One thing about Joe Biden's interview with George Stephanopulos stands out for me. Well, two things, really.
The first is that, when Biden was asked if he would be willing to step down, he answered, "If the Lord Almighty came down and said, 'Joe, get outta the race,' I’d get outta the race. [But] the Lord Almighty’s not comin’ down."
Yet.
Look, I don't believe in the existence of any god, but it's quite clear that Biden will not willingly step aside. As long as he is convinced that there's an outside chance he can pull it off, he will remain adamant about staying in the race.
Something will have to scare him.
And something will. In the rigors of running, candidates inevitably falter in some way. We all remember how an ill Hillary Clinton collapsed before getting into her vehicle during the 2016 campaign. It's not unusual for politicians to suffer from laryngitis down the stretch. And many of us remember when Bob Dole fell off the stage when running against Bill Clinton in 1996.
It can happen.
Maybe there will be a heart attack scare, like the one Bernie Sanders had in 2016. Heaven forbid if there's a stroke of some kind. But I think the likeliest scenario is a Bob-Dole-like fall. Already, he shuffles along in many cases. It's obvious.
And then at least a few advisers will say, "Mr. President, you wanted a sign from God. Here it is."
Again, don't misunderstand me. The Democratic Ticket has my vote no matter what. The Nazis cannot be allowed to win. But to that end, we need to make the tactically right move.
And that means Biden drops out. But he won't, unless a major health scare convinces him to do so.
Of course, there's an outside chance Biden will not have some sort of scare between now and November. The opposite scenario may take place and he might die. But the likeliest case for a Democratic loss is Joe Biden remaining in, and shuffling across the finish line 5 points behind 32-Convictions-Donald-Fucking-Trump.
Again, don't get me wrong, Donald Trump has done many, many things that should have, in a sane world, resulted in him being forced to step down as well. Insulting a disabled reporter, both-sidesing Charlottesville Nazis, calling Mexican asylum-seekers rapists, saying they "poison the blood of our country," saying he won't be a dictator "except on Day One," suggesting that something like injecting a patient with bleach might cure Covid... the list goes on, and on, and on. Biden has one knock against him, Trump has hundreds. He literally has more baggage than a Samsonite factory. There is no hyperbole which can describe just how unacceptably bad Trump is.
And Biden is trailing that?
That should tell you something.
By the way, the second thing that stood out for me in the interview was the fact that George Stephanopulos really grilled Biden hard. It's almost as if he came to the exact same conclusion I did and tried to talk some sense into the president.
It didn't work. In fact, no outside influencer can make Biden change his mind about this. Biden must be scared into changing his mind by something drastic.
I'll back Joe Biden all the way, if needs be. But I'll spend every day from now until election day saying that Biden stepping down is the only tactically smart move left to us.
If Joe Biden steps down, he will have guaranteed his status as one of the greatest presidents of all time.
And if he doesn't, he's another Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Eric
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