What Now, America?
By James Moore
There doesn’t seem to be much solidified just now about the future of Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. In fact, there seem to be two camps developing in the party after the historic zone-out at the first debate with the hedonistic hero of the right. There are endless conversations now among Democratic Party operatives and political consultants and pundits about how to guide Joe off the stage and there are donors and supporters who insist the choice cannot be undone. The attitude is, “He’s our guy. It’s too late and too dramatic and too risky to trot out someone new.”
The counter to that argument is, of course, an even greater risk might be manifest in trying to regain a little Joe-mentum. How do you make a man “un-old?” That’s really the challenge for Democrats; not trying to give Biden the appearance of being younger and more vital than he is but just repairing his image in a manner that helps people forget the gaping debate mouth in the two-shot and the stare that made him look like he saw his own mortality coming at him from across the room. As garbled as most of his answers were to debate questions, I think they hurt him less than the imagery he left in the minds of 50 million TV viewers as a grampa almost falling asleep standing up after an early bird special at the local Luby’s cafeteria.
There are many, many items regarding his presidency that are not open to discussion, regardless of lies told by Trump and his surrogates. Joe Biden might be the most consequential one-term president of the past 75 years. His legislative accomplishments, even without a majority, have been significant. The American economy is being described as “the envy of the world” and “the engine that is driving growth across the planet.” Almost uncountable millions of jobs have been created by the Infrastructure Act and the Recovery Act and a few hundred thousand appear to get added every month. Government investment in computer chip manufacturing is bringing that production back into the U.S. from overseas, health care and drugs are more affordable and increasingly available, and we were all provided assistance to get through the modern era’s pandemic. Books will be written about what Biden did in his first term because there is simply too much policy with significant impact to even begin analysis in short form.
No one can make a cogent argument that when he is 100 percent Joe Biden that he is not a good president. Too much accomplishment crushes any such assertion, but he is no longer 100 percent Joe Biden, and thereby hangs the tale. What to do about it? As shocked as Americans were about his lack of a performance at the debate, there seemed to be less surprise over the 30 plus lies spouted out by Trump. Further, there are no questions about Biden’s heart and who he is as a person, which is as stark a contrast as could be developed between him and Trump. This president gives a damn and is seemingly working to improve life in this country and sustain international order. Many of us disagree with him on matters like unflinching support for Israel and Netanyahu and the genocide being perpetrated on Palestinians in Gaza, but when the alternative is Trump, a moral compromise enters the political calculus.
The great panic that ran through Democratic hearts after Biden’s face plant was that his appearance and babbling linguistics had ended his campaign, or would destroy it, eventually. The unexplored dynamic, which got little immediate consideration, is that base supporters for both candidates have been frozen in place. Biden backers watching him stumble were unlikely to turn their support to Trump and no matter how euphoric the MAGAts were at the end, their guy’s lying did not induce voters to move away from Biden to the Mara Lago Madman. In fact, 538 and Ipsos conducted polling before and after the debate among likely voters and found almost no movement away from Biden, among debate watchers and those who did not, and a wide majority concluded the president had failed, but their candidate preference was unchanged. Maybe the only debate that has ever mattered in presidential politics was Kennedy/Nixon, which showed the Californian and future conman sweating profusely on camera while JFK was cool and articulate.
Here’s what 538/Ipsos found:
“Turning in the best performance in a debate only matters if it translates into votes – so we also asked poll respondents (both those who watched the debate and those who didn’t) which candidates they were considering voting for after the debate. And if there was any silver lining from the debate for Biden, this was it: The face-off doesn’t seem to have caused many people to reconsider their vote. That said, Biden did lose a small share of potential voters: Post-debate, 46.7 percent of likely voters said they were considering voting for him, which was 1.6 percentage points lower than before the debate.”
There is harm to Biden’s image and it is reasonable to question whether he can manage another four years. He looked frail and lacking cognitive capabilities, which are sort of essential for a man who will have the nuclear codes near at hand. Replacing him, as much as it may need to happen, is a dicey process and fraught with political peril. My belief, however, is that he ought to release his delegates to vote for a new standard bearer and the party should put forth a few candidates for nominating speeches and a floor vote at the convention. Those 3 or 4 pre-selected would have a couple of months to make their case in public appearances and then close the deal with convention speeches before a vote. Might sound simple, but it’s not. There is much infrastructure and money and experience already invested in the incumbent.
