Angry America

Having campaigned (poorly) through the pandemic, I sincerely thought and hoped that 2020 would be the last of the bizarre, tense, angry elections that we’d see for a long period of time.

But of course, we get no reprieve from the madness, god help us all.

Over 90 minutes ago, Trump appears to have been shot in the ear at his rally in Pennsylvania (Update: glass from the bullet hitting the teleprompter cut his ear, not the bullet itself). Many facts have not yet emerged and already Left Twitter is proclaiming that he has just secured a landslide victory.

Before I write my thoughts about the election, let’s first all just take a step to realize how absurd it is that the prevention of shootings in America is not prioritized by both political parties. Yes, both parties should have a spirited debate about which solutions make sense and are based in reason. But they are both not on the same page, let alone even in the same book, about recognizing this as a hideously shameful, uniquely American problem that is laying waste to American lives in so many tragic ways.

Democrats should perhaps talk more about rural suicides, tougher penalties for gun crimes in a tough-on-crime tenor, and toss out some of the policy proposals that are not backed by science (mostly because there has not been enough research funding). Republicans should acknowledge that they want to stop mass shootings at all, condemn shooters and the lax policies that help them flout the law, and jettison the lazy “thoughts-and-prayers” template press statement.

Perhaps one day we will see real political action to prioritize research funding, an in-depth audit of how the worst mass shootings could have each been prevented, data-driven policy to reduce the deaths from non-mass shootings, and a beginning of the end of this shameful period in our country.

On the election, I am journaling as Biden remains defiant that he will remain the nominee. Despite dozens of members of Congress publicly and privately encouraging him to step down, either as candidate or as President, he and his team remain obstinate and refusing to acknowledge reality. Despite continued embarrassing flubs and downright alarming moments of delivery in his Stephanopoulos interview, at subsequent rallies, and his NATO press conference, his team appears to be running out the clock. By teasing future “milestones” like an interview with Lester Holt and BET this upcoming week, he continues to move the goal posts while also lowering the grading curve. Any other President exhibiting this shocking of a decline in cognition would have been called on by friends, family, and political leaders to step down. But these times are abnormal, and loyalty is prized above reason, duty to country, and courage.

If I have to predict how the next 115 days will unfold, I believe that we will endure another news cycle stressing Biden’s incoherence, while at times going out of their way to give adulation for his teleprompter-reading, in an effort to appear to be neutral without realizing they are overcompensating. But added to this will be the Trump- and Trump-curious base further digging in as loyalists, decrying “Democrat” political violence, spreading conspiracies, and driving up his numbers.

This will have the effect of making Biden appear weaker. Coincidentally, I believe this will actually be better for making the case to Biden that he must step down, particularly through candidates dragged down by him and donors who review this data.

Once the bridge is crossed to come to agreement that Biden at the top of the ticket is no longer tenable, the next question is whether to proceed with an open convention or to elevate VP Harris. I already made the point in an article from last week (which feels like two months ago, at the rate the news is progressing) that stepping down and elevating Harris is the only option.

If the Biden enablers are to arrive at this conclusion, they must be given an escape hatch. If he abruptly steps down, he risks unwittingly dominating the news cycle about his health, the cover up, and what his staff knew and did not. This can result in contamination by many involved and result in continued horrible news cycles and bad polling for weeks.

The risk is severe. Biden must be provided an out that can sidestep the health question and allow him to resign with dignity. Perhaps using a family health issue, not his own, as a sympathetic, honorable reason to step aside.

Then, the Democratic establishment should throw a ticker tape parade unmatched in scale to laud him for his legislative accomplishments and befitting of the elder statesman he was. The Democrats would dominate the news cycle not only by giving America her first female President, but also with these festivities that would be a dopamine shot for the demoralized base and would generate massive earned media around the economic, infrastructure, climate, healthcare, and corporate accountability successes of the Administration.

Prior to the debate and today’s assassination attempt, I regularly said that if Biden could secure a tenuous Gaza peace deal, a tenuous Ukraine peace deal, and a Fed rate cut, he would be in great shape to overperform, just as the Democrats did in 2022. Add those on to this fantasy of mine, and the country will remain strong, democratic, and free.

Last, I sincerely doubt a significant portion of swing voters will remember today’s attempt on Trump and vote for him out of some weird sense of sympathy that Left Twitter is great at conjuring in their own minds. The short news cycle cuts both ways, for good news and bad.

Democratic armchair pundits who are already betting on Trump’s victory can be proven wrong. But only if Biden is no longer leading the top of the ticket.