The Life in My Years

There’s a scene in an episode of the drama/comedy, The Bear, in which Sydney, the young sous chef, knocks on the papered over glass door of the restaurant that she and her partner and crew have been remodeling – just a simple makeover, really. She’s spent the day bouncing around Chicago, visiting various restaurants, sampling menu items to get ideas for her own menu. She’s been eating like a Roman senator at a bacchanal. She’s tired and stuffed and then stunned when Carmen, the head chef, opens the door to reveal that the remodel has been turned into a tear it down to the studs, major overhaul.

Carmen talks Sydney down from the ledge, pointing to the reality that the joint is old and there’s mold, dry rot, rust, leaks, structural issues, bugs and rodents. There’s nothing for it but to accept the reality, swallow hard, roll up sleeves and get to work.

Age, mold, dry rot, rust, leaks, structural issues, bugs and rodents. That could describe the way in which America chooses its president – especially the bugs and rodents part. If there was ever any doubt that the American system is not only decrepit and in need of being torn down to the studs, rebuilt and modernized, this current election cycle is proof positive that the system is antiquated and precariously close to collapse.

From the very start, the founders established a system that was only a façade of democracy. In the decades since, time marched on, and the system was not allowed to keep pace. The introduction of political shenanigans only made things worse. A system that from the beginning was not nurturing of a democracy has become even less democracy friendly. (And to be clear, we are not a democracy. Please see a previous post, The Saving Democracy Myth).

The events of the past week, and in fact, this whole presidential election cycle, have shown just how obsolete, and undemocratic our electoral system is. And just for fun, let’s add corrupt to the mix. We’re on the cusp of conventions, which have become glorified political infomercials, and just four months from election day and the electorate is faced with the most dreadful of binary choices – ever.

Welcome to the buffet folks. On the table before you we’re offering a rotten, old orange carp and an over done chicken that’s far beyond its sell-by date.

Kick rocks

What makes the choice between an aged, unstable, racist autocrat and a clearly diminished incumbent so obviously counter to the idea of a democracy, is that it was made perfectly clear, before the candidates even announced, that the voting public did not want to see a rematch of 2020.

A December 2022, CNBC poll revealed that 61% of the public thought that Donald Trump should not run again, while 30% believed he should. In that same poll, 70% of the public were against a Biden run and only 19% in favor.

Just over six months later, an Economist/YouGov poll revealed that 56% of voters were against Donald Trump running, while 33% were in favor. The same poll showed that 59% of voters didn’t want Biden to seek reelection, and only 26% favored a second Biden run.

In April of this year, only 43% of Americans favored Trump and 53% had an unfavorable view (and this was before the hush money conviction). Biden’s numbers were similarly bleak, with 40% favorable and 55% unfavorable (and this was before Biden’s debate debacle).

There’s never been an ambiguity about the unpopularity of this presidential race. The voters are as thrilled with this race as they are with the idea of picking up an angry rattlesnake. And what do the parties tell the poor voter?

Go kick rocks, sucker.

It didn’t have to be this way.

It shouldn’t be this way.

Why are these candidates running? Because they can and both men knew that there was nothing that the people could do about it.

Trump? It’s clear that he’s on a revenge and stay out of jail run. Trump has never exhibited any concern for the country, its people, or its laws. Trump is and always has been in it for Trump.

Biden? Running for the soul of the nation, and to keep democracy from the jaws of the autocrat. That’s Joe’s story and he’s sticking to it. I might believe that if Joe wasn’t swimming against a huge tide of polled voters of all political stripes (including 70% of Democrats) that believes and has believed since before he announced his reelection run, that he’s too damned old. Now, after having declared in a debate that he “beat Medicare,” is polling is cratering. How is it that stubbornly continuing a campaign that’s running on bald tires and leaking oil is going to save the country from a surging Trump?

The best theory for Biden’s run that I’ve heard, and it was circulated long ago, is that he feels his legacy hasn’t been satisfactorily cemented given all the phony controversy (initiated and continued by Trump and the MAGA mob) surrounding the 2020 election. For my money, you can throw in a dose of politician’s hubris. It’s been my contention since the rumblings of his reelection run that if Biden cares so much about the country, as he claims to, he would have listened to the voice of the voters and declined to run.

It’s not as if each respective party hasn’t had the time and opportunity to cancel the order on this shit sandwich. Fecklessness, hidebound tradition, cowardice, loyalty to party (or cult) over country and a willingness to kick the can down the potholed political road have taken us to where we are. And it’s not a good place.

The Republican Party? It’s had nearly a decade’s worth of off ramps. Nine tragicomic years that have included, two hate filled campaigns, a chaotic presidency, two impeachments, election denial, an insurrection, a flurry of felony charges, lawsuits and convictions and the general acknowledgment (even among Republicans) that Trump is a horrible human being.

“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.” ~ W. Somerset Maugham

Democrats? Aware of Biden’s age issue, the party kahunas could have whispered (loudly) in Biden’s ear that his service to the country was great and appreciated but it’s time to pass the torch. Someone, any one of the Democrat’s big guns, Newsom, Whitmer, Shapiro, Warnock, or Pritzker, could have stepped up but they opted to be feckless, forelock tuggers and sit this one out.

It was a little-known congressman from Minnesota, Dean Phillips, a former ice cream monger and owner of a couple of coffee houses, a man who entered politics for the right reason, to serve his country, who spoke truth to party power and said bluntly that Joe Biden is too old. Phillips looked around and saw the Democrats, doing nothing but staring down at the wingtips they were nervously shuffling and essentially said, “Fuck it, if you aren’t going to do something I will.” And so, he announced his run for the presidential nomination.