My sense is that the panic is abating and the Democrats are convinced Trump’s outrageousness at the debate, his unchecked lying on every question, turned off voters worse than Biden’s shocked countenance when trying to formulate answers. Anecdotes are all over the web on political sites about Biden supporters who are reframing their initial impressions away from “disaster” to “at least we don’t have Trump.” The unanswered question about the likely continual decline of Biden’s mental faculties over the course of the next four years will not disappear, however, and will almost certainly be a consideration in the voting booth. Trump’s consistent word slurring and losing his way at rallies does not exactly present a viable option to Biden, however.
I began hearing from friends the moment the president walked onto the debate stage looking like a lost greeter who realized he was supposed to be at the entrance of the Walmart store but didn’t quite know its location. “This is not starting out well,” was one text, and another said, “I foresee a Mitch McConnell event,” a reference to the Senate Minority Leader’s panicked freeze during a news conference. Biden might have fared better just locking up a few times instead of ending an answer with “We beat Medicare.” As the 90 minutes dragged along, my phone showed, “OMG! What a disaster! What will Ds do?” and “I see no way he can remain the nominee.” The horrors among voters are subsiding, though, I suspect, because Trump’s troubled gray matter provides context.
The note below came from a friend who almost foresaw the end of the free world in Biden’s debate fumble.
“I’m feeling a little better about this. Starting to think that all is not lost. If he can show some humility, as he did yesterday, and acknowledge he had a poor performance the other night, that he doesn’t walk as well or speak as well as he used to, but that he knows the truth, and right from wrong, I think he still has a chance of convincing people of what a threat Trump poses, and what’s at stake in this election. A convention battle seems too messy and risky.”
I am, therefore, doubtful the discussions about dropping out of the race will get serious in the president’s inner circle. Donors and the consultant class will have much to discuss in the week’s leading up to the convention, but the Biden camp will be unmoved. They realize, as does my friend in his comment above, that politics has always been a function of context and perspective, and one old guy with failing faculties but a fine record and good judgment is better risk than another old guy who thinks only of himself and vengeance.
This article was originally published on Texas to the world.
James Moore is the New York Times bestselling author of “Bush’s Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential,” three other books on Bush and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, as well as two novels, and a biography entitled, “Give Back the Light,” on a famed eye surgeon and inventor. His newest book will be released mid- 2023. Mr. Moore has been honored with an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his documentary work and is a former TV news correspondent who has traveled extensively on every presidential campaign since 1976.
He has been a retained on-air political analyst for MSNBC and has appeared on Morning Edition on National Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, CBS Evening News, CNN, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Hardball with Chris Matthews, among numerous other programs. Mr. Moore’s written political and media analyses have been published at CNN, Boston Globe, L.A. Times, Guardian of London, Sunday Independent of London, Salon, Financial Times of London, Huffington Post, and numerous other outlets. He also appeared as an expert on presidential politics in the highest-grossing documentary film of all time, Fahrenheit 911, (not related to the film’s producer Michael Moore).
His other honors include the Dartmouth College National Media Award for Economic Understanding, the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television News Directors’ Association, the Individual Broadcast Achievement Award from the Texas Headliners Foundation, and a Gold Medal for Script Writing from the Houston International Film Festival. He was frequently named best reporter in Texas by the AP, UPI, and the Houston Press Club. The film produced from his book “Bush’s Brain” premiered at The Cannes Film Festival prior to a successful 30-city theater run in the U.S.
Mr. Moore has reported on the major stories and historical events of our time, which have ranged from Iran-Contra to the Waco standoff, the Oklahoma City bombing, the border immigration crisis, and other headlining events. His journalism has put him in Cuba, Central America, Mexico, Australia, Canada, the UK, and most of Europe, interviewing figures as diverse as Fidel Castro and Willie Nelson. He has been writing about Texas politics, culture, and history since 1975, and continues with political opinion pieces for CNN and regularly at his Substack newsletter: “Texas to the World.”
