Joe Biden is the train crash you can’t look away from

benfell

Neoliberalism

Democratic (neoliberal) Party

Joe Biden


Fig. 1. Joe Biden and Pope Francis, unknown photographer, April 29, 2016, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

I’m not the only one who thinks Joe Biden can’t win,[1] by a very, very long shot.[2]

The debate — and the campaign’s handling of its aftermath — have left swing-seat Democrats deeply shaken and increasingly convinced that Biden’s weakness at the top of the ticket could fuel a complete wipeout down-ballot.

“Everybody wants him to quit. There’s a sense of despair. I think people don’t understand how we get out of this hole. And we’re hurtling toward losing to Trump,” said one House Democrat granted anonymity to shed light on private conversations. “All my text chains in Congress go from a dark humor to ‘let’s take action.’ … I don’t find any discernible group of people who actually believe we’re going to win with Joe Biden.”[3]

It seems a lot of Democratic politicians are looking at their jobs and wondering if they’ll still have them after the November election.[4] Remember the functionalist conservative imperative to preserve and extend one’s power and privilege over others.[5] This is hitting hard, even for a party that keeps convincing me it “prefer[s] to sit in opposition, where [Democratic politicians] can complain about the Republicans without actually being expected to accomplish anything.[6]”[7]

Apparently, however, Democrats don’t know what to do.[8] But, to understate it, “[g]iven mass voter discontent with the choice between [Donald] Trump and [Joe] Biden, the polling suggests that voters could readily get behind someone else.”[9]

Prem Thakker stops short of saying that we should expect mass jubilation at the prospect of an alternative candidate, such that that candidate should do far better than these polls suggest. If indeed it’s polling that will move the needle on a decision to stay in or exit the race,[10] Biden has his answer. It’s just not the answer he wants to hear.

Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade, and Ryan Lizza, “Team Biden tries to quell Dem panic,” Politico, June 30, 2024, https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2024/06/30/team-biden-tries-to-quell-dem-panic-00165945

Tyler Pager, “Biden aides plotted debate strategy for months. Then it all collapsed,” Washington Post, June 30, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/30/how-biden-debate-prep-led-to-damaging-event/

Maeve Reston, “Black men helped power Biden’s 2020 Georgia win. Some are wavering,” Washington Post, June 30, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/30/black-voters-georgia-election-biden-trump/

Alex Thompson, “Top aides shielded Biden from staff, but couldn’t hide the debate,” Axios, June 30, 2024, https://www.axios.com/2024/06/30/top-aides-shielded-biden-white-house-debate

John Heilemann, “Bidenworld’s Darkest Hour,” Puck, July 1, 2024, https://puck.news/should-biden-stay-or-should-he-go/

Matthew Choi, “Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett calls on Biden to withdraw from presidential race,” Texas Tribune, July 2, 2024, https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/02/lloyd-doggett-joe-biden-withdraw-election/

Liz Goodwin et al., “Manchin threatened to break with Biden before senior Democrats intervened,” Washington Post, July 2, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/02/joe-manchin-biden-debate-democrats-drop-out/

Peter Hamby, “Biden Plunges in Swing States in Leaked Post-Debate Poll,” Puck, July 2, 2024, https://puck.news/biden-plunges-in-swing-states-in-leaked-post-debate-poll/

Jared Mitovich, “Democrats begin attacking Biden’s performance and campaign,” Politico, July 2, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/02/democrats-biden-debate-fallout-00166208

Eli Stokols et al., “‘We’ve all enabled the situation’: Dems turn on Biden’s inner sanctum post debate,” Politico, July 2, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/02/biden-campaign-debate-inner-circle-00166160

Prem Thakker, “Every Democrat Other Than Joe Biden Is Unburdened by What Has Been,” Intercept, July 2, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/07/02/biden-polls-democrats-alternative-candidates/

M. J. Lee, “Biden has privately acknowledged next stretch of days are critical for whether he can save his reelection bid,” Cable News Network, July 3, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/03/politics/joe-biden-2024-campaign-troubles

Ally Mutnick et al., “‘Everybody’s in panic mode’ as House Democrats scramble after debate,” Politico, July 3, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/03/house-democrats-biden-debate-00166533

Michael Scherer, Tyler Pager, and Matt Viser, “Biden faces growing political crisis over response to debate performance,” Washington Post, July 3, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/03/biden-crisis-debate-democrats/

(dis)United Kingdom

Prime minister


Fig. 2. President Reagan on the South Lawn during the arrival ceremony of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom. U.S. Government photograph, November 16, 1988, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

As voting ended across Britain at 10 p.m. local time, the poll projected a stunning Labour majority in the House of Commons of 170 seats [for a total of 410], the largest held since Tony Blair’s famous win in 1997.