For his trouble, Phillips, the only Democrat who displayed a modicum of testicular fortitude was criticized by the party for violating the time-honored tradition of deferring to the incumbent or whichever candidate the party deems the chosen one. Offered absolutely no sanction by the party Phillips was swatted away like an annoying gnat.

Liberal pundits ridiculed Phillips as if he was one of those lost, raving nuts you see on a city sidewalk screaming at nobody in particular.

The traditional coronation. The DNC bowed to tradition in 2016, when then DNC chair and current Florida Congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Shultz put her thumb on the party scale in favor of the unpopular Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.

I discussed this just the other day, with my Canadian friend, Eden. She asked me if I thought that Sanders could have beaten Trump. I shrugged. We’ll never know. What we do know is that Sanders wasn’t dogged by the albatross of Benghazi, and he wasn’t hauling a bag bursting with 3000 emails, and he wasn’t dragging a steamer trunk full of other assorted controversies. (Even granting that Hillary’s issues were so much bullshit, that doesn’t take away from the fact that those issues preyed on the minds of too many voters).

We can also be pretty sure that Jim Comey wasn’t going to deliver a letter to Congress about Sanders, that would essentially erase Trump’s Access Hollywood tape.

Twice, in the last three elections, the DNC has locked itself in the jail of tradition, thumbing the scale in favor of candidates with clear polling problems a troublesome issues.

Had the Democrats actually done the democratic thing and allowed the voters to choose the party nominee then maybe we would have a second-place candidate as a fall back in the event that Biden can’t answer the bell. Maybe all of those people, myself included, who didn’t want Biden in the first place could’ve had our voices heard.

“Vox populi,” voice of the people. Isn’t that what democracy is about?

Unless he chokes on the cheeseburger from heaven, Trump ain’t goin anywhere. And that’s always been a given.

And apparently neither is Biden.

That the polling over his age is worse than it was a year ago, hell a month ago, isn’t dissuading Biden from his run. Fighting for the soul of the nation? Give me a fucking break. It bears repeating, if Joe Biden was interested in the soul of the nation, of keeping Donald Trump out of office, then he would find a way to remove himself.

Silly Democrats, gaslighting is for Republicans

In the wake of the June 27th massacre, the Biden campaign and the Biden sycophants (and that’s the only way to describe these diehards at this point), have been busy at the bullshit machine. Biden was tired, he had a cold, he had a cold and took too much NyQuil, he was overprepared, he was underprepared, he fell victim to the Gish Gallop.

He just had a bad day. Bad day? Well what if he has another one? We may never know because contrary to doing the right thing and making himself publicly available to assure voters who would like to think everything’s all good, he’s all but disappeared from sight since the debacle. And in the few appearances Biden has made, his sidekick has been the teleprompter, and neither Joe or the teleprompter are taking any questions from reporters.

Even more disturbing has been the reporting that Biden is relying on teleprompters at fundraising events. Fundraisers. Those are the private events at the homes of super supportive rich people. It bears repeating – the President is using a teleprompter in private homes at private events.

Meanwhile, Democratic governors and legislators have been guilty of the same two-faced behavior that they’ve criticized the Republicans for ever since Trump snatched the reins of Republican power. In private they’re saying Biden needs to jump out of the race, while the public faces insist that there’s nothing to see here.

It’s a marriage, not a date

The Biden campaign, the administration and Biden backers have focused solely on beating Trump as if there’s nothing of any consequence that comes after the first Tuesday in November. You know, the minor little detail of a four year presidency?

Hello! This isn’t a date, it’s a marriage.

Four more years

Biden’s four years have been successful by most measures, but we’re not just hiring based solely on past performance. In any job, one is hired, or retained, based on what you’re going to do for me tomorrow – or in this case, over the next four years.

Has anyone wondered if the focus on Biden beating Trump might be putting the cart before the horse?

Was anybody, at any time, looking past election day? Inauguration day? Did anybody wonder what the 2026 State of the Union speech might look like? Did anyone consider the wisdom of a hypothetical meeting between an 85-year-old Biden and Vladimir Putin? (When a foreign diplomat was asked just this question, his answer was an unequivocal, “No!”). Has anyone looked ahead to the certain fallout in the midterms or in 2028 if Biden goes full on Mitch McConnell?

Was anyone considering the idea that a year after inauguration Biden might show unmistakable signs of being compromised? What then? Let the Chief of Staff, or what the hell, even the teleprompter run things from the shadows? Go through a messy 25th Amendment protocol? Yeah, I can just see that happening. That shit starts with brave, patriotic people in the President’s Cabinet and lately, brave and patriotic have been in short supply in both parties.

Was the notion of Biden not making it through a full term been baked into the campaign cake? Don’t worry, Kamala will take over and then she’ll be set up to run in 2028.

Is that how this works? We’ll prop the old boy up and if he doesn’t get through the first couple years, well we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. If that’s the case then maybe “What, me worry?” should replace “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” as words to live by in American politics.

This election is all about democracy. It’s all we’ve heard since Trump announced his quest for a get out of jail free card.

In fact, every election is about democracy. It’s literally supposed to be democracy in action. But is it?

This election, and how we got to this unsupportable place, should be signs that the structure is shaky, the support beams are rotting, and we have a major rodent infestation and maybe the process needs to be ripped down to the studs and rebuilt into something that actually supports a democratic process.

It is not a democracy when both major political parties willfully paint the voter into a corner he doesn’t want to be in!

“Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.” ~ James Bovard, Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty

Final note: I welcome all comments, including those from people people who think I’m full of it. That’s how democracies work. They stop working when one side or the other shuts down dissenting views.