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GL
Return to home pageWhat goes on in USA is really a domestic matter, with one big exception…….
” He looked frail and lacking cognitive capabilities, which are sort of essential for a man who will have the nuclear codes near at hand.”
The USA`s gift to this planet is to knowingly put together enough explosive power to end life as we know it, not just humans but the birds, and the bees.
Their track record in starting something, and failing to think the thing through, is well known.
I would rather see someone in full possession of their faculties overseeing the big red button for ALL our sakes.
James Moore tells us that “Books will be written about what Biden did in his first term…”
But in fifty years time when Biden’s support for the genocide in Gaza is taught as history to schoolkids, will any of that matter?
From Reuters — “Between the war’s start last October and recent days, the United States has transferred at least 14,000 of the MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 air-dropped small-diameter bombs, and other munitions, according to the officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly.”
I am as angry about Gaza as anyone and Biden is complicit. My country is acting criminally in facilitating the bullshit of Netanyahu and the expansionist crowd. There is a genocide underway and Americans act like they are oblivious. But if I am forced to choose between Biden and Trump, it’s Biden, even with all the Israeli baggage. The other choice is the end of what’s left of our putative democracy. – James Moore
James, thanks for the response.
Thanks James Moore, excellent balanced article.
I agree with your final “.. note from a friend .. “, and also your response to SD’s comment.
Who could the Dems get to grasp the nettle, that has the heft and will and track record to convincingly challenge and defeat Trump and the GOP? At this time, albeit there are several that might have the skills, but, it seems in reality slim pickings.
There’s a lot that can happen ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
Perhaps it’s much better to persist with Biden, then at least in place as POTUS, he has Karmala Harris atm in the line of succession, and other options can also become available. Almost any course of action is better than Trump and the despicable ‘Project 2025’. There might even be a chance to reform the country’s broken democratic process.
The ‘Red Button’ paradigm is cute and to that extent fair enough, but apparently not a simplistic reality.
Steve Davis notes James Moore’s comment that “Books will be written about what Biden did in his first term…”
No doubt. More books in addition to the already burgeoning library of similar tomes, some of which are listed below:
American Empire and its attributes (or failings):
A Government of Wolves – John W. Whitehead
A Great Place to Have a War – Joshua Kurlantzick
American Empire-The realities & consequences of US diplomacy – Andrew Bacevich
American Exception; Empire and the Deep State – Aaron Good
American Holocaust – David E Stannard
American Narcissism – Wilber Caldwell
AmericanTorturers – Mark Denbeaux et al
Anti-Intellectualism in American Life – Richard Hofstadter
Battlefield America – John W. Whitehead
Collateral Damage 911 – EP Heidner
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man – John Perkins
Dark Alliance – Gary Webb
Dark Money – Jane Mayer
Debunking 911 – David Ray Griffin
Democracy in America – Alexis de Tocqueville
Democracy Incorporated – Sheldon Wolin
Evil Geniuses-The Unmaking of America – Kurt Andersen
Homewreckers – Aaron Glantz
How Civil Wars Start – Barbara Walter
How Democracies Die – Levitsky & Ziblatt
How to Hide an Empire – Daniel Immerwahr
Information Wars; How We Lost the Global Battle Against Disinformation – Richard Stengel
Johnny Got His Gun – Dalton Trumbo
Masters of Deception – Zander Fuerza
Mindfuck; Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America – Christopher Wylie
NATO’s Secret Armies-Operation Gladio – Daniele Glanser
Operation Gladio-The Unholy Alliance – Paul Williams
Overthrow – Stephen Kinzer
Painful Questions-An Analysis of the September 11th Attack – Eric Hufschmid
Popular Culture, Geopolitics, and Identity – Dittmer & Bos
Rise of the American Police State – Coleman et al
