The Campaign

Several things have happened recently in the race for the Presidency. First, Bernie Sanders announced that he is now supporting the candidacy of Joe Biden. This has been described as an indication of Bernie’s maturity and an example of how adults should behave in defeat. The reality is, I think, that it’s closer to an act of pure political pragmatism and Trump hatred. Bernie Sanders is pure political ideologue. His goal is to turn the United States of America into a socialist workers paradise. Make no mistake. But fewer people will listen to him and he will have less influence if he isn’t working from inside the Democrat party. If he’s going to work within the Democrat party then he has to support the Democrat candidate. But there may possibly be more to it.

Also, Barack 0bama finally announced his support for Biden. You can read into it what you will, but he had no choice if he wants to be active in democrat circles, and he does.

The “possibly more to it” from the first paragraph is this. Barack 0bama knows better than anyone else that Joe Biden isn’t the man he was in 2008 or 2012. He’s likely had wandering personal conversations with him that made it clear that Joe Biden is incapable of serving as president. It seems almost likely that if quarantine hadn’t confined Joe to his basement that he would have collapsed on the campaign trail already. Post quarantine, the DNC will hold him up for the crowds like Punxsutawney Phil while maneuvering to keep him away from the podium as much as possible and refusing to allow any unscripted questions or rope lines where he might assault another voter. They will also lobby for a virtual convention to shield him. It may not help. The added stress may simply be too much for mister Biden to take and it may become obvious to the DNC that he’s just not able to accept the nomination.

So what then? Well, if that were to happen then the runner up in the primary would be the obvious substitution, but only if he hasn’t bolted the party and bad mouthed the entire operation. Even in the two months after the convention he may physically or mentally collapse. The same scenario holds. Bernie would be the obvious stand in.

So Barack’s reticence and Bernie’s continuing to play the game may make sense, not as impartiality and civility, but as cold political calculation. Either way, they have to be in a panic, because it’s becoming obvious to everyone that if Joe Biden wins the November election, whoever he’s chosen as his running mate will be running as the incumbent in 2024.

But that’s just what an average guy thinks