My husband likes a good county fair, and lacking access to that, he will drag us to a mediocre one to watch a demolition derby and eat elephant ears. That’s where I was when I received a text from a Canadian friend last night. She was watching the debate. “Biden is barely alive,” she wrote, “he’s making Trump look competent omg. How is this not elder abuse?”
Down in a muddy pit, demolition derby cars with windshields removed revved their engines and bashed into one another. Crash. The crowd cheered and jeered. It’s such a futile activity. Winning just means being the last one able to move.
We got home in time to see what I now understand was the more lively portion of the debate. Our president, who has a speech disorder (so do I, so I get it, I do) was also hoarse, but looked like he’d just been woken from a bad dream. He appeared at times disoriented. He couldn’t string together answers on crucial topics that impact millions of American lives: reproductive rights, affordable child care, climate change, and on and on.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump spat out lie after lie (which CNN’s moderators failed to call him on), but appeared relative to Biden, strong.
Substance matters, truly. I wish there was more substance upon which to judge the floundering mess that was last night’s debate. I guess older gentlemen care quite a bit about their golf games.
Presentation also matters, and for a swath of Americans who want a president who will align with their interests and implement a range of policies organized by right wing think tanks, there’s already a blueprint that Trump appears content to enact. Project 2025 would sweep America into an authoritarian era. For many Christian nationalists who espouse a faith in dominion, there would be no better result.
Donald Trump’s appearance of strength (bullying) mimics their religious leaders, is the embodiment of the type of man (and yes, only men) who can help steer this country to a future informed by and shaped to promote one sort of Christian governance.
Often, I spend time thinking about this strongman type of authority figure—the sort who oppress through fear and force of will. They make others feel fearful and guilty for defying them.
I watched Joe Biden last night, someone who has dedicated his life to public service, and wished he’d stepped out gracefully before the primaries. I imagine some Democratic leaders debating today just who among them would have to be the one to tell Biden the debate was in fact so dismal that many who watched are saying he needs to step aside, for the sake of the party, but mostly, for the sake of the country.
It reminded me of that sad rite of passage, telling Grandpa he has to give up the car keys. It’s such a touchy conversation because it feels like a robbery of current independence in exchange for avoiding future danger. The threat to pride is immediate, if the worrisome peril more distant. It’s hard to tell someone they are no longer as capable as they once were, particularly when he hasn’t wrecked the car… yet.
I spent last night ping-ponging in my direct messages with others who have been warning about Christian nationalism and our plunge toward a more authoritarian future. We’ve been writing about what we see in pockets of this country, how this element is growing, and how the ideology is spreading. November has a big, flashing, red warning on it.
I’m seeing moderates who have no love for Trump who are now also fearful that our president isn’t as sharp as his administration has insisted. And maybe it was a really bad night. But I don’t know how many nights that bad we can afford right now.
“I am so mad at the Democrats,” is a sentiment I am seeing over and over. How did the DNC’s leadership put the country in this position, if they really do see another Trump administration as an existential threat to democracy? Either they don’t actually have that concern and it’s empty rhetoric, or those who ‘knew better’ were afraid to tell Grandpa to give up the keys.
I am afraid we’re about to watch a car wreck. We’ve already witnessed one before, and now know, democracy is fragile. It’s not up to another game of bash and crash, hanging on just for survival.
Sarah, this is apt analogy. The thing with grandpa is, he may be as intellectually sharp as ever, but that doesn’t mean the physical decline is unimportant. A position like the presidency requires more than a sharp mind and good ideas; it requires the physical ability to be able to persuasively communicate those ideas and, more importantly, policies. There is a sales and marketing aspect to politics that we don’t like to admit, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I, too, wish he would have graciously handed the keys to a GenXer when he could have graciously done so without losing his dignity. He could have been celebrated for humility and foresight and progressive leadership that is self sacrificing for the greater good. I wish we had a better imagination for healthy succession.
He has a well-vetted impressively smart Cabinet. Consider the Administration, not just the man.