Rogue State – William Blum
Suicide of the West – Jonah Goldberg
The American Deep State – Peter Dale Scott
The Anglo-American Establishment – Carroll Quigley
The Brothers – Stephen Kinzer
The Devil’s Chessboard – David Talbot
The Disuniting of America – Arthur Schlesinger
The Exception to the Rulers – Amy Goodman
The Forever War – Dexter Filkins
The Loudest Voice in the Room – Gabriel Sherman
The New Confessions of An Economic Hit Man – John Perkins
The Next Civil War – Stephen Marche
The Outlier; The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter – Kai Bird
The Phoenix Program – Douglas Valentine
The Revolt of The Public – Martin Gurri
The Spoils of War – Andrew Cockburn
The Storm Is Here – Luke Mogelson
The Tragic Vision of Politics – Richard Lebow
The Ultimate ‘Unseen Hand’ Behind the New World Order – Alex Christopher
The Unwinding – George Packer
Time No Longer – Patrick Smith
We the People; an Introduction to American Politics – Ginsberg et al
When America Stopped Being Great – Nick Bryant
Why We’re Polarized – Ezra Klein
With Liberty and Justice for Some – Glenn Greenwald
In addition to these few examples; other authors have contributed the following:
Bob Woodward:
Veil – The Secret Wars of the CIA
Bush At War
Plan Of Attack
The Last of the President’s Men
Fear-Trump in the White House
Rage
Peril
Chalmers Johnson:
Peasant Nationalism and Communist Power
Blowback-the costs & consequences of American empire
The Sorrows of Empire Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic
Nemesis The Last Days of the American Republic
Dismantling the Empire
Chris Hedges:
War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning
American Fascists-The Christian Right and the War on America
What Every Person Should Know About War
Collateral damage-America’s war against Iraqi civilians
The World As It Is
Death of the Liberal Class
Empire of Illusion-The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle
Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt
Wages of Rebellion
America-The Farewell Tour
Matt Taibbi:
The Great Derangement
Griftopia
The Divide
I Can’t Breathe
Insane Clown President
Hate Inc.; Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another
The Business Secrets of Drug Dealing
Michael Lewis:
Liar’s Poker
The Money Culture
The New New Thing
The Big Short; Inside the Doomsday Machine
Boomerang
Flash Boys
The Undoing Project; A Friendship That Changed Our Minds
The Fifth Risk
The Premonition; A Pandemic Story
Going Infinite
Michael Wolff:
The Man Who Owns the News
Television Is the New Television
Fire and Fury
Siege-Trump Under Fire
Landslide
Too Famous
Along with works specific to the Trump:
The Trumps; Three Generations – Gwenda Blair
Hack Attack – Nick Davies
Never Enough; Donald Trump – Michael D’Antonio
The Truth About Trump – Michael D’Antonio
Assholes – Aaron James
Strangers in their own Land – Arlie Hothschild
The Making of Donald Trump -Johnston & Cay
The Quick and Dirty Guide to Fleeing Donald Trump’s America – Bartlett
Trump Revealed-An American Journey – Michael Kranish
Devil’s Bargain; Steve Bannon – Joshua Green
The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump – Bandy Lee
The Least Among Us; Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable – DeLauro
Trump-Anatomy of a Monstrosity – Nathan Robinson
Enchanted America; How Intuition and Reason Divide Our Politics – Oliver & Wood
Everything Trump Touches Dies – Rick Wilson
Gaslighting America – Amanda Carpenter
Reviving the Social Compact; Inclusive Citizenship in an Age of Extreme Politics – Naomi Zack
Troll Nation; How the Right Became Trump-Worshipping Monsters – Amanda Marcotte
Trump, the Blue-Collar President – Anthony Scaramucci
Trump, Trade, and the End of Globalization – David Jacoby
Unhinged – An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House – Omarosa Manigault Newman
A Warning – Anonymous
All the President’s Women; Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator – Levine & El-Faizy
America Is Better Than This; Trump’s War Against Migrant Families – Jeff Merkley
American Carnage – Tim Alberta
Audience of One; Donald Trump, Television and the Fracturing of America – James Poniewozik
Border War; Inside Trump’s Assault on Immigration – Davis & Shear
Critical Theory and the Humanities in the Age of the Alt-Right – Battista & Sande (Ed.)
