Wow, it must really suck to be a Democrat right now; I mean, seriously!
With Super Tuesday out of the way it’s looking more and more like the party’s top brass has decided to throw its weight behind Joe Biden as the best and only hope of beating Bernie Sanders to the nomination. Of course there are plenty of delegates still to play for and anything could happen, but it’s clear that the DNC will not permit Sanders to clinch the nomination, even at the cost of running Joe Biden against a rampant and increasingly popular Donald Trump.
Even if Sanders manages to force a brokered convention, anyone but Bernie is now the unofficial party line and delegates will act accordingly. Letting slow Joe face Donald Trump in the general election might seem like a suicidal strategy, but when it’s the only available option the decision-making process becomes extremely simple.
The DNC top brass must surely know that backing yet another ageing neo-liberal who’s showing clear signs of failing health is not a way to win elections.
So why do it?
It’s mostly because they don’t really have much of a choice at this late stage; but that doesn’t mean they can’t yet pull something that resembles a rabbit out of the hat. Everybody in the world knows that forgetful Joe has no chance against the Donald, especially as Trump’s quite willing to go there when it comes to Hunter Biden and the whole Ukrainian gas thing. In fact it’s reasonable to wonder whether Biden can even make it to election day without his cognitive performance deteriorating rapidly.
Of course if Biden’s health were to fail, then we could look to his running mate to take over the campaign…and maybe that’s the whole point.
The Democrats are running Joe Biden against Bernie Sanders, not Donald Trump. Look to the choice of running mate to see who’s most likely to take centre stage once the Bernie brigade have been vanquished. Of course we don’t officially know who Biden’s running mate will be yet, although he’s expressed a preference for Michelle Obama. Now that’s an interesting idea and probably the best option the DNC have right now. After all, Michelle carries the most beloved name in US neo-liberal circles, plus it means that Mr Obama will be married to a potential Vice President; that’s an enticing prospect for the party faithful and something that might even bring the embittered Bernie bros back on board…maybe. The problem here is that the Obamas don’t like to lose and Trump is looking stronger by the day. Michelle might decide to just sit it out if she can’t be sure of winning.
Of course Hillary Clinton has popped up again, like a weed that appears on the driveway when spring comes around. Clinton for VP might sound good to to party members, but the electorate delivered their verdict in 2016 and there’s no evidence to suggest any real change of heart.
If Michelle O says no then we’re likely to see one of the down ticket democrats like Pete Buttigieg filling the second slot. While that may steady Democrat nerves, most of America will be thinking that Biden won’t last out his first term as they head to the polling station. This time around the choice of VP might actually mean something.
Maybe it’s time to call Oprah after all.
Image courtesy of Jean Scheijen at FreeImages.com