Waking up to hard truths

Biden cannot meet the moment

I hate to keep ragging on Joe Biden and originally intended to write about something else today. But then I read this pretty good Washington Post article from Ashley Parker and Matt Viser. The gist of it is that many on the left (and center?) feel enraged and helpless at events occurring across the country and Joe Biden is just not rising to the occasion.

This past weekend not only saw yet another mass shooting, but reportedly a 10 year old pregnant rape victim being denied an abortion in Ohio because a right-wing majority on the Supreme Court decided reproductive autonomy is no longer a right under any circumstance. And now we are facing the prospect of Republicans talking of a national abortion ban - but the only thing we hear from Joe Biden is that we should just make sure to vote in November.

Parker and Viser summarize the arc of Biden’s response to half the population losing a Constitutional right: On Thursday, Biden called for overturning the filibuster to help codify Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, into law. But despite knowing for weeks that the court decision probably was coming, the move followed a familiar pattern, with Biden taking nearly a week to suggest changing the filibuster rule when Democrats wanted more urgency.

And earlier in the piece they note the pattern of how Biden has responded to a series of crises: Biden’s response is often a mix of scolding Republicans, urging Americans to vote Democratic and voicing broad optimism about the country. For some Democrats, that risks a dangerous failure to meet the moment.

The fact is - it looks like his heart is not in it. As far as I can see, Biden has ceded his foreign policy to a DC-establishment blob that is solely focused on escalating the conflict in Ukraine. On domestic policy, I think Biden experienced some frustrations with Build Back Better and the sudden onset of inflation undermining what had been a strong economy. He may now feel helpless and unfairly attacked - and perhaps he thinks it’s best to stick to his platitudes about getting out to vote to change the soul of America.

That worked in 2020 when the objective was to defeat Donald Trump. Biden did that and he should be celebrated for it - it was a great accomplishment. There are new challenges now and Biden appears woefully uninterested in tackling them. The best thing he can do for his country - and his party - would be to indicate almost immediately after the midterms that he is not planning to run in 2024. That would give Democrats adequate time to find someone who is up to the task.