Biden channeling Trump
Biden’s Trumpian delusions of indispensability are frustrating efforts to get him to withdraw. He stubbornly ignored private entreaties to do so gracefully. Now there’s a farcical mutiny afoot.
But, with all due respect to Obama, Pelosi, Schumer, and others, they should have made their entreaties in November 2022 — after Biden’s blue wall turned Trump’s red wave into still waters.
My prophetic plea
I refer you to my podcast of November 20, 2022. Back then, I urged Biden to take credit for sealing his legacy with domestic legislation, foreign-policy initiatives, and those midterms, which made him the most successful first-term president since LBJ.
Then, I argued that, with his enviable record, he should declare his intent to honor his famous pledge. That’s the one he made to serve as a transitional president by passing the torch to a new generation of Democrats to run for president in 2024.
Biden would’ve endorsed his VP, Kamala Harris, as the nominee. Challengers would have had over a year to challenge her. But none would’ve dared if they wanted a future in the Democratic Party, let alone a chance to become its presidential nominee.
But nothing vindicated my plea quite like then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (82) passing the torch to Hakeem Jeffries (51). That’s why, having led by example, she has the generational and political authority to call on Biden to do the same.
If Biden had channeled Washington
Joe Biden would’ve been as lauded as latter-day George Washington. Recall that, instead of contemporary leaders pleading with him to go, Washington resisted their entreaties to make him king.
More to the point, imagine how promising the November elections this year would look if those pleading with him to withdraw today had urged him to do so when I did.
Democratic factionalism
Now, Democratic factionalism is giving new meaning to the circular firing squad. “I-alone-can-fix-it” Biden is accusing Obama, Pelosi, and Schumer of betraying him while thanking progressives, Blacks, and Hispanics for continuing to have his back.
And just when you thought the self-inflicting bullets couldn’t come from any other direction, the mercurial Clintons began firing out of nowhere. They’re ridin’ with Biden, giving credence to his Trumpian grievances. No doubt they’re hoping if/when he steps aside, Biden will endorse Hillary instead of Kamala to replace him as the nominee…
If Biden stays
If Obama wanted to show real leadership and a profile in courage, he’d gather Katzenberg (Biden’s donor-in-chief), Pelosi, Schumer, Clyburn, and Jeffries to stage an intervention in Delaware today. There, they would speak truth and sense to Biden. And they would not leave until they have a firm agreement for Biden to announce he’s withdrawing and passing the torch to Harris.
That said, if Biden stays and wins, all will be forgiven. However, if he stays and loses, Biden will become the most hated man in American politics since Joe McCarthy. And, just like Trump, he will leave in his wake a Democratic Party more divided against itself than Sunnis and Shias, broken friendships (notably with Obama), partnerships, careers, etc..
In that case, his legacy will be handing America over to an autocratic Trump. It will be getting his Democratic supporters to sound just like MAGA cult worshipers in a vain attempt to defend his “I-alone-can-fix-it” narcissism.
But trust me, within the next 10 days, a thoroughly humiliated and resented Biden will announce he’s stepping aside, citing doctor’s orders — just as I said he should do. Unfortunately, there’s no undoing the damage his failure to do so long ago has caused his legacy and the Democratic Party.
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