We should all agree that Donald Trump is bad. He is crazy in some sense of the word; he is dangerous to American democracy. But so too, in his own way, is Joe Biden. Biden is probably the most truly decent person I have ever heard of in politics. He obviously sincerely wants what is best for his country. He is also a very weak candidate. An AP-NORC poll found that 77% of voters think he is too old. (I agree.) His approval ratings are in the 40’s. In terms of his personality, he’s seen as soft on crime and unable to handle the crisis at the border. He represents the Democratic party of the past. He is unpopular with key demographics that are the core of the progressive movement. Even African-Americans are unlikely to turn out the vote for him. If Joe Biden wants to protect American democracy, he should step aside and let a new face be chosen to pick up the mantle.
If the Republicans are guilty of remaining silent while their party members undermine the proper functioning of government, the Democratic party is guilty of not finding strong candidates that can run on a variety of issues beyond people not liking the other guy. People thinking Trump is a bad guy will not be enough to secure the presidency. Biden needs a positive message, and that is going to be very hard for him to find. Time is running short. There is only a year to go before the election and pouring money into the situation isn’t working. There is still time for a new leader to step up but it has to happen now.
There is always the prospect that Biden will have some kind of major health problem between now and when the election really begins to heat up. There is the possibility that some kind of major problem related to his age occurs on the campaign trail. A Lot of people can see that Biden is slowing down; his age is beginning to tell.
Part of doing service to a democracy is putting forward strong candidates–ensuring you are running people that speak to the needs of the electorate. The Democratic Party has a responsibility to find and run candidates that are able to effectively counter the message of extremist opponents. Branding them will not be enough. Progressives will have to out campaign them on making government work. Running purely on the other guy having no respect for democracy will only make progressive candidates appear self-righteous. It will do us no good for Biden to be a defender of democracy if people cannot trust him to be a good steward of the economy. Meeting people where they are means understanding the issues that are most important to them and addressing them forcefully. The Democratic party has a responsibility to democracy. It needs a strong candidate–one that can project vigor, who can go head-to-head with Trump or anybody else on any issue.
Progressive Without Apology 