to replace the incumbent president with a suitable replacement. That would be an unusual and unprecedented move in an already unusual and unprecedented election cycle. But there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to what normal looks like these days, so really, it’s anyone’s guess what happens next.
Personally, I think Biden is too damaged and diminished to continue with his re-election bid. Not because I don’t think he can do the job. As long as he’s got his wits about him, it’s okay if he moves a bit more cautiously and speaks more slowly. He’s got highly qualified people all around him and a solid moral compass. But good enough just isn’t good enough right now. I think he could not only lose the presidency, but we could lose the House and Senate as well, in what would most certainly be irreversible collateral damage. Most people barely go beyond the surface.
The panic-driven posts on social media blamed the so-called mainstream media for this, even though everyone in America saw the debacle unfold in real time. It was the topic of every late-night talk show and every morning program. It was all over social media, and it was talked about incessantly. It wasn’t just the coverage of the New York Times or the Washington Post. It wasn’t just what they were talking about on CNN or MSNBC. We all…
