No country for old men • Oklahoma Voice

A new world is about to be born, and at some point it will need new American leadership. Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the last of their generation, are both trying to stand in the way of this development.

Trump hopes to prevent or even reverse the emergence of this new world through brutal authoritarian force. He is trying to “make America great again” by taking us back, back to a time in our country’s history that never happened, that we should never allow, and that is contrary to our traditions. What Trump is proposing is not conservative leadership, but radical leadership, a leadership in which only his loud voice counts.

Biden, on the other hand, is simply trying to expand this receding world that is his world, the world he is comfortable in because he helped shape it during his 50-year career in high office. He is offering himself as a bridge from his generation to the next, from this world to that new world… but not yet, he says.

Biden comes from a world of popcorn pops and time clocks, of Formica kitchen tables on linoleum floors with an AM radio playing in the background. Trump comes from drab Manhattan restaurants and steaks with ketchup, of backroom deals and yes-men and white men and compliant secretaries in a Mad Men world.

Trump never Googled, never used “google” as a verb, and never asked Siri anything, and I doubt Biden has.

At the moment, that is not necessarily a reason for disqualification. Biden has been a more than competent president in the difficult four years, but he has given even his supporters reason to doubt whether he can continue to do so in the next four years.

This concern is not a media invention, nor is it a Republican psychological operation. If Biden’s frightening performance in the Atlanta debate was an accurate indication of his remaining abilities, then his time in a leadership role may be coming to an end.

So far, his aides and many Democratic politicians have continued to claim that the debate was a glitch, a rare occurrence. It would be a huge relief if that were true. But their second-hand reassurances are not enough to forget what millions of Americans witnessed first-hand a week ago.

Don’t tell us, show us. And if you can’t show us, precautions should be taken.

I don’t know the logistics of such an attempt; I don’t know the election laws or campaign finance rules that would have to be followed to pull off this feat. Few, if any, do, because nothing like this has ever been attempted before.
And maybe that’s not even necessary. If Biden can convince the American people through his performance that he remains the best hope of defeating Trump and that he can continue to serve as a bridge to the next generation, then he should remain the nominee. But those in the Democratic Party who are upset that this question is even being asked are doing their party, their candidate, and the country a disservice.

The question must be asked because we need to know the answer four months before the election and six months before the inauguration.

The obvious replacement for Biden, should that become necessary, is Vice President Kamala Harris. Criticism of Harris seems to be more about her gender and race than her actual performance in office, in part because the performance of a vice president is so difficult for outsiders to judge.

Vice President Harry Truman was considered insignificant when he took over the reins from FDR, but he developed into a strong, even visionary leader. Much earlier in our history, Vice President John Tyler was also held in low esteem when he took office after the death of William Henry Harrison. In this case, the low esteem in which Tyler was held at the time proved to be an accurate measure of his abilities as President.

Be that as it may, I have not the slightest doubt that Harris would perform far better in the White House than the man who has attempted to cling to office through fraud and even violence, and who has called for the abolition of the Constitution itself if it would allow him to return to the power he so craves.

If Joe Biden can show he still has the ability to serve as a candidate and president, he should stay in those offices. If he can’t, he should finish his term and let Harris lead the candidacy, knowing that by doing so he is giving his country the best chance of staying true to itself and its bright future.