Krystal Ball of Rising on The Hill TV recently made a comment that perfectly encapsulates Joe Biden and the Democrats. I want to give her comment, delve into the details and extrapolate a little.
The Krystal Ball Looks into You, Part One: Swing that Axe!
On a recent edition of Rising, Krystal offered this pearl of wisdom on Joe Biden. For full context, he was on MSNBC doing an interview about COVID-19 among other topics. Krystal said:
He [Biden] is actually perfect. He’s a perfect emblem of a dying, gasping, hollow husk of the Democratic establishment. He’s the perfect emblem and mascot for that. When I see him out there [in the media] I think ‘Yeah. This is exactly what they want. It’s exactly who they are. Just some empty husk, reading from notes so that they can push and direct in the right direction. Ultimately what is he promising? Nothing will fundamentally change. You don’t need to do anything. Just man the ship, and put the regular people back in place. That’s all that they’ve ever promised
That was a barbed-wire wrapped sledgehammer strike to the skull. What a brilliant encapsulation of the rotting hulk that is Joe Biden and the Democratic Establishment. Ok – praise over, let us delve into this.
In Biden, we have a rich, old, white, corrupt candidate who is politically illiterate and quite incompetent. He openly serves the donor class (see this segment about his donors having veto power over his VP picks) while paying lip service to the liberal base through identity politics. He promised to put a black woman on the Supreme Court and pick a woman for his VP. Could there be a better encapsulation of the Democratic Establishment? Corporatist economics under a veneer of wokeness.
The Krystal Ball Looks into You, Part Two: A Propped Up Puppet
Krystal has provided insight into Biden’s true role in this process. His role is basically as a puppet for his younger VP pick. Mr Biden has clear cognitive decline, and it looks increasingly unlikely that he would serve one full term, never mind two. His Vice President, whoever it may be, would likely serve out his term when his cognitive decline renders him unable to serve.
Krystal and Saagar (her co-host on Rising) also discussed the possibility of a Reagan-Bush style situation, where the VP becomes the presumptive nominee to replace their boss. The result would be twelve years of Democratic rule, specifically of the neoliberal variety. When Joe Biden told a room full of wealthy donors that nothing would fundamentally change, his role was thus crystalised: he was a status quo manager. He was not an agent of change (even Obama had the good sense to run on that).
Showing how little she cares for the norms of Washington DC, Krystal even added that Biden’s role was to ‘put regular people back in place.’ A sort of ‘return to normalcy’ if you will. See, these inept and out of touch clowns think that Trump is the problem. His lack of civility and mean tweets (ignore his policies since they agree with him there) are the problem. If we can remove Trump, even if we have to put the corpse of Joe Biden in there, things will return to normal. Why Joe Biden though, you may ask?
The Krystal Ball Looks into You, Part Three: Status Quo Joe
Extrapolating from Krystal’s comment slightly, Biden’s coronation at the expense of Bernie Sanders is easily explained. In contrast to Trump, who has the annoying habit of saying the quiet part loud when it comes to Washington serving the corporate elites, Biden knows the score. The former Vice President has been in this town for nearly half a century and knows (or used to know) how to do the elites’ bidding without being so open about it. Trump lacks that subtlety. Sanders was never an option for the corporate media since he represents the people and not the corporations. So Biden was the only option. He will restore dignity to the oval office. He will say ‘America’ as he bombs the sh*t out of brown people. Biden will say ‘freedom’ as he cuts corporate taxes. He will put a corporatist black woman on the Supreme Court.
Conclusion: Joe Biden, the Base and the Future of the Democratic Party
Never wonder why various lefties, notably Kyle Kulinsky of Secular Talk, are saying not to vote for Joe Biden. It does not matter, they say, whether you live in a swing state or a safe state: do not vote for Biden. Lest you think this is sour grapes for the establishment screwing Bernie Sanders, what motivation does the left have to vote for Joe Biden?
He does not agree with them on policy, which is what they care about the most. Biden said he would veto M4A because of ‘its price tag’. That is such a bogus talking point since M4A actually saves money. I ask again: why should the left vote for Biden? Because Orange Man Bad? What policy-based argument do the Democrats have to entice their base to vote for Biden? The party is not, contrary to their own beliefs, entitled to the votes of their base. They must earn them, something Biden has no intention of doing.
