Joe Biden Drops Out, Good Riddance

Joe Biden was the weakest candidate Democrats have never almost nominated. Long touted as the only answer to Trump until just days ago it felt inevitable that Joe Biden going up against that very same opponent was essentially walking into a meat grinder. Joe Biden did the smart thing and dropped out.

Kamala Harris is Unburdened by What Has Been

Kamala Harris will replace him, it’s unclear whether she too will be walking into a meat grinder, but it’s worth the hail mary. Democrats, particularly those motivated to keep Biden in the race, touted his “record” repeatedly. The Inflation Reduction Act, post COVID job growth, and general feel good type sentiments about how things “are better now.” The average American however, largely disagrees with that sentiment.

The Inflation Reduction Act was nothing but corporate grift pushed by the likes of Joe Manchin, watered down stimulus that at best pushed inflation only slightly higher. Not significant enough to help, just significant enough to make things worse. Post COVID job growth was inevitable and almost certainly would have happened had Trump remained president. The idea that things are better now, well again, people just don’t feel that.

There were enough people in 2020 who just generally disdained President Trump that Joe Biden squeaked out an election that was far closer than it should have been given the circumstances. Trump has refined his image and successfully maneuvered the final steps of his hostile takeover of the Republican Party. With the tweaks Trump has made (ultimately he’s still Trump) and the general disaster that Biden’s first four years have been there was simply no reasonable path to victory for Joe Biden.

Joe Biden Would Have Lost For Sure

I say that before Joe Biden had dementia on stage at the debate, which Trump expertly capitalized on as someone who clearly has decades of experience in television compared to Biden’s vacant gaze all night. And before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump that probably created one of the most iconic images in American history and played perfectly into Trump’s narrative on basically every level. This still may propel Trump to victory. It was guaranteed to if Joe Biden didn’t step aside.

I never agreed Joe Biden was the man for the moment in 2020. I think most of the Democratic candidates could have defeated Trump in that moment. We obviously through our hat behind Bernie Sanders. He’s the only candidate on the liberal/left side of the aisle that I think has come close to communicating the right level of anger for the moment. Donald Trump promises to topple the system on his supporters behalf. Whether he does that in reality or to their benefit is another debate, but that’s the promise. It’s an effective promise because people feel the need to do just that. Bernie Sanders offers a similar, though obviously, very, very different vision.

Kamala Harris does not do that, but she also doesn’t forget where she is, stumble over her words, or depend on people buying the illusion of a successful presidency to cast their vote for her. That last point impacts her a little bit, but ultimately not as significantly as it does Joe Biden obviously.

Joe Biden would have lost, Kamala Harris still might, but it was a rare good move by Democrats regardless of how it plays out.