Joe Biden re-emerged this past week and it seems lots of Democratic leaders, consultants and pundits aren’t happy about it. Given reaction to Biden speaking publicly against Trump’s latest antics I’m thinking two things: First that an awful lot of Democrats are desperate to point the finger away from themselves (and the loss last November was a TEAM loss) and Biden’s an easy target. Second is that Democrats, “official Washington” didn’t want Biden in the first place and there are eerie parallels with treatment of Jimmy Carter back in the day.
It’s not unusual for a candidate of either major Party that loses in the general election to take a back seat, and get a polite “Thanks for your efforts but WE will take it from here” message from the very people who had sucked up to them. Like individuals, teams don’t like losing. While most team losses involve a substantial part of the team not getting the job done all “game” long blame almost always gets assigned to the “Star”(s) or Leader. It might have been Kamala Harris’ name on the ballot in November but to many Democrats it was actually a decision on whether or not to support Joe Biden. And enough were pissy about it that they didn’t put in the effort to ensure Harris, not Trump won.
As we see from this article from The Hill people who stabbed Biden in the back as long as a couple of years ago (when a quiet campaign to get him to step aside having served only one term) haven’t been put away. It even seems like their ranks are growing as those who served Biden have joined in. I’m one of those who believe Biden was poorly served by his staff who wanted him hidden away. I guess so they wouldn’t have to deal with the verbal gaffes which were just part of Biden’s personae during his half-century in the public eye. That’s a different and longer topic. What I want to convey is that even those Biden trusted and relied on are turning on him – for following THEIR guidance! From where I sit they will trash Biden in a heartbeat to preserve their own careers, and create as much distance from him as they can. For example:
“I love both Bidens dearly, but staff loyalty means there is a responsibility to provide them with an honest situational awareness, especially when it comes to their public image, no matter how hurtful it is to hear,” said Michael LaRosa, who served as Jill Biden’s communications director.
“If they had advisers who had their hand on the pulse of the Democratic Party or national politics, they would have understood the intense level of anger or indifference to them that remains inside our party and isn’t going away anytime soon,” LaRosa said.
“It’s a heartbreaking and tragic ending to their time in public life, but it’s also the truth, and they should index the political realities into their decisionmaking,” the former aide continued.
This type of thinking and now open talk is something that’s out there and from quite a few people in the upper echelons of the Democratic Party establishment – the elected folks, consultants, pundits, donors and their top staffers. Now that Biden has popped up the issue of his “timing” is an excuse to take shots at him. I’ll readily concede it’s a question worth considering. As the linked article points out it gave Fox and other RWNJ outlets a distraction from the considerable troubles Trump has created for himself.
On the other hand, for Independents and Republicans barely moderate enough to cross over or at least withhold their vote for Trump, or at least have considered doing so it’s a reminder of the contrast between the two Presidents. The choice they had. And for about three months now Joni Mitchell singing Big Yellow Taxi (‘Don’t it always seem go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone) sentiment has been felt. And it’s growing. Whether Biden or his chosen successor Harris who in Biden had a GREAT example and mentor “What might have been” is front and center in a growing number of people’s minds.
I’d like to return to the thoughts of many a couple of years ago who started the whole ‘Should Biden run for another term? He’s awfully old…’ talk. I still can’t get over how Trump, who’s only a few years younger and even decades ago was no match for Biden intellectually (then, or during Biden’s Presidency) gave Trumpty, WHO PAINTS HIS FACE ORANGE got a pass. Did Biden lose a step? Perhaps but I still say watching him handle the NATO summit in DC, and then that ‘Ok journalists, give me your best shot’ press conference when he schooled them and EVERYONE on so many complex topics proved he had plenty in the tank for another term.
However, the ‘Joe’s got to go’ thinking took hold and he started getting the kind of treatment Jimmy Carter endured HIS entire Presidency. An attitude of being ‘tolerated’ while someone ‘worthy’ was sought out to take the reins. Carter, a highly intelligent to the point of near brilliance who had a bold vision was regarded as, and treated as a “rube” by smug ‘Official Washington’ including with fellow Democrats. If he’d had substantial, even if not full-throated support who knows? But the fact is Carter didn’t get anything close to strong support and we got Reagan in 1980. And how did that work out, especially in the long term?
