Why Biden Won't Leave

 

Joe Biden, 2024 (public domain)

I didn't watch the "debate" between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on June 27. I later saw some clips of Biden's moments of confusion and incoherence. Now several  Democrats and the media are speculating that Biden is too feeble, mentally and physically, to run for re-election. Some celebrity Democrats and office-holders are calling on Biden to voluntarily step aside. Others are "angry and stunned" by how Biden's advisors have shielded him.

In 2020, we all knew or should have known that Biden would be in a mentally diminished state by 2024 because he already was. Despite the concerns, I don't see him leaving the White House unless:

1. There is a mutiny at the Democratic Convention and he loses the nomination in a process that ignores the will of the Democratic Primary voters. (How's that for "Our Democracy?")

2. Section 4 of the 25th Amendment is invoked, Vice President Kamala Harris becomes Acting President, and Congress sustains the action.

3. He loses the November election.

To expect Joe Biden to leave voluntarily reveals a naive view of human nature. To demand Jill Biden, his wife and closest advisor, to persuade him to step down, is immature. They'd have to be threatened with the 25th Amendment process, and even then might not go down without a fight unless it's clear to them that they've lost their supporters.

We should get off our high horse when we say they "ought" to step down as if they owe us. To ask them to give up power is to ask too much. Maybe power should be taken from them, but I don't think any less of Biden for wanting to stay in the White House. Not any less than I already did.

The Bidens won't leave because they have power, and it's against one's nature to let go of power. People in power convince themselves it's "the right thing" to stay in power. That's an aspect of having power. It's not something most of us can identify with because we don't have power.

Biden, like him or not, is somebody. If you are reading this, you're probably a nobody. I don't mean that you're insignificant or unsuccessful, only that you're nobody famous. Which means you're not addicted to fame and influence. You're free.

You can do normal things like retire, work in your garden, volunteer, spend time with your grandchildren, and call that a full life.

But it's hard for famous people to retire, to move away from the spotlight. I think of something said on the Bill Simmons podcast some years ago, probably a conversation with Chuck Klosterman. They cited someone like Lorne Michaels. It's not that the 70-something longtime producer of Saturday Night Live isn't doing a good job, and it's not that he should retire, but why doesn't he? What more does he need to prove or accomplish? 

The answer is itself a question: After Michaels retires from his job, who would return his calls?

There may be other reasons I'd want to be a multi-billionaire, but mainly the ability to purchase an NFL team. I'd promise myself that if the franchise isn't successful in ten years, I would view my tenure as a failure, apologize to the fans, and sell the team.

I'd make that promise to myself, and then I'd certainly break it. I would hold onto the franchise until I die, even if the team loses every year, my front office is in constant disarray, I'm mocked by the national media, and hated by my fan base. Because my name would still be in the proverbial papers and my decisions would still matter. I'd still have influence. I'd still be important. And so I'd never give the team up.

It must be a rush to know that others are talking about you, even if they're criticizing you or mocking you. It's a reason to get up in the morning, even if the world around you is chaotic.

It's not on the Bidens to surrender their position of power. They have no doubt come to view themselves as too important, too essential to the nation. It's what power does to people.

When Biden's rivals mysteriously dropped out in early March 2020, people were already wondering if Biden was capable of serving two terms. This was all foreseeable. 

The situation the Democrats are in now isn't Biden's fault but rather the fault of those who orchestrated his nomination back then. What were they expecting Biden to do in 2024, just leave? Are you kidding me?

So now Biden is the biggest problem of the Democratic Party that gave him the power. The crisis the Democrats* are in is of their own making. 

I know this is my country and people say "Our Democracy is at stake!" But as someone who has opposed the Republicans, the Democrats, and the entire federal government for all this century, I'm inclined to point my finger at the Democrats and go "Ha ha ha ha ha!"

* By "Democrats" I don't mean people who vote Democrat or even registered Democratic voters, but the Democratic decision-makers.

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James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase (subscribe) and JL Cells (subscribe) and is a monthly columnist at Meer. Thank you for your subscriptions and support! You may contact James for writing, editing, research, and other work: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.