Democrats Have a Biden Problem
Is it just me or does Joe Biden seem really old these days? Oh yeah, that’s right- it’s definitely not just me. Almost every single poll out there shows that most Americans are thinking pretty much the same thing: that it’s time for ol’ Joe to hang up the boxing gloves and settle back into that cozy farmland upstate and enjoy whatever time he has left basking in the glow of a well-earned retirement. While Donald Trump just seems to maintain his vim and vigor despite his age, like some sort of Dorian Gray wannabe who has made a Faustian bargain fueled by nothing more than blowjobs and adderall, Joe Biden has begun to look like a doting grandfather who wandered away from his family at the local shopping mall after forgetting to take his morning medications. Worse still, the rest of America seems to be thinking the same damn thing.
A recent ABC/Washington Post poll showed Trump with a 49% to 42% lead in a potential rematch against Joe Biden. Excuse me- what? Have we all lost our collective minds? Do we not all remember the last time that mushoroom-dicked fuck face inhabited the White House? Even worse, do we not all remember the insurrection and near-fall of American democracy it took to get him out? If Trump gets re-elected, he ain’t leaving next time. Mark my words- if that dictator-in-training gets his meaty, little paws back on the hands of American democracy, there will be no limiting his power or removing him from office. He saw what happened during his last attempted coup, and being granted a second term in office will only embolden him in his desire to turn this country into the fascist regime he has always wanted it to be. Needless to say, we must avoid that potentiality under any and all circumstances.
But at this point, if Joe Biden is our best and last stand of defense against another Trump presidential bid, we all better start practicing our Heil Hitler salutes right here and now. Biden’s approval rating hit a new low last week, and given his numbers over the course of his presidency so far, that’s really saying something. Joe Biden currently has the support of just 36% of potential American voters, an approval rating only slightly higher than cauliflower. And we all know cauliflower has no chance of becoming President.
I know the DNC has long been wary of running anything that hasn’t been tried and tested, but it is time to resist that conventional logic and go with someone new. In 2016, they handpicked Hilary Clinton, figuring that she was much safer than Bernie Sanders, and we all saw how that one turned out. Suffering from political amnesia, the DNC seems to have forgotten that it was a young, up and coming Barack Obama that carried the party to its most celebrated victories of the 21st century. What we need now is not another attempt at trotting out an octogenarian who constantly has the befuddled look of someone who can’t find his keys. We need new blood, and there is nothing about Joe Biden that makes one think “new”.
I’m not suggesting that we don’t owe Joe a huge nod of appreciation for saving us all from another Trump presidency in 2020. He came through when we needed him most, and we will forever be in his debt for that one. And I don’t even think he’s done a bad job. Most of the issues which have assailed his presidency, such as immigration and inflation, were more the doings of his predecessor than any of the policies he has instituted since. He managed to pass a significant infrastructure bill that bolstered the economy and reinvested vital resources into our country. More important, he has restored a much-needed sense of normalcy into a venerable institution that was anything but that for the four years prior. But politics is more about style than substance, and these days, Joe’s style is more outdated than the 80’s era jean jacket I have hanging in my closet.
Some will want to sit here and argue over ageism, but the stark reality of our current circumstances suggest that we just do not have the luxury of that perspective. In recent weeks, despite a cascade of pending legal indictments, Trump’s campaign has been gaining momentum, as he opens up a double-digit lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Trump ascendancy to the Republican nomination for 2024 now seems like an inevitability, and that, my friends, ain’t good because losing this presidential election just can’t happen.
The DNC needs to go to Joe now and convince him to step away for the good of the country and let someone else run who doesn’t carry the baggage that Joe would have to carry in 2024. We need to open up the field so that we can discover the next Barack Obama, just waiting for his or her turn to move into the spotlight and lead this nation forward. Sure, that may seem like a frightening proposition just 18 months from our next presidential election, but no less so than the idea of losing without ever having given it a chance.
Steven Craig is the author of the best-selling novel WAITING FOR TODAY, as well as numerous published poems, short stories, and dramatic works. Read his blog TRUTH: In 1000 Words or Less every THURSDAY at www.waitingfortoday.com
