A Threat to Democracy

It’s the third anniversary of the Jan 6 insurrection. We were hiking with our young nephews that afternoon. I checked my phone frequently. These days, there’s a lot of talk about how democracy is threatened by Trump, white male militias and all sorts of other supremacist nonsense coming from conservative homes, churches and media outlets. I take all of this seriously. But I am also super jaded by the whole “you gotta vote for Joe Biden or else” script. 

Biden is polling horrifically with young people, Arab-Americans and anyone else who genuinely cares about Palestine, the poor and other oppressed people. His unpopularity makes perfect sense. Among other things, Biden is supporting a genocide in broad daylight. He’s even bypassing Congress to send weapons to Israel - which is a threat to democracy. Also, the Democratic Party refuses to host primary debates. This is a threat to democracy too. 

The Dems desperately need a new strategy. Biden should drop out. Not because he’s too old. But because he’s a totally uncompelling candidate. My nephews (and democracy itself) deserve someone far better. The good news is that we’ve got 304 days until the election. The Democratic Party can still pivot. But if they don’t do something different, Trump will probably win - and they’ll have no one to blame but themselves.