CHARLES M. BLOW

The Strongest Case for Biden Is His Resilience in the Face of the Onslaught

 

Blow is a Black man and Black leaders, political, religious and pundit class, are those whose opinions matter most to me on this issue. Second, I put greater stock in those of whatever concentration of melanin who are from the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party", in Howard Dean's formulation, the Progressive Caucus. Leaders from marginalized communities and polities have the greatest stake in preventing a Trump victory. The "front line" Democrats, those who represent purple districts, who are purplish themselves, I don't trust on this issue. That white congressman in Maine who predicted a Trump victory and "I'm okay with that" have no stake. He'll be fine, whoever that guy was. I'll be fine. I'm a fucking ol' white guy, Trump isn't going to do anything to me personally. Black, brown, Muslim, atheist, women, real left people, this is a big fucking deal to them!

 

There are two "moral" prongs to this decision in my way of thinking: 1) Trump is infinitely more unfit than is Biden. The moral imperative here is to defeat Trump. That...trumps all other considerations, moral and, as I frame it practical-moral. The practical moral decision is which Democrat has the best chance to beat Trump. 

 

I agree with Blow that this political hurricane is likely the strongest case for Biden. Only the strongest materials can weather this, if Biden is going to weather it. This test has some objective strength to it. It could be seen differently; it could be seen as not rational, determined strength in the face of hurricane adversity, but rather as irrational, cognitively diminished, unreasoning stubbornness. Biden's resilience, whatever its well-springs, is not sufficiently strong though, in my opinion. That's not the strong moral component, however. The strong is Defeat Trump. The practical-moral prong is which Democrat has the best chance to defeat the greatest evil, Trump. Me? I will vote for a tomato can if it's the alternative to Trump. Clyburn is the same; AOC likewise, Bernie, too. So this practical-moral prong has the burden of proof. Joe Must Go, my position, has the burden to persuade by clear and convincing evidence that someone other than Joe has the better chance. I think that Kamala Harris has a better chance. But I am not persuaded to a standard of clear and convincing that she does. And I agree with Sen. Bob Casey (PA) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that Biden reasonably, not fancifully, can still win,

 

I take it, although I cannot read Blow's column since it is behind NYT's paywall, that Biden's resilience in this political hurricane, is on the practical-moral prongs, that Biden has the best chance to beat Trump, and I don’t want Black people to be caught holding the bag of blame if an ol' doddering white guy withdraws and a younger Black woman succeeds him as candidate and loses to Trump. Joe Must Go is my position and has been for a week. But the longer this goes on with only white politicians and opinion-makers saying the same, the more wary I become. If President Obama or Jim Clyburn says Joe Must Go I will rest easy. If a chunk of the CBC says Joe Must Go I will rest easy. But contrary-wise if the CBC remains a united bloc for Biden, if Clyburn remains solid for Joe, if Obama, if AOC, if Bernie, remain behind Biden, my mind could be changed. 

As Democratic Nation did in 2020, I am turning to the gentleman from South Carolina, to the gentle lady from the Bronx and Queens, to the gentleman from Brooklyn, to the senator from Vermont, even to sensible Pennsylvania, for America needs Pennsylvania again, as it did in 1863 and 2020, and the Commonwealth’s two senators, to the cradle of liberty, Philadelphia, and to like others across the land, for it is they who have the greatest stake in this election’s outcome. I turn to them for guidance, and I will follow them.