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I've said this before a hundred times, and I'm saying it now:

Biden is our nominee. Harris is his running mate. Barring an acute medical event, all else is fantasy football, hand-wringing, and wasted time.

If you believe he's been a great president and will be in a second term, support him. If not, call for a primary.

But don't take this incoherent position that we need to get rid of a great president to save us all from Trump.

Whatever its brute utilitarian merits, the notion of getting rid of a good president because we're that scared of his opponent is morally bankrupt, cowardly, and nakedly political in an obvious way. It surrenders to celebrity politics, authoritarian scheming, and basic principles, all at once.

What's more, it's all of that in a way that voters can see right through. Implicitly, it bows to weakness and bullying, and if anything, boosts Trump's contention that he is the only "strong man" to lead the country. (It also would likely be rocket fuel to his ongoing attempts to falsely cast Biden as some kind of "crime leader" and "usurper", but election denialism is merely a secondary concern here.)

One could counter that none of that matters, that all that matters here is beating Trump, right now. Beyond begging to differ, I tend to believe that beating Trump requires us to show some level of sincerity and backbone. Getting rid of our president, exclusively over polling concerns, is neither.

If Biden and his staff conclude he cannot perform the job another four years, then fine.

Absent that, stop wasting time with this nonsense.

Feb 13, 2024
at
2:40 PM

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