Can Biden stop Trump? If not, the US needs to find someone who can
It's clear Biden is toward the end of his political career. Perhaps it's time to ask if he should step down
I’ve been seeing some bad takes online these past few days regarding the President of the United States and his poor debate performance against Donald Trump last week.
I’ve seen one showing a picture of the Handmaiden’s Tale women and one of them saying ‘I didn’t like that he was old and had a stutter.’
And another saying “You wouldn’t fire a baseball player if he went 0-4, you wouldn’t fire a rodeo cowboy if he fell off the bull once, and you shouldn’t get rid of the candidate because he had one bad night.”
I see the point of these messages, but, I’ll explain why they’re misguided. And to do so, I’ll use a sports analogy of my own.
In the early 2000s, Michael Jordan was just about to turn 40 years old. He had won his championships, he had taken in all of his Most Valuable Player trophies, and had made his millions and millions of dollars from his various sponsorships with Nike, Gatorade, and others. But, he knew he had just a little gas left in the tank. And he knew that his skills could be used to help a pro basketball team succeed.
So, MJ made the decision to join the Washington Wizards. Some people thought it was a mistake, including MJ himself after the fact, BUT, for a time, it worked.
He still had game, and he was still able to average over 20 points per game. His first year with the club, it was clear that they simply didn’t have the complementary pieces to make a real playoff push. The next year, the team upgraded and added Jerry Stackhouse, another high-profile all star, and Charles Oakley, who had been a defensive force for the New York Knicks and was hoping to dominate the boards and the defense for the Wizards, as well.
However, that team didn’t gel very well together, either, and while MJ put up decent numbers, it was clear that this team wasn’t going to make the playoffs.
After the year, Michael had a choice to make. He could play another year and he could probably again put up decent scoring numbers. He could try to add some more players to make a run right now OR, he could step down, call it a career and help the team rebuild. He didn’t have anything left to prove, he didn’t need the glory, he didn’t need the money, and he certainly didn’t need the publicity.
So, seeing the writing on the wall, Michael retired in 2003, and never came back again, even though there was always chatter that he could potentially give it another shot. (As he had done before when he came back with the Wizards in 2000.)
I think we can all agree that Biden is toward the end of his political career. No matter how many rallies he gives, how many days he looks like he has a ton of energy, and no matter how many accomplishments he’s achieved in his political life, which has been an impressive amount, the facts remain that he’s not the same politician as he used to be. Which, is by no means meant to disparage him. It’s just facing facts.
So, the question is, should Biden, like Jordan, look at the handwriting on the wall and call it a career? Or should he look at the situation and feel like nobody other than him is best equipped to beat Donald Trump?
Perhaps only Joe Biden can give an honest answer to that question. But, let’s be clear here. It’s not just because he’s old. It’s not just because he had one bad debate performance. It’s because he’s been unable to prove over and over again to ALL Americans not in the MAGA camp, that he, and he alone, is the best candidate to lead the country.
I know, and you know, that he’s the better candidate than Trump. Being a better choice than a convicted felon who led an insurrection through the Capitol on January 6 should be the easiest task any candidate can reach, though.
We’re already seeing very smart, very politically connected, very experienced people are questioning if Biden’s that person right NOW.
It might not be fair to him, but, the stakes are too high to make a mistake and let Project 2025 go into effect. If you don’t know what Project 2025 is, check out this link from the BBC and recognize that it’s an unsettling plan for changing the course of our country.
It’s not just unsettling, it’s unacceptable and it would harm a good number of people in any number of ways. That’s not just me saying that, either.
So no, Joe Biden’s performance at the debate wasn’t like a batter going 0 for 4 and getting fired the next day.
To me, it was like a Major League batter going 0-4 in Game 7 of the World Series against a pitcher who was suspended for cheating multiple times before. Not only was he unable to get a hit, he looked as if he had never swung a bat before, and he watched as the pitcher dipped his hand in vaseline before each pitch but hardly made any effort to say anything about it.
People asking if Biden should be replaced on the ticket don’t want Trump to win. Not at all. They never have.
I’ve seen too many people saying that even raising the question only gives Trump the White House. That’s extreme, to say the least. It’s BECAUSE of the threat that Trump poses that people are raising this question.
If Biden can’t influence voters to get to the ballot box and vote for him, then he needs to go. That’s just where we are right now. Low turnout gives Trump the win. If people aren’t excited about either candidate, Trump knows he’s got it in the bag because his supporters WILL vote. They WILL be there giving him their money. They WILL do whatever he tells them.
So, in my mind, if this conversation is going to happen, it needs to happen now. We need to make this choice sooner rather than later, and it has to be carefully considered. Saying that anyone who’s not strongly on the side of “Joe needs to stay in the race” is giving Trump support is wrong and all it does is raise more division at a time when that’s the last thing we all need.
To be clear — If Biden stays in the race, I will vote for him. I will show up, and I will vote, and I will do whatever to make sure that Trump is not re-elected.
I’m not very politicial these days. I would rather be someone who can have discussions with people of all beliefs. I would rather be someone who can work with anyone no matter who you vote for.
But, I also see the writing on the wall. I see the danger, and the ways Trump is not only aiming to take power back, but looking to take revenge. Looking to scrap the “vermin” he claims his opponents are and act like a “dictator, but just on the first day,” whatever that means.
I’m just tired of him, and I know a lot of others are too, and I know I’m privileged enough to say that I’d probably not have my own life threatened if he took office. But I recognize others who WOULD have their ways of life threatened.
I can’t stomach another four years having him around. I want to make it clear that I’m not trying to say I hate you if you voted for him. I’m not that petty. I’m saying I hate what our country has become with him in charge.
And, I want us all to grow together again, to be a community of different, yet cooperative peoples. I am a pacifist and I don’t ever try to be anyone’s enemy. But, if someone keeps saying I am theirs because I didn’t vote for Trump, then trying to convince them otherwise is an impossible feat.
If Biden can’t make that threat disappear, then we need to find someone who can. That’s where we are, and that’s the most important conversation that our national leaders need to be asking themselves right now. There’s too much at stake to think otherwise.