Joe Biden thus represents perfectly not only the ‘dying, gasping, hollow husk’ of Krystal’s comment, but the wider disconnect between the Democratic Party and its base. The base is focused on policy, and they have a very specific agenda. Failure to meet them where they are, to say nothing of being openly hostile to their agenda, does not bode well for the future of the party. In addition, no amount of shaming them, or threatening them with Trump if they do not vote ‘the right way’, will bring them on side. The fundamental disconnect between the Democratic Party and their base could not be starker. Joe Biden is the perfect representation of that disconnect. Do not be surprised, Democratic Establishment, when the base does not vote for you when you gave them no reason to.
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I hope Krystal Ball of Rising on The Hill TV and all those who support her clap when they get Trump re-elected.
She should get a job at Fox.
They are like the burn down the village rather than save it types.
Anyone but Trump should be the theme.
I suppose voting for a corpse is an obvious improvement on The Idiot in Chief,even it only delays the inevitable fall of the (corrupt) empire.However, it looks just as likely the current corrupt administration will get a chance to finally kill the empire off.I wonder who’s arse we’ll be kissing when that happens.
So, in other words, ignore policy completely because Orange Man Bad. Ignore corruption completely because Orange Man Bad. So fall in line and do as you’re told is the message to the base? Sounds like a representative party to me.
I agree with all of this but wonder what the alternative is since Bernie has, apparently, been eliminated from the race. Surely nobody wants to see Trump given a second term. The DNC seems to have this stitched up perfectly. The only glimmer of hope is that Biden with a “good” woman as VP, gets elected then his dementia, which some news sites in the US have been writing about for months, takes him out of the equation and “she” takes over. However what chance of that?
I wish this issue wasn’t important to us as Australians but, unfortunately it is. The next President if the US, assuming elections aren’t postponed, will have a profound effect on the shape of the new post-Covid world. If it’s Trump, Dog help us.
At last an Aust article on the true state of US politics,and Krystal Ball is one of the most astute honest political reporters in the US. Biden is a train wreck,is under at least 8 sexual assault charges,the latest a woman last week accusing him of actual rape and she is very believable. Trump will make mincemeat out of him and no, i am no fan of that corrupt lying bastard,but one thing he does really well is destroy political opponets and he will destroy Biden.
Some fool commented on this site to virtually vote for anyone but Trump which is one of the most stupid political ignorant statements i have ever read…. they tried that with the corrupt war monger and liar Hillary and they ended up with Trump…. Bernie is their only hope.
The same cheer squad that cheers on Julian Assange for his Wikileaks demolition of Hilary Clinton and turned Democrats off turning out in enough numbers to defeat Trump.
Let us again snap defeat from the jaws of victory.
Once Trump is back, you can move on to attacking the Labor Party because you don’t like Albo, or one part of its policy platform.
Sadness rises here, and most comments intensify the feeling that USA politics is corrupt, evil, negative, selfish, with all types bought, sold, rented and bumboyed for the powerful, greedy, aggressively acquisitive. The Orange Orifice or a cadaverous clown…no hope.
‘Biden has obvious cognitive decline.’ You’re not wrong.
David Higman, I see we are now relying on an astrologist who, like any charlatan, finds clever ways to describe her suspect qualifications, none of which are in the medically field, for diagnosis of Biden’s mental capacity.
You seize on anyone with a web page and an opinion that suits yours to give us your amateur diagnosis of Biden,
Do you realise, your eagerness to accept and spread online as fact, anything you agree with, regardless of the source, makes you no different to Pauline Hanson and her anti science followers? Read and agree then repost and that is that.
Biden will at least be more cooperative with the rest of the planet dealing with a climate nearly out of control!
Better an ‘old school’ under Biden than no school under trump! Getting rid of the person who WILL tip us over the edge MUST take precedence over ideology, whether good, bad or indifferent.
I’d prefer Sanders, but …
Oh boy. I don’t know anything about the person who nuns the website of the link I posted. It was a link I came across a few days ago. I don’t accept that person’s judgement about anything. I posted it for the video evidence,compiled at one site. People can watch the videos and reach their own conclusions. It seems clear to me,as it does to the author of this article,that Biden is in cognitive decline. How did Tim Jones and others reach the same conclusion? By looking at the evidence,which is there for all to see..
The political ignorant and their acceptance of establishment media who, by the way are some of the most corrupt evil organisations on the planet absolutely astounds me. A lot of people are just bone lazy and accept any old crap the media throw their way, and that is why i urge people to do their own investigation and to make up their own minds instead of accepting half truths and in most cases outright lies as told by criminal actors who are nothing more than corporate presstitutes…..
1) The Krystal Ball warning reads almost exactly the same as the Republican job description for POTUS when Regan was nominated then elected; an actor who could read a script and keep a straight face when telling lies”.
