Something to seriously ponder this Fourth of July

Jul 02, 2024

As we approach the Fourth of July, which is meant to commemorate the founding of the United States, it seems like a good time to ponder whether we are serious about ensuring that this country continues to exist as a democracy.

I generally don’t write about politics here because it is not the focus of this publication and after 30 years working in the political arena I have moved into a new season of life.

I’m making an exception today—knowing that some people will be upset and unsubscribe—because I don’t want to look back at the end of democracy in the US and know that I said nothing. I feel this way even more in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision on presidential immunity.

I am aware that people across the political spectrum subscribe to this publication. I respect you and welcome you here, regardless of any disagreements we may have on politics. If you are committed to voting against Joe Biden, this post won’t resonate with you.

But if you are conflicted about how to vote in this election, especially in light of the post-debate freak out about Biden, I hope this can help focus you on something that should concern everyone regardless of ideological or partisan differences: the US remaining a democracy with a president committed to observing not just the rule of law, but the spirit of it as well.

What is on the ballot in November is a choice between a person who respects democracy—who, if he lost the election, would concede graciously—and a person who does not and who continues to claim he won an election he lost and who incited people to violently storm the Capitol due to that claim. One person aligns himself with the worst dictators in the world and openly worships their leadership style, and the other does not. One person talks about bringing political foes before televised military tribunals, and one does not.

Which version of America do you want? This is the question to ask yourself.

When thinking about this, here are some things to consider:

• It’s impossible to imagine a scenario where Joe Biden drops out of the race. Nor should he, in my opinion. So I don’t think this is part of any real calculation.


• Replacing Joe Biden as the nominee is not as easy as some people in the media are portraying it. If you want to understand a few reasons why this wouldn’t work, read this from David Frum, who also explains the incentives for pundits to make outlandish claims that are unworkable in real life.


• Supporting candidates in this cycle who can never win is playing with fire. If this is your choice, just be sure you understand the potential consequences. Risk taking should always be calculated. So, if things don’t go your way, you need to be able to live with the result. Third party voting in Obama vs. McCain is a different risk than Biden vs. Trump, for example. If you are an activist on the left who feels conflicted about voting for Biden, I suggest reading this from
  
  

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• Someone losing their train of thought does not make them “too old” for a job, nor does it mean they have dementia. I wouldn’t even make that argument about Trump, even though when I interviewed him twice during the 2016 election the transcript was a complete word salad of unrelated thoughts and unfinished sentences. Still, I understand there are people who believe Biden is too cognitively impaired to be president. To those people, I just ask that you please consider which is worse: a president who loses his train of thought and who is surrounded by experienced professionals or a president (who falls asleep in public and rambles, but nobody seems to care) who has contempt for the democratic process, openly wishes to be an autocrat, surrounds himself with yes men/women and who fires anyone with experience who challenges him.

I don’t think the media are providing helpful information about the wisdom or the mechanics of replacing Biden on the ticket, of how unlikely this is and how impossible it would be for someone to step in last minute and get people to vote for a virtual stranger. I want to encourage you to stop listening to the media and tune into your own inner wisdom. I don’t even care if you listen to me. Just try to quiet the outside noise and ask yourself if you can live with an autocrat in charge of the US.

I wish everyone could vote for their perfect candidate, but that’s not the option before us. I’m much more ideologically aligned with Bernie Sanders than Joe Biden. However, I can still see that Joe Biden has done a lot of good for this country during a difficult period, and where he has done things I don’t like, Trump would be a thousand times worse on that issue.

Importantly, Biden appears to be the the only thing standing between us and tyranny.

That may sound hyperbolic to some, but it feels like where we could be headed. I would love nothing more than to be wrong about this, but I’m inclined to err on the side of caution because the downsides of ignoring the warnings are so dire.

As America celebrates another birthday, we all have a lot to think about.