I really like A. B. Stoddard and usually enjoy her pieces in the Bulwark and her contributions on the podcasts, but the decision's been made, the 2024 campaign is underway, and Biden is running. She's entitled to say or write anything she wants, and she's earned the platform that she holds, but she should realize that a piece like this one is not one more contribution to an ongoing debate. That debate has been over for months. Now, if not intentionally, it's still for all practical purposes pure Biden-bashing.

The great defect of even the fact-based media today is their refusal to accept responsibility for the effects of the content they produce. A. B. Stoddard's intentions in publishing this piece don't matter. The effect is to provide a quote-rich environment ready to be mined and weaponized by the GOP Lie Machine. It absolutely will be, and she's the person responsible for that.