Stop the handwringing
A friend asked yesterday if we have a chance this election.
Well, considering we (local Democrats) have over three dozen candidates on our fall ballot, we have a lot of chances, I said. What he meant, of course, was the race atop the ballot featuring Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Buck the f#&k up! Voters want to support winners. Maybe start acting like winners?
Do Republicans doubt themselves like this? Hell, no. They declare themselves winners before all the votes are counted. They try to litigate (or intimidate) wins when they’ve clearly lost. They are acting like 2024 winners even now, after a string of high-profile, post-2016 losses and with a presidential candidate just convicted of 34 felonies, three more cases pending, and more charges on the way.
Ed Kilgore rolls his eyes at New York magazine:
One of the most notable aspects of the 2024 presidential contest has been how often voices have been raised in the left-of-center commentariat calling on Democrats to abort Joe Biden’s reelection campaign before it’s too late. In February, the New York Times’ Ezra Klein created an enormous buzz with a podcast episode suggesting that Biden “step aside” and let his party choose a more electable (and non-octogenarian) nominee. My colleague Jonathan Chait has discussed this possibility as well. And the idea was raised again quite recently by polling-maven-turned-pundit Nate Silver:
I’m on record as raining on this particular parade for multiple reasons, including the overreaction to marginally adverse polls it represents, the extremely unlikely Biden self-defenestration it would require, and the lack of any Democratic consensus on a “replacement” nominee. But if it’s odd how many Democrats have proved ready to panic and consider previously unimaginable survival strategies after a few bad polls, it’s downright weird that there is no such talk in Republican ranks after that party’s presumptive presidential nominee was found guilty of 34 felony criminal charges. Might that prove to be a problem in November? And if so, might Republicans, who frequently complain that the nation cannot survive another four years of Joe Biden as president, do well to choose someone from their own “bench” who has somehow managed never to be indicted for and convicted of a crime?
MAGA Republicans present a united front behind the most vile candidate in presidential history while running on the most anti-American agenda since secession. They reject the very notion of equal rights, flirt openly with overturning the Constitution, deny the rule of law can touch them, and plan to turn the country into an autocracy worthy of Viktor Orbán, if not worse. MAGA Republicans are The People of the Lie, a collective, blank-eyed rejection of all that is good and holy in this imperfect republic. And Democrats doubt themselves?
Trump’s convictions have yet to seep into national consciousness, but will as soon as Americans have time and attention to spare. Joe Biden is a decent man, a dedicated public servant and — dare we say it? — a real Real American™, flaws and all.
Back in drag racing’s heyday, they used to invite amateur fans to “run what ya brung” and go for it. The die is cast. Commit to it. Reach inside and find that reservoir of grit. Live the plot point where the reluctant hero sets her/his jaw, the eyes go fiery, and determination settles in their guts. Read some Simon Rosenberg, for heaven’s sake.
Republicans are in unshakable solidarity with Donald Trump despite his criminal record because they truly don’t see an alternative path. And that’s true even if they privately fear he will lead them to defeat, and after that, to another denial of defeat that could end in another attempted insurrection or at a minimum in horrific civil discord. For all their famed irresolution, proneness to panic, and “bed-wetting” tendencies, Democrats still belong to a party where free speech is possible. If their nominee was convicted of multiple felonies, at least some Democrats would be looking actively and publicly for a replacement. But Republicans belong to a cult of personality where any hint of rebellion is punished ruthlessly. And that’s the party that will take power with Trump if he manages to get back into the White House.
Be the freakin’ heroes of your own stories.
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