Dems, Don’t be Dour, We Have the Power!
It’s time to take charge of the narrative
Democrats, everything is going your way. You have been so anxous about Biden and whether or not he is up to the challenge of campaigning. Now that he has most gracefully and honourably stepped down, you have exactly what you hoped for.
Stop believing the media narrative — which is actually the Republican narrative: that everything is in disarray! All is chaos! False, false, false.
We are in the sweet spot (I say “we” as a proud, card-carrying member of the Party, who plans to volunteer for whoever wins the nomination. I was pro-Biden, but also embrace his decision to step down).
So, what’s the good news to celebrate?
The biggest weakness of Biden as a candidate was his age. Even his supporters admitted that. Whoever wins the nomination, it will be someone younger than Trump. We can turn Republican criques about an aging Biden directly back onto Trump:
“Sleepy”: Look at Trump dozing at his trial in NY.
“Confused”: Trump calls Nikki Haley ‘Nancy Pelosi,” and more than once claimed he was running against Obama, not Biden.
“Demented”: Trump rants on about Hannibal Lecter and sharks in his rallies. No one knows why. To listen to him speak is to listen to a man unhinged.
“Crooked”: this one never stuck to Joe, but Trump now stands convicted as felon, a fraud, and a rapist (though punished only for the crime of defaming the woman he sexually assaulted). Not to mention this insurrection and election interference charges still pending.
Meanwhile…it turns out Trump donated to a previous campaign for Kamela Harris. So let him squirm on that hook for awhile.
There is much more good news: Trump has wasted the past 4 years attacking Biden. Like a Jedi Master, Biden has drawn the Sith Lord’s attention away from the real threat. Trump has wasted all that time and energy on a foe who in a moment has transported himself to another level where Trump can’t touch him. Biden’s choice to step down is clearly for the good of the country, and whenever Trump reminds us of that, voters will only be reminded of the difference between service and narcissism, between love of country and monstrous ego.
And finally, the media: the perplexing, maddening media which insists on treating Trump as a normal candidate while turning a blind eye to his lies and his undermining of democracy. Oh, they must be so pleased with themselves for driving the narrative that Biden must resign. I loath how they did this. But they got what they wanted. And so now, they have the consequence to cover: this year’s unprecedented election story is not the return of Trump, not an assassination attempt; it is the high-stakes choice of a new candidate for the Democrats. This will fully occupy the media for the next month.
For once, Trump will not be the center of the story. Even if his VP pick, J.D. Vance shoots him in the other ear, the media won’t care. Because this is a real story, and Americans will tune in to find out about it.
Finally, the oxygen will be sucked out of the room by someone other than Trump. Who cares what he says or does for the next month?
And so, dear Democrats, I would urge you to work to capitalize on this once-in-a-lifetime lucky break by keeping these ideas in mind:
- Spread hope not despair. I think some of you have gotten so used to being down on the Dems it’s going to be a wrench to realize this is our moment of opportunity. If you were pro-Biden, then make his sacrifice worth it. If you wanted him to go, they embrace the future you hoped for.
- Focus on the vision. Instead of getting obsessed with a leadership horse race, articulate the vision for the nation the Democrats are working towards. Talk about the ideas at stake — including the threat to democracy, equality, women’s rights and basic medical safety, social justice and the impending Climate Crisis if we don’t build on Biden’s accomplishments. In other words, help the forces of good keep their eye on the fucking ball.
- Create unity. I’ve already heard some Dems say “we will lose for sure if Kamela is the candidate.” I call bullshit. I think Biden could have beaten Trump, I think Kamela can beat Trump, hell, I even think Hillary could beat Trump this time. The candidate matters less than the ability of Democrats to unite around whoever we choose, and get out the vote. So don’t tear down other candidates, and please don’t doomsay that so-and-so can’t possibly win. Anybody can beat Trump. Unless we despair.
- Laugh at Trump. Yes, he is a bully, an amoral liar, a rapist and a threat to democracy. But he thrives on the negative energy of an attack. He gets energy from the attention. But he hates ridicule. So apply ridicule like bleach to a patch of mildew. Ridicule exposes Trump for the weak and petty man that he is. So laugh at his foolishness, even as we prepare for what I believe will be the most significant election of our lives.
With much respect, let’s get to work.
I would like to thanks my favorite Medium political bloggers who have inspired me to write about the election: B Kean, L.A. Fosner, Mike Weisser, Caren White, John Dean, Shankar Narayan and MartinEdic.
(If you are not following them, please check out their stories on Medium)
Tim Ward is the co-author of ProTruth: a Practical Plan for Putting Truth Back into Politics.
