The world is full of armchair quarterbacks, pundits, journalists and bloggers – a barrage of individuals trying to figure out just what happened during the first 2024 Presidential Debate. One fact is undeniable; quoting Bob Woodward during his June 28 appearance on MSNBC’s “The Beat,” Biden’s performance was a “political hydrogen bomb.” As a linguist, other words that come to my mind for Biden’s debate performance are fiasco, debacle, and outright disaster. One could classify it as disappointing, disheartening, and discouraging, but those words are far too mild.
The future of the United States, and perhaps the world, hinges on the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Throughout the world, far-right conservatives are being elected as country leaders. We need our allies, and they need us, as our non-allies like Russia, China, and North Korea gain power and seek to destroy neighboring democracies.
Here at home, thanks to Donald Trump and his evil MAGA cronies, we have the most conservative (and biased) Supreme Court in the history of the United States. Week after week, my head spins at some of the decisions publicized, most recently an exoneration of the rebels who stormed our Capitol on January 6, killing police officers, vandalizing the building and threatening the peaceful transition of power.
This SCOTUS most famously overturned Roe vs. Wade, taking away women’s reproductive rights. Old, mostly white men decided that they had more authority to rule on a woman’s rights than women. To make matters worse, they have actually criminalized abortion, giving more rights to a men who commit incest or rape than to their victims. Our nation has stepped back in time to the turn of the century, making us resemble the Gilead of Handmaid’s Tale. Imagine the outrage if a group of old white women were to decide that all men should have vasectomies or, worse, be castrated.
Women’s reproductive rights are not the only cause for concern if Donald Trump is elected. Healthcare, Social Security, Immigration, Discrimination and Taxation are also on the ballot. When it comes to immigration, our country has numerous undocumented residents, most of whom contribute positively to our economy through work and consumerism. The Republicans, aka Donald Trump, want us to believe that all immigrants are criminals and drug dealers and prison escapees. He wants to round up anyone “illegal,” in the “greatest deportation” action of all time, regardless of whether they have been here for decades, regardless of whether he separates children from their parents, and regardless of whether a return to their country of origin could mean imminent death. Let’s not forget the disastrous separation of children from their parents at our borders during his presidency. I cannot unsee the photos and video of hysterical parents and children from that time.
The list of horrors our country may experience under a Trump presidency is lengthy. Let’s not forget his promise to be a dictator on Day One. He is a threat to our nation, our democracy, and “everything this nation stands for” (Biden’s words at a rally the day after the debate). It is imperative that this felon and fraud Donald Trump never resides in the White House again. The question everyone is asking is whether Joe Biden is the solution. Sadly, after last night’s debate, his viability as the Democratic candidate is in question. Unfortunately, there is no room for missteps in a race this critical and this close. Democrats have only two options: find a last-minute replacement who is decades younger than both Trump and Biden, or work like hell to reframe this recent fiasco. The debate validated fears people have had for months: Biden may be too old to serve four more years in the White House. We witnessed an exhausted, feeble old man struggle to get words out and waste time bickering about golf handicaps. We didn’t see the Dynamo who gave the powerful State of the Union address just months ago. The public seems to have selective amnesia about all that he has accomplished. For that matter, so do the Democratic Strategists who historically fail to successfully market Democratic candidates. In deference to Biden, he made several appearances at rallies the day after the debate. He was forceful, passionate, intelligent and coherent, acknowledging his poor debate performance. I found myself asking, “where was this guy last night?” Unfortunately, people are not watching today’s rallies. We cannot unsee the verbal stumbling that took place during the debate. It will be difficult to overcome. Forget the fact that not one single truth came out of Trump’s mouth. Fact checkers claim he uttered more than 30 lies, taking credit for accomplishments of Biden’s. No one is talking about that, though, because Trump had more energy and looked better than he has in years. Forget that Trump has had numerous gaffes and appearances in which he has been completely incoherent and disheveled. No one is thinking about that either.
So, what is the best solution? For years, I have supported Biden, donated to the campaign and touted his accomplishments. I think he has been an exceptional President, who had to unravel a disastrous mess left by Trump. He began his presidency amidst mass hysteria from far-right domestic terrorists, inspired by Trump, who committed insurrection by storming our Capitol trying to prevent Biden from taking office. Our COVID numbers were in the toilet (more deaths in the US than any country in the world). I blame Trump for the COVID deaths, for calling it a hoax, criticizing our healthcare institutions, masks and reasonable safety measures. He repeatedly called it “the China plague,” adding to anti-Asian sentiment in our nation. The entire global economy tanked during the COVID pandemic due to supply chain issues. Trump’s tax policies created the largest ever national debt, leaving Biden to pick up the pieces. I’m semi-retired, and my income tax rate is larger than Elon Musk’s. How is that even marginally acceptable? Biden has fixed Trump’s disasters. Biden has created a six times as many jobs as what the Trump presidency created. He brought commerce back to the U.S. Through Biden’s policies, the United States has progressed faster than any other nation since the COVID pandemic. Biden has passed more bipartisan legislation than anyone since the New Deal (The Chips and Science Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act, to name only a few)
Despite all Biden has accomplished, I admit that I have secretly wished for months that we had a younger candidate with the courage to stand up to Trump and call him out for his endless barrage of lies and his disastrous past performance. Now, I’m out of the closet with my secret wishes. Imagine someone like Gavin Newsom at the top of the ticket. He’s young, attractive, energetic and feisty. He has no qualms about calling people out and standing up to his critics. Some would find him too far to the left. However, imagine if he had a running mate like Amy Klobuchar (with both Newsom and Kamala Harris being from California, there could be challenges attracting voters from other parts of the US). Picture this: Newsom/Klobuchar – Newsom pulls in all of the Under 30 voters who think Biden is too old. He pulls in the far left crowd who are angry about Biden’s support for Israel (too single minded in their focus to realize that Republicans are also pro-Israel, but let’s leave that aside for now). Klobuchar, a fiercely intelligent, politically moderate middle-aged woman with a calm demeanor, can pull in the moderates including some Republicans who simply will not elect Trump no matter what. Newsom/Klobuchar – yin and yang, left and middle, feisty and measured. Yes, it is late in the game. Yes, it appears to be a frantic, last-ditch effort to turn things around, a Hail Mary pass. However, it could energize the party and bring new life to a painful and scary Presidential race.
My wishes are not always granted. The decision to step down is Biden’s and he is a fighter, as we have witnessed for years. Even today, after the debate fiasco, he is coming out like a fighter. He is unlikely to abandon the race at this point. Whatever the outcome, I stand by him based on his character and accomplishments and hope others will also. If he does step down, which I continue to think is a wise choice, I will be banging on doors, inspiring people to vote for the Newsom/Klobuchar ticket.