When I started writing this, I didn’t know who our standard bearer will be.
At that time, major news outlets fixed on the idea that Biden should step down from his campaign, passing the flag to someone younger. For weeks since his rough outing at the debate, Biden appeared determined to run, but today he announced that he would not be on the ticket. While he clearly received a lot of pressure from prominent Democrats, the decision was ultimately his – while extreme pressure was exerted, he had the necessary committed delegates , so only he could decide to step down. And he certainly has risen up from life’s hard knocks many times before. But the decision has now been made.
At this point, Harris is the most likely to be the standard bearer. We’ll know for sure soon. But will she or whoever has that role be able to win in November?
As I sit here concerned, I know that I don’t know. I don’t know if Trump will be defeated by our candidate. I don’t know if our side will do better or worse now that Biden will be replaced at the head of the ticket. I just don’t know any of it. I do know that I am worried.
But as I sit here fidgeting, I am also aware that, in the end, I’d hope that the public would fix their attention on the complete disaster that a Trump presidency would be. Disaster domestically, disaster internationally. Taking a wrecking ball to the civil service, that bastion of expertise that keeps so much of our nation running. Tax policies that will exaggerate income inequality. The end of our belated mitigation of climate change, the worldwide crisis of our time. The further destruction of the rule of law as the new president rewards friends and punishes perceived enemies. And, perhaps more subtly, the diminishing of our nation’s moral values, as we would have elected a sexual abuser and fraudster. We’ve seen in other countries the destabilizing affect it can have on a nation to have a corrupt government.
When I say that I don’t know how our standard bearer will fare, I also think of the metaphor itself. I think of a 19th century army marching into battle with a man carrying the flag. That soldier has other duties, surely, but one of the most important is the carrying of the symbolic representation of the values of that army – in our situation, decency and caring for others. Not to diminish the other roles of a president, but, beyond screwing things up as little as possible, a huge role for a U.S. President is representational. Sure, big decisions for often intractable problems do fall to a president, and working with Congress is also critical – but the President must also represent our ideals, both to us and to the world. And he or she would represent those ideals by who they choose to lead the many parts of the executive.
While I do think that Biden has exceled at representing the best of our values, I do understand that many concerned allies have been questioning his other capabilities. I simply don’t know whether those concerns were as warranted as many think they were. But what I do know is that a comparison of our new candidate to Trump will lead to an unequivocal decision for those of us with an appreciation for empathic values. Trump will never be the standard bearer for those values. While Biden has made his decision and we will be moving on with a different candidate, I have to say, were Biden 110 years old, on a respirator and unable to speak, he would still be far better than Trump.
But now the age issue is turned on its head. Whether it’s Harris or someone else, that candidate will be running against a 78-year-old man who spouts nonsense and who demonstrates clear cognitive decline.
And perhaps even more importantly, the gang that would come in to actually function with him would take our country down a dark path, with terrible consequences for our population, the world community, and our climate future.
It is still true that local action will be the most critical, especially in swing states like Arizona. We all have to pay close attention and do the work.
As for me, I will be voting for Harris or whoever else is running for President on the Democratic ticket. The asteroid is heading straight at us, and we can’t ignore it.
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Trump’s “cognitive impairment” isn’t just old age. His “big brain” is essentially underdeveloped. His good looks as a youth, and his inherited wealth have left him absent of conventional social skills we expect (depend on) from a leader. Many respected mental health professionals have diagnosed him with a Grand-narcissistic personality disorder. He is devoid of empathy and incapable of objectivity. All his thought processes start with himself as the center of the universe, and he seems unable to grasp consequences beyond the immediate. His personal skill set is driven by charm and bluster, and his education is sketchy at best. He does not read. He does not write. His speeches are rarely coherent. His survival skills have always been dominance, projection, misrepresentation, and conjecture.