The scale of the predicted win means Labour Leader Keir Starmer looks certain to be anointed Britain’s 58th prime minister early Friday morning — ending 14 years in the political wilderness for his party. . . .

For the Tories, the result — though widely predicted — is crushing, a disastrous end to PM Rishi Sunak’s audacious snap election gambit. He is widely expected to resign in the coming hours.

The exit poll predicts the Tories will collapse to just 131 seats — the lowest total in the party’s illustrious history, comfortably beating its previous nadir of 156 back in 1906.[11]

In the U.S., it’s the speaker of the House of Representatives that’s had the Sword of Damocles hanging over a succession of heads. In Britain, it’s the prime minister. But now, it looks for all the world like the drama has ended in Britain.

The U.S. remains to be seen.

Jack Blanchard and Andrew McDonald, “UK general election: Labour obliterate Tories with historic election win — exit poll,” Politico, July 4, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-election-results-exit-poll-labour-win-tories-lose-keir-starmer-rishi-sunak/

  1. [1]David Benfell, “Joe Biden cannot win,” Irregular Bullshit, July 1, 2024, https://disunitedstates.com/2024/07/01/joe-biden-cannot-win/↩
  2. [2]M. J. Lee, “Biden has privately acknowledged next stretch of days are critical for whether he can save his reelection bid,” Cable News Network, July 3, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/03/politics/joe-biden-2024-campaign-troubles; Ally Mutnick et al., “‘Everybody’s in panic mode’ as House Democrats scramble after debate,” Politico, July 3, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/03/house-democrats-biden-debate-00166533; Michael Scherer, Tyler Pager, and Matt Viser, “Biden faces growing political crisis over response to debate performance,” Washington Post, July 3, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/03/biden-crisis-debate-democrats/↩
  3. [3]Ally Mutnick et al., “‘Everybody’s in panic mode’ as House Democrats scramble after debate,” Politico, July 3, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/03/house-democrats-biden-debate-00166533↩
  4. [4]Ally Mutnick et al., “‘Everybody’s in panic mode’ as House Democrats scramble after debate,” Politico, July 3, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/03/house-democrats-biden-debate-00166533↩
  5. [5]David Benfell, “Conservative Views on Undocumented Migration” (doctoral dissertation, Saybrook, 2016). ProQuest (1765416126).↩
  6. [6]David Benfell, “Democrats and contradiction,” Not Housebroken, December 9, 2022, https://disunitedstates.org/2021/11/18/democrats-and-contradiction/↩
  7. [7]David Benfell, “Neoliberalism · Democratic (neoliberal) Party,” Irregular Bullshit, n.d., https://disunitedstates.com/neoliberalism/joe-biden-is-the-ultimate-centrist-democrat-is-that-a-liability-or-strength/↩
  8. [8]Ally Mutnick et al., “‘Everybody’s in panic mode’ as House Democrats scramble after debate,” Politico, July 3, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/03/house-democrats-biden-debate-00166533↩
  9. [9]Prem Thakker, “Every Democrat Other Than Joe Biden Is Unburdened by What Has Been,” Intercept, July 2, 2024, https://theintercept.com/2024/07/02/biden-polls-democrats-alternative-candidates/↩
  10. [10]John Heilemann, “Bidenworld’s Darkest Hour,” Puck, July 1, 2024, https://puck.news/should-biden-stay-or-should-he-go/; Peter Hamby, “Biden Plunges in Swing States in Leaked Post-Debate Poll,” Puck, July 2, 2024, https://puck.news/biden-plunges-in-swing-states-in-leaked-post-debate-poll/↩
  11. [11]Jack Blanchard and Andrew McDonald, “UK general election: Labour obliterate Tories with historic election win — exit poll,” Politico, July 4, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-election-results-exit-poll-labour-win-tories-lose-keir-starmer-rishi-sunak/↩

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