There were people with considerable power and influence who were still young or youngish when Reagan got into the WH, who would spend their political careers trying to undo that damage he wrought. How they couldn’t see the DANGER of giving Joe Biden the treatment the Party gave to Carter is something that will haunt me till the day I die. From where I sit they f**ked up. And many of them know it and feel guilty about it.
I can’t pull up the actual clip but there was an obscure but powerful movie, The Jack Bull set back when Wyoming was a territory about to become a state. The main character played by John Cusack was a horse trainer and trader who got screwed over by a guy with money and connections. Things got ugly and Cusack’s character wound up, to the reluctance of the judge who presided over his trial sentenced to hang. That judge, played by John Goodman was formidable and he recognized a lesser judge who was corrupt. Who had he done his job properly and as Goodman put it ‘looked out for the littler feller, make sure his rights don’t get trampled on’ has a chat with the corrupt judge just before the hanging. He leans in and says in effect ‘You’re feeling bad right now and by god you should!’ All the Democrats who backstabbed Biden, and are slashing at him again do feel bad and by god they should’ but in their guilt they are lashing out.
Instead of admitting THEY were wrong, that they should have done differently whether it’s Biden aides who tried to hide him away from the public or Democrats on the Hill and in statehouses not throwing their full support behind Biden and every day reminding them of how foggy-minded TRUMP was, the disaster of HIS Presidency vs. how things had gotten better thanks to Biden and pledging to get more done they turned on him. They made a bet a year ago that “taking him out” would lead to someone taking over the Party who would give Trump the same kind of beat-down Trump got in 2020.
It was I believe a sucker bet, just like Democrats made a sucker bet when it came to Carter. Only THIS time it was far worse. Yes, the debate was a disaster, but again that falls to Biden’s own staff who bungled his preparation. And given all the intense actual GOVERNING he was doing and him getting sick on top of it he ignored his own instincts. But as I said, Biden turned right around and showed the entire world he was on top of things with the NATO event and that press conference. That was the moment right there where ‘Nervous Nelly’ Democrats had a chance to draw a sharp comparison between THAT and Trump’s nonsensical ramblings.
Kamala Harris ran a great campaign against what were near impossible odds. She damned near pulled off the win, BUT there was that group within the Party that couldn’t or wouldn’t get over Joe Biden not dropping out long before. The previous year even. It included not just rank and file voters but some of the top players in the Party, again including not just elected officials (some of whom thought THEY should have gotten Biden’s nod instead of Harris), donors/king makers, and the political consulting class. Harris did all she could and it was a lot, but never got the FULL support she deserved. In large part because of animus towards Biden.
In 1980 Democratic “VIPs” didn’t like Carter and that allowed Reagan into the WH which was bad. In 2024 the same types of people didn’t like Biden (and by extension Harris) and let Trump back into the WH. Which literally from day one has been worse! And we are only three months into this. There are Democrats I have greatly admired I will never forgive. The thing in my life I’m most grateful for is something I never had. Children and grandchildren. But I have so many people I’ve known who do, and some of those kids and grandkids.
It’s my fervent hope that already they are being asked: ‘How could you let this happen? Trump being elected, especially after all he did the first time?’ ‘Why didn’t you HELP Biden instead of turning on him in 2025, and then driving him out well into 2026?’ And especially ‘How could you NOT see the risk of stabbing Biden in the back. HE was always the candidate Trump feared the most and in 2020 everyone learned Trump’s fear was justified?’
All these Democrats who were lesser people and politicians than Biden turned up their noses. As with Carter they chose to just ‘tolerate’ him and look at what ignoring history has already cost. And worse, the final bill is going to be a whole lot more.
I for one say from what I saw Biden can handle himself just fine when giving remarks. Yes, he will make gaffes sometimes like he always has. Compared to Trump he’s JFK and Obama combined! Mashups, side by side comparisons are easy to make. (Well, not for a tech luddite like me but lots of people can do them) and I for one think the ‘Biden needs to shut up, go away and disappear people are dead wrong. The public, not the political class of elected people, consultants and pundits but regular people need to regularly see the kinds of comparisons between Biden and Trump I’ve alluded to. Yes, on Fox they might spin it as making fun of Biden but I’ll bet a lot of the viewers will look at the comparison and Trump, especially how badly things have gone wrong and think maybe we’d be better off if Biden was still in the WH.