2) Puppets: The corporations world of the USA (United States of Apartheid) has little care for democratic principles especially when principles like “community values”, “caring government” and “civil rights” are concerned. Pick a puppet, any puppet, for POTUS and let us get on with the real work of exploiting the people of the world by every means possible for our own personal profit.
3) An AfroAmerican VP? C’mon …. tokenism at its worst! It seems that “Black at the back” is OK for the White Supremacists in Congress while “Idiot in Charge” is the preferred situation.
4) Bernie Sanders is the only real hope for American citizens to get some sensible living conditions from the US government. So, that is why corporate America will do everything necessary to keep him out of the White House.
John OCallaghan, that is exactly the same argument conspiracy theorists use. Try to belittle the vast majority of people who refuse to “do research” from “whacko sites” and who just believe the “corrupt media”.
Only you and your ilk have the sense to read further the reports of some non-scientific unqualified con merchant who knows that taking silver potion cures all, the climate is not changing, a hot day in Hay NSW in 1881 proves it etc.
Anyone who disagrees with them is automatically deemed “Politically Ignorant” and of course “Astounds” the conspiracy nutter.
You can never argue with these types, look at Malcolm Roberts, it is pointless, just as it is with you.
Warts and all, reality is the world we live in, and in democracies, peoples views should be respected, not howled down because they don’t fall into line with those you and some astrologist hold.
Your judgemental, all encompassing ignorance do you no favours, nor will Donald Trump when he gets re-elected thanks to the “If We Can’t Have Bernie, We Will Blow Up Biden’s Chances” brigade.
Face the facts, the Democrats are choosing their candidate, and although Bernie is far from my preferred choice, I accept it as chosen choice of rank and file Democrats who voted in The Primaries.
It is so easy to blame everyone else as being out of step, when in fact, it is just you.
Of course, you will say the Primaries were rigged, a dark powerful web of “Insiders and Elites” orchestrated a Stop Bernie Campaign, anything but admit people just voted as they wanted to and only you know best.
Dear Krystal,
Please apply the same analysis to Trump.
Thank you
At the last 2016 American presidential election 56.9% of eligible voters voted. That leaves 43.1% of eligible voters who did not vote. That group are the disaffected voters who feel that neither party represents them anymore. They are the working class, the poor and the disadvantaged. With that number of disaffected voters looking for someone to represent them then Bernie Sanders policies would fit the bill. The corpratised Domocrats protecting their donors have white anted and knee capped Sanders again. Sanders should stand as an Independent as he is not a representative of corporate America masquerading as a politician. If Sanders stood as an Independent he would give voters a clear choice between corporate Americas representatives, Trump and Biden, and a peoples choice, Sanders. Splitting the vote would advantage Sanders considering the number of disaffected voters in crucial seats.Opposition to this scenario comes in the form of the Nader effect but times have changed and changed for many average Americans. Also the known unknown is the effect of social media that was not a potent weapon in Nader’s time as it is in today’s times. Sanders is the man for the times.
I am coming around to the point that america needs Trump one more time. The democrates are just as evil as the republicans. All they are fixated upon is trumps removal, never mind their own brand of corporate ideology. Sidelining Sanders will be their failure.
Trump, well he’s such a dick anyway, he will find a way to make things worse, and that folks is what it will take.
America is a basket case where every idiot believes they are gods chosen ones, america is the greatest, guns are necessary for survival and change is only for others. Good luck with that project.
With winter coming to an end in America, natures snowflakes must be getting thinner on the ground, but boy, the airy fairy flakes are getting thicker.
Hey Paul! …. just the same sort of tired lazy same old same old pathetic criticisms one would expect from a bone lazy ignorant MSM fed and brain washed lackey of criminal politicians/corporations such as yourself. Your first rule when someone disagrees with you,accuse them of being a conspiracy peddler and a frequent visitor of such sites….. You obviously think you are superior in every way including intellectually and morally…hahaheheheh… good on ya son go back to your precious corrupt evil morally bankrupt Bill and Hillary and their equally corrupt party..you deserve each other. I feel sorry for you-you poor pathetic creature. Goodbye and dont bother me again,thats a good chap…..
Hi John, thank you for proving my point. Very mature of you!
Cheers.
IMHO Biden will be dumped. Biden is too sleazy, even for the worlds top sleazes, he makes Bill Clinton look like a paragon of virtue. Andrew Cuomo is getting his Presidential suite dry cleaned right now, for the Democratic National Convention. Listening to his well crafted Covid 19 responses at recent media appearances, he has been very Presidential. If not, they will run Clinton again. Bets.