Not that long ago, Democrats spoke of ideas. The 2020 presidential primary was rooted in policy: universal health care, the Green New Deal, immigration reform. It also bravely faced what it meant to be political. Over the course of more than a year, dozens of presidential candidates acted out what was, in essence, an existential crisis, not just over how best to beat Donald Trump, but over what, exactly, the Democratic Party is meant to represent.
Joe Biden was, for quite a long portion of that seemingly endless contest, oddly out to sea. Hed reliably end up on the center of the debate stage, but his presence was almost airy. A back-slapping transactional type behind the scenes, Biden is a feelings-first retail politician, hardly a wonk. While nearly every candidate had a signature ideaMedicare for All (Bernie Sanders), universal basic income (Andrew Yang), the very concept of ideas (Elizabeth Warren), good vibes (Marianne Williamson)Biden had, well, not much more than moxie and a bumper stickers love for the Spirit of America. He often seemed to not know much about the policies he was promoting. For most of 2019 and some of 2020, Bidens main purpose seemed to be a friendly reminder of what America was like before the 2016 election; an archeological relic, anchoring us to a memory of the Before Times.
It made sense for Biden, as a candidate, to mine a vein of nostalgia for his electoral ambitions: The Obama years, those good old days of recent past, were at least a more humane era. But Joe couldnt quite shake that golden oldie vibe: the notion that he was also a living, breathing reminder of missteps and policy failures dotting the landscape sowed by four decades of Democratsmass incarceration, student loans, banking, Anita Hill, Iraq. His first major interaction with the woman who is now his running mate, opened up ancient grudges over school segregation. These were unhealthy reminders.
And yet, thanks to Jim Clyburnwith an assist from the rest of the Democratic field, save Bernie Sandersit didnt matter. Biden essentially ended the contest in South Carolina and with the smooth stage-managed coronation that ensued; a pandemic that blew in from distant shores only added further incentives for Democratic voters to end the grand esoteric argument of the partys future. Now, Biden has a sizable lead in nearly every reputable poll. Its enough to make you wonder what all the arguing was even for.
But the question of what a President Joe Biden would stand for, let alone a Democratic Party led by him, has remained unanswered by this convention. Over four days, Democrats did everything they could to avoid political questions. While the president was indicted, constantly and lustily and with increasing pointedness over the past few days, the convention strained itself to avoid making similar indictments of a radical Republican Party that built a home for Trump, and which will welcome Trumpian extremists into its midst for the foreseeable future.read more
Joe Biden Has Found His Big Idea