Yes, Joe Biden looks like an old guy. But HE doesn’t freaking paint his face orange! He looks okay, just older. And he SOUNDS normal. He speaks in normal tones, using regular complete sentences and even tosses in a little self-deprecating humor. He doesn’t come across so much as some wise, old “sage” but as a grandparent that’s lived a helluva life and seen a lot of stuff. Someone worth listening to when they tell you stuff. If they mangle a word here and there or mix up a date or name so what? You kind of expect that from a grandparent that’s up there in age but in the grand scheme of talking with them it’s no big deal.
Compare that to Trump. Personally, I think it’s a comparison that works in our favor. Again, side-by-side segment of Biden and Trump, normal vs CRAZY works pretty damned well for us. I think it’s those who drove Biden out, who have trashed him and are already doing so again are the ones who need to shut up and go away. If you’ve extended me the courtesy of reading this I’d love to know whether you agree. Or if not get your take even if it roasts me.
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Agreed. But here we are. Problem now is to avoid backbiting and harnessing all resources to focus on the current nightmare, using whatever guerrilla tactics will stymie things and help hold the line until 26, which will require a full united effort to ensure both houses (and the inevitable impeachment) against a lot of dirty election/voting tactics. Thence to 28, retaining Congress and gaining the Presidency
I completely agree Denis. Very well put. Thank you.
So do I. It doesn’t seem to be the trendiest of interpretations right now, but that’s because so many infkuential Democrats are, as Denis points out, either covering their asses or putting the blame on Biden, or both. I believe that in years to come what Denis is saying here will be the general consensus.
What really got my hackles up was that the dump Biden crowd were just reinforcing Trump talking points. That tells me they were led by fear; in other words, Trump put one over on them too, and they stampeded. The voters saw this and they decided, hey if both parties think this it must be true. And even Kamala, who as you say did a great job, was so close to Biden that under the circumstances it became a liability. Despite the party’s strong support of her. Because the issue of Biden’s age was never a genuine issue. Yet at the present time it seems cemented into the narrative as the central point.
Yes, Biden had flaws, but they weren’t due to his age; they were the same flaws he’d had all along, and actually his political views had seemed to become more closely aligned with people like Sanders and Warren, views which, despite the myopia of “centrist” democrats, are extremely popular. And despite the flaws, he was a damn good president at an extremely difficult time.
This is superbly written and an accurate expression how many of us ‘non-establishment’ Democrats feel.
And I think the title shouldn’t be the question “Is It A Mistake” but the statement “It Is a Mistake”
Oh, I absolutely agree with you and the whole thing makes me damn ANGRY! (Not at you, Denis, of course). All that backstabbing that went on during the start of Biden’s second run for President was ridiculous. People were going to the press and saying he’s a failure and he’s washed up? They couldn’t look beyond ONE. BAD. NIGHT. So he was forced out by BULLSHIT. If he had HAD the support he deserved, or if Kamala had HAD the support SHE deserved, we wouldn’t be in this shitshow watching our country die! Biden comes out and says the quiet part, and no one is noticing how much *better* he sounds than tRump. The backstabbers and biters and the lack of Democrat support are what got us into this hellhole.
Shoulda Coulda Woulda you idiots! Too late now, and I hope you enjoy watching the destruction of what a grand and glorious country we used to have. It’s your own damn fault.
We do have Jasmine Crockett and Cory Booker, and a few others speaking up and speaking out. Jasmine didn’t and doesn’t pull any punches. She believes in her job! Cory talked for more than TWENTY-FIVE HOURS to make a point we needed to hear, and that now, so many are disregarding. What the hell has to happen before these people get grounded back in reality?
Totally agree! Thanks for affirming my thoughts and explaining it so well.
Terrific article and a sincere tribute to a man who, over a long career, proved himself a man of decency, integrity and empathy. Qualities totally absent in most denizens of Washington and of the MAGAt GOP in particular. His accomplishments as president were manifold and it’s to the shame of his own party that his deserved praises weren’t shouted loud enough to cut through the flak fired by the noisy opposition.
We lost because reliable Democratic blocs you young Black.and Latino men decided they couldn’t handle a beautiful, brilliant Black woman.(not unlike their mother) who married a Jewish man and was childless by choice. Those blocs vote Dem.if they vote at all, but this time they turned to.Macho.Macho Moron they could identify with.No bright. Arrogant (most folks outgrow that level of arrogance by30). Inherited his wealth. Most importantly he wasn’t a beautiful, educated accomplished Black.woman who.made their cojones wither in their sack.