CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Spare me the rhetoric that Joe Biden put county above self in dropping out of the presidential race on Sunday. That pre-supposes two things, both of which are not true: First, that Biden would have won in November but doesn’t have the health or longevity to serve out a second term. That’s wishful thinking. As the race stood on Sunday morning, Donald Trump would have beaten Biden in a head-to-head rematch. Second, that Trump is somehow such a threat to democracy, that Biden must step aside so someone else can beat him. Well, that’s not true either. The nation has already gone through a Trump presidency. The consensus among many voters is that we were better off then than we are now.
There will be some sympathy for Biden now – a frail old man who no longer had the right stuff. But before we turn sentimental, let’s not spin that Biden was a great president. He’s a failure on the two issues voters cared about the most: the economy and immigration. The day-to-day cost of living went through the roof under Biden. And the best he’s been able to do on the inflation front is that prices are not going up as fast as before. Inflation is not going down, as the President claims in all of his speeches. And the southern border remains an unmitigated disaster. Catch-and-release and Air-Biden are indefensible. Americans overwhelmingly favor the Trump policies from four years ago.
And let’s not forget that Joe Biden is an authoritarian. His Department of Labor was going to order every American to get a COVID shot, or be barred from working. We were spared that by a single vote at the U.S. Supreme Court. Those of us who stood up for our own body autonomy were called unpatriotic and a threat to our fellow citizens.
Biden discontinuing his presidential campaign opens a whole new pandoras box. He clearly is not mentally fit to serve out the remaining 5 months of his term. Vice President Kamala Harris is derelict in her duties for not invoking the 25th Amendment and removing Biden now. It immediately raises questions about her judgment to be president. I cannot believe that Democrats will swap one losing candidate for another. And it appears the tired, old, drop-out candidate wants to exercise some control over who the next nominee will be.
And let’s not forget the disingenuousness of Democrat Party powerbrokers. Just 48 hours ago they floated the idea of an online, virtual rollcall vote of delegates. The Biden dead-enders wanted to lock him in as the nominee three weeks ahead of the convention and freeze out potential replacements.
The days ahead are not about how tired, old Joe finally did the right thing. This is about clinging to power any way possible.
Chris Conley
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