Gather round folks. It’s time we have a real conversation about Joe Biden’s “electability” and his so-called “gaffes.” I get that folks are frantically searching for the one true candidate to support. The crushing blow of defeat in 2016, followed by life under the Trump regime has been a crushing blow to the sensibilities of many.
In this fear and frustration, some are running to a seemingly “safe” bet in former Vice President Joe Biden. He was after all Vice President to a pretty popular guy with cool music taste. Why not?
It doesn’t help that the mainstream media has been feeding the public a steady diet of Biden is the most “electable” candidate, when it’s Biden’s electability that we should be questioning. He is not energizing voters. He is not drawing big crowds. He is not winning the debates. He is not even offering a vision for America. He is an old warhorse riding on Barack Obama’s glory.
And while nostalgia can be comforting, it isn’t always productive in helping us move forward. Being stuck in the past or longing for the “good old days” (were they even really that good?) is a form of escapism we cannot afford in this moment. Biden can’t even answer definitively why he is running.
All the warm fuzzy feelings people have from the version of “Uncle Joe” they have in their heads does not jibe with reality. Joe Biden is not a safe choice. He is not a winning choice. No other person would be allowed the grace and space to make this many mistakes in the recollection of their own record, policies, and positions and still be considered a solid choice.
Calling these glaring issues “gaffes” undermines the serious nature of this process and the leadership we need. At some point one’s “gaffes” or “errors” taken in the cumulative demonstrate a lack of fitness. We are way past that point with Biden. The “oh that’s just Joe” deflection will lead to a second Trump term if folks aren’t careful.
This is not about bashing but pushing current and potential voters to move beyond the fear of Trump. Antiquated notions of what a winning candidate looks like (i.e. older, white, educated and male) are standing in the way of progress. We deserve better. And we have better currently running!
Some of Biden’s greatest hits in this third attempt at running for President alone (four attempts if you count 1984) include:
Claimed he was getting the biggest crowds when Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren has consistently drawn larger crowds
Highlighted affinity for and work with segregationists; tried to claim he didn’t express affinity for them, and then did it again
Saying Senator Cory Booker should apologize to him after being challenged for his statements on segregationist colleagues
Misrepresented his stance on the Iraq War
Claimed Senator Warren’s Criminal Justice Plan endorses the Crime Bill when it expressly calls for the repeal
Plagiarized sections of his Climate Plan and Education Plan from “questionable sources” Note: Biden previously plagiarized a speech when running for President in 1988.
Despite his 8 years as the wingman to the first Black President who faced major obstruction, Biden claimed Republicans will have an “epiphany” after Trump is defeated
Said poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids
Referring to Senator Booker as President Booker and Future President in the second debate
Messed up his short-code during the second debate, confusing even seasoned digital strategists. We didn’t know if it was a throwback 80s song, a website or what.
Lied about attending a big money fundraiser that was hosted by the co-founder of a fossil fuel company a day after the Climate Crisis debate
Incorrectly claimed Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated in the late 70s (The correct year is 1968)
Asked voters to imagine the hypothetical assassination of Barack Obama (imagine the blowback if Trump had done this)
SideBar: Bloomberg did a quiz recently Who Said It: Trump or Biden? Take it and see if you can tell the former vice president from the occupant.
Trump being bad or trash isn’t the baseline measurement we should use for candidates seeking to challenge Trump in the 2020 election. Settling or lowering our standards is not the path to beating Trump. Biden’s fitness needs to be measured alongside the other Democratic candidates running, not Trump. After all, we are in the middle of a primary election and the goal is to find the best candidate to take on Trump. The goal is not to keep making excuses for Joe Biden simply because he is not as bad as Trump. Even Biden himself admits he’s not the only one who can defeat Trump (I don’t even believe he can beat him but that’s another story).
We don’t even have to discuss his actual policies, record and nearly five decades in politics because his inability to function consistently at the same level as the other major candidates running is itself disqualifying. There is no need to speculate on his health or mental fitness when we have seen over the years how Biden “gaffes” have been an accepted part of an otherwise mediocre white man’s existence. No other candidate running would be allowed to make the same degree of mistakes and arrogant retorts and still be considered capable.
This is beyond “putting his proverbial foot in his mouth.” the long history and tolerance of mediocrity from Biden combined with a fixation on power and access has led to some of the worst legislation over the last several decades. Further, arguing that Biden’s verbal screw-ups may not be read the same way to people with lower education, is classist and insulting. Working people want champions who can clearly communicate their vision and engage them in the process. Biden does neither.
To be clear, we are not talking about someone who simply has difficulty with public speaking. As a folksy caricature, Uncle Joe has always been the “off-color” sidekick, not the actual leader. He needs to respect us all and let it stay that way. Biden has single-handedly proved the electability standard is a contrived notion of mainstream media and elites who play gatekeepers to higher office.
Sending Trump an eviction notice is a real goal. His defeat will not be achieved by repeating the same tired propping up of bland mediocre white men. Biden is as exciting as mayonnaise with the memory to boot. Between deflecting from his own record, misremembering, and even lying in some instances coupled with the fact that he is not energizing the base, Biden would be a disaster of a nominee.
Finally, even if Biden wasn’t making all of these “gaffes” he still wouldn’t be the right choice because 2020 is about much more than just beating Trump. It is about beating Trump AND bringing hope, opportunity, and real change to a country that desperately needs it. And Biden’s failed status quo politics will take us back to 2016 when we need to move forward to 2021.
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