The oddest thing about President Joe Biden’s abrupt withdrawal from the presidential race is how strange the whole affair is. One might suppose such an important decision might be announced by a live television address. At the very least one might expect a recorded video message from Biden. Instead, we get a letter that may or may not have been written by Biden and delivered by tweet. Biden had not been seen for several days before this unexpected decision. It had been announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and then had disappeared.
Naturally, conspiracy theories abounded. Had Biden died? had he suffered a stroke or some other health crisis? Was he a prisoner? Just before his disappearance, Biden was insisting
he would stay in the race. What had changed? Was the decision to withdraw truly Biden’s or had he been forced into it. Was it really Biden’s decision to endorse Kamala Harris for president?
This business reminded me of the coup against Gorbachev in the last days of the Soviet Union. Then, it was announced that Gorbachev was stepping down for health reasons. No one knew where Gorbachev was or what had happened to him. Was Biden the victim of a similar coup?
Biden has since reappeared at the White House and addressed the nation last Wednesday. His address raised more questions than it answered. Biden never really explained his decision to drop out of the presidential race. He did not discuss any health problems that might have led to that choice. The address sounded more like a campaign speech than an explanation for a momentous event.
It is also strange how Kamala Harris has become the Democratic nominee without a single vote being cast for her. There has not been any discussion, except among the Democratic mega-donors, about whether she ought to be the nominee. This certainly has not been a democratic process. One might suppose that the Democratic Party is as misnamed as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It seems as though the government of North Korea might actually be more transparent than the Democratic Party.
It has been a wonder to watch the Democrats change their messaging on a dime. Last week they were assuring us there was nothing wrong with the president. The videos of him stumbling around were “cheap fakes”. Now these same people are praising Joe Biden for selflessly stepping down from power. Often they are lauding Biden’s noble and patriotic decision using precisely the same words, as if reading from a script. One gets the impression that we are not dealing with thinking human beings here. It seems that we are seeing a species of social insects. The sort of creature where every individual mindlessly follows the direction of a hive mind.
In reading through the Democrats’ social media, I feel as if I have entered a bizarre, funhouse mirror world. It is actually a bit nauseating to read their encomiums. For anyone who has been paying attention, Biden is a symbol for everything that is wrong about American politics. He is a corrupt, nasty, and stupid man who has spent his entire career enriching himself at the expense of his country. He is a weathervane of no definite ideological views who twists and turns in the political winds.
Yet, according to the Democrats, Biden is a man of singular nobility and patriotism. I cannot tell if these Democrats who are lauding Biden truly believe what they are writing or if they believe their voters are foolish enough to buy it. Perhaps the Democratic leaders have an accurate assessment of their followers.
In like fashion, Kamala Harris, a woman of minimal accomplishments, mostly famous for her incomprehensible word salads has somehow been retconned into the smartest, most articulate woman since Hilary Clinton. It is, of course, racist and sexist to recall that the only reason Biden selected her as his running mate was that she was a “Black” woman. It is still more bigoted to point out that Harris screwed up every task she was given as Vice-President.
Somehow, the candidate who had to drop out before a single vote was cast in 2020 has emerged as the woman who has reenergized the Democratic Party. If social media is any indication, millions of people all over the country are eager to support Harris. Every Black, woman and Black woman is donating money, attending Harris rallies, and planning to vote for Harris as many times as they can. Very strange, considering that these same people hardly knew her name a month ago.
Any discussion of oddities this election year would not be complete without mentioning the ear truthers. These are the Democrats who insist that either Donald Trump was not shot at all or that his wound was caused by a flying piece of glass. I am not sure what difference it makes in what actually hit Trump. I am less sure why anyone would contend he had not been shot at all.
Perhaps this is due to the Manichean nature of our contemporary politics. Our opponents must be purely evil. They cannot demonstrate any virtues, least of all courage. Perhaps, the Democrats simply want to erase any credit Trump might earn with his courageous response in the mind of the public. Perhaps, the denial of observed reality is on a par with the tendency for the left to take every stray comment or action of Trump’s as proof that he is the reincarnation of Hitler. That, at least, is not an oddity at all for the Democrats.
There have been so many black swans in this election year that it seems that it is the white swans that are becoming rare. We have just a little over three months until the election. By all indications, it is going to be quite a rollercoaster. Hang on.
David's Commonplace Book 