Yankees, Cowboys, and Joe Biden

Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Warren are casualties in a civil war

Originally published at Medium (paywall-free link).

I have two suspicions about national politics:

1. Complicated federal laws are weapons that rival factions in the government use against each other. “You won’t play ball with us? We just might charge you with breaking campaign finance laws. We just might investigate your brother-in-law for securities fraud.”
2. The chief reason for FBI and NSA warrantless spying is to blackmail politicians. “We saw what you did in that bedroom from your own phone. We heard what you said to your spouse. We just might take it to the press.”

The quick, sudden retreat of Joe Biden’s Democratic strongest rivals in the last ten days causes me to speculate: Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Warren withdrew from the Democratic race because they were coerced into doing so. They were each threatened with some sort of investigation or exposure if they continued.

They don’t have to be guilty of anything criminal or otherwise disqualifying. The point was to threaten them — to make life hell for them and ruin their careers — if they didn’t cooperate by withdrawing. A “Not Guilty” jury verdict three years from now on a bogus charge would be small consolation for a tarnished name and ruined career. By withdrawing, they each could survive politically to run again in four or eight years.

I don’t know for sure how often such coercion happens in Washington. But we’ve seen a generations-long civil war in what is now known as the Deep State in which neither side has any regard for human life, justice, or decency. I suspect both sides regularly use threats and blackmail.

This war, called the Yankee And Cowboy War by author Carl Oglesby, is between two sides of the nation’s elite. One side, the Yankees, want American global domination with the cooperation of European allies. The other side, Cowboys, don’t think America needs such cooperation and can “go it alone” in ruling the world.

While Oglesby’s book is now well over 40 years old, the war persists. Yankees hide behind NATO when they pursue unprovoked wars such as Yugoslavia and Libya, and are a little less chummy with Israel. Cowboys are extremely friendly to Israel, and didn’t think they required the blessing of the international community to invade Iraq.

Trump has taken the Cowboy side, to the dismay of some supporters who had hoped he’d get rid of all Cowboys and Yankees in government and end all the wars. Most mainstream Democrats are, presumably, on the Yankee side. Not that they ever want to discuss foreign policy.

But why would agents of the Deep State coerce Pete, Amy, and Elizabeth to end their campaigns, and are these agents Yankees or Cowboys? I have two theories:

1. Pro-Israel “Cowboy” Deep Staters want “four more years” of Trump, and view Biden, who seems to have dementia, or the socialist Bernie Sanders, as easier pickings for Trump than more articulate and/or moderate contenders. They engineered the withdrawal of Biden’s rivals.
2. “Yankee” Deep Staters want Hillary Clinton on the ballot as Vice President, believe she’s the best chance of getting the Democrats elected, and that policy could then be implemented from the Vice President’s office, as it was under the Bush-Cheney Administration. If this is true, then they’ve already persuaded the feeble Biden to partner with her, an arrangement the stronger, younger candidates would resist.

I am not new to this sort of speculation. Although Biden said of the 2016 election that he didn’t run because he was mourning the passing of his son, deep down I felt he was coerced into sitting it out.

In ordinary times, Biden was the more logical inheritor to Obama’s legacy than was Clinton in 2016, and had fewer and less-serious known scandals in his past. I suspect he was told not to run at the time, but could run in 2020 if Clinton lost.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a deal was struck and Yankee Deep Staters are anxious to get the old gang of Yankee politicians together again so they can run the world on their terms.

One may object: wouldn’t it be obvious to everyone that the purpose of Hillary as Vice President is to have her ascend to the throne? Wouldn’t Conspiracy World go crazy if Biden were to die, resign due to health, or be removed due to incapacity? Would the Ruling Elite be so brazen and blatant? Aren’t the people tired of the Clintons? Wouldn’t this be a cakewalk for Trump?

But remember that the Ruling Elite can be so brazen and blatant. Ask Jeffrey Epstein.

Also remember, 2016 was supposed to be a cakewalk for Clinton.

Just as 2016 defied expectations, so could 2020. This is the last shot for both Biden and Hillary Clinton. Perhaps Obama nostalgia, which they represent, is the only shot Democrats have, even as Trump supporters might think it would be the easiest ticket to defeat.

James Leroy Wilson writes from Nebraska. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter. If you find value in his articles, your support through Paypal helps keep him going. Permission to reprint is granted with attribution. You may contact him for your writing, editing, and research needs: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.