Crossfire Hurricane; Inside Donald Trumps’ War on the FBI – Josh Campbell
Deep State; Trump, the FBI, and the Rule of Law – James Stewart
Donald Trump and New Hampshire Politics – Christopher Galdieri
Kushner, Inc.; Greed. Ambition. Corruption – Vicky Ward
Pitchfork Populism; the Political Forces That Shaped an Election – Bradford Kane
Plaintiff in Chief; a Portrait of Donald Trump in 3,500 Lawsuits – James Zirin
Proof of Conspiracy – Seth Abramson
RIP GOP; How the New America is Dooming the Republicans – Stanley Greenberg
Separated; Family and Community in the Aftermath of an Immigration Raid – William Lopez
The Stakes; 2020 and the Survival of American Democracy – Robert Kuttner
This Is Not Propaganda; Adventures in the War Against Reality – Peter Pomerantsev
Unsung America; Immigrant Trailblazers and Our Fight for Freedom – Prerna Lal
When at Times the Mob Is Swayed; a Citizen’s Guide to Defending the Republic – Burt Neuborne
A Very Stable Genius – Philip Rucker, Carol Leonnig
Authoritarian Nightmare-Trump and His Followers – John W. Dean
Disloyal – Michael Cohen
It Was All a Lie – Stuart Stevens
Melania and Me – Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
The Room Where It Happened – John Bolton
Too Much and Never Enough – Mary Trump
Betrayal; The Final Act of the Trump Show – Jonathan Karl
I Alone Can Fix It – Carol Leonnig
I’ll Take Your Questions Now – Stephanie Grisham
The Big Cheat – David Cay Johnston
Confidence Man – Maggie Haberman
The Divider; Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 – Peter Baker
As well as James Moore’s own contribution, Bush’s Brain (co-authored with Wayne Slater, 2003)
Going out on a limb here, but I imagine in that great land of ~333 million, very few will have read any of these books; a pity, for if they had, the current circumstances might be entirely different.
Good article James. And I agree with you 100%. Anyone is better than the ridiculous lying dog mouth. I will sleep better at nights knowing that bloated waste of oxygen does NOT have the nuclear codes and I hope every decent American feels the same way. I despise America’s support of the zionist scum too but that will not improve no matter which party is in power. If anything the GOP would make it even worse. America has to look to it’s priorities and it’s leaders to stop bickering little tantrum throwing children. Now is the time when America does need to be ‘great’ but one wonders whether they are past their prime as the world’s most influential country and economy.
Canguru, the typing, the bloody typing! Your right hand will render you unfit for typical Trump activities. The Woodward, Johnson, Hedges material offers much and I must see about some Taibbi and others, before a serious social and political collapse occurs.
The Democrats have a very strong bench. The governor of Michigan took a very conservative and Republican state and got all Democrats elected statewide and in the legislature and then busily adopted progressive laws. She could be joined on a ticket by the speaker of the house, Hakeem Jeffries, a dynamic young Black politician who has skillfully guided the D minority and is a great orator. The two them on a ticket with a whirlwind announcement tour would energize the electorate and make Trump’s nightmare dreams disappear. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom could also lead a ticket. Ms. Harris is not likely to capture the support of the majority of the party simply because she has remained low profile and has not established a strong brand. But Biden can release his delegates and open the field to anyone wanting to run prior to the convention and then there would be nominating speeches and balloting on the convention floor in Chicago. It’s a messy process but I think sticking with Mr. Biden marches what’s left of our trembling republic off the edge of the cracker. – JM
Canguro, thank you for the extraordinary effort.
It was good to see you include Operation Gladio.
The depth, the extent and the success of that ongoing operation is simply breathtaking.
We must have a discussion about it when the time is right.
But I have to say as well, that I’m continually surprised that such a system continues to produce people of the very highest quality, who are quite simply inspirational.
The move to non stop ads on your site will drive people away, its annoying me big time.
David, without the ads we close down. This site runs at a loss as it is.
I am not in the least little bit surprised about the SCOTUS ruling on immunity. It’s just the beginning of the end for the US.