Democrats and Biden in 2022 — Rudderless, Aimless, and Hopeless
“Rudderless, Aimless, and Hopeless” is how one member of Congress described the White House recently…which is correct and also makes this the best example EVER of the pot calling the kettle black.
Reading the coverage in CNN and the Washington post over the last couple days about the Biden administration, I was struck by the fact that while, yes, Biden and his administration are turning out to be monumentally incompetent at doing their job, that’s actually not the big story here.
What’s the big story about Biden that everyone is missing?
The real story is NOT that Biden is incompetent at the job of being president.
That has been apparent for a while and should never have been a surprise to anyone who has watched Biden over the decades.
Anyone with open eyes knew his administration was going to be a shit-show even before he was elected.
Fyi, “shit-show” is defined as “a situation characterized by chaos, confusion, or incompetence.”
Sound familiar?
What caught my attention was that the Washington Post and CNN still think this is primarily or only a question of competence.
Incompetence is part of the Biden Administration’s problem, no question.
But there is just too much going on here for “The Democrats are sooo incompetent!” to be the full explanation.
The real question to be asked — the big story to be told — is, “If it’s not their incompetence, then what is the issue with the Biden Administration being so rudderless, aimless, and hopeless”…?
What might the real explanation be for this “rudderless, aimless, and hopeless” Centrist Democrat presidential administration?
When I’m trying to figure out what’s going on beneath the surface of a situation, Occam’s razor is a good place to start.
Occams’s razor tells us that when there are multiple explanations for a problem, it’s smart to start with the simplest explanation and see if that is the correct answer.
If that explanation doesn’t work, go to the next simplest explanation and so on. It almost never makes sense to start with the most complex or the “least likely to work” explanation.
Ok, so let’s do that.
Although there are various “shit-shapes” going on with Biden’s shit-show, let’s (1) focus on the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade and (2) look at the response of Biden and the Democrats.
In order for “incompetence” to be the real cause of issues with the Biden administration — particularly with regard to their handling of the overturning of Roe v. Wade — we have to assume:
- Very high levels of incompetence across many people and many parts of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party;
- That these levels of incompetence have persisted over decades;
- And that these levels of incompetence apply only when it comes to the issue of abortion.
The third item in the list is important because when it comes to making the case for, say, entering a proxy war with Russia using Ukraine as our pawn and the Ukrainians as our human shields and sacrifices, Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer seem pretty competent, hard-working, and ready and able to deliver results.
It’s the same thing when it comes to protecting the interests of Wall Street, the banks, Big Pharma, the hospital industry, the health insurance industry, the defense industry, and ESPECIALLY when it comes to passing tax breaks for corporations and the Top 1%. The Centrist/Corporate Dems are super-competent and have a hard-driving, gotta-get-it-done-come-hell-or-high-water attitude.
Here is where Occam’s razor comes in.
Blaming the Democrats’ lack of response to the pending overturning of Roe v. Wade and then the actual overturning of Roe on the Democrats being incompetent at their jobs just doesn’t make sense in the context of #3 above.
In other words, it is apparent that when Centrist Dems want to get something done, there’s a good chance they get it done….and at the very least, they genuinely appear to be competent at what they are doing.
So what’s a more likely explanation?
I think it’s a combination of several factors, including:
- Incompetency (yes, it is on the list of factors)
- What their values really are. Are abortion rights really something that they care about and will fight for vs. something they just pay lip service to in order to win votes every 2 years and fundraise from their base of voters?
- Laziness, Part 1. Fighting for the right of women to make their own healthcare decisions is especially hard work when you have an opposing side that is super-motivated and will dedicate themselves for years and decades to getting what they want. If you’re going to go up against the Republicans on something they are committed to, you better bring your A-game….and it’s hard for me to remember the last time Centrist Democratic leadership actually looked like they had an A-game….let alone the last time they brought it out onto the field of battle.
- Laziness, Part 2. Over the years and decades, they’ve grown used to getting away with doing nothing because they are never held to account by their voters or public pressure. They’ve grown fat, dumb, and lazy because no one ever really held their feet to the fire.
- Risk-aversion. — i.e., cowardice, wanting to protect their reputations. Beating the Republicans on an issue that they care deeply about is not a sure thing. Centrist Dems could actually lose even if they fight really hard. And even if they win, it might take years, and they would probably have to endure intermediate losses along the way.
- Arrogance layered on top of incompetence. Look at any of the most prominent Centrist Dems in America — Pelosi, Biden, Harris, Buttigieg, etc. They ooze arrogance. They see themselves as the elites, the rightful rulers. But they aren’t good at their jobs — i.e., they are incompetent. They feel no responsibility to deliver, and they are shockingly willing to let that attitude be seen in public. (Btw, I’m feeling an urge to write a separate article on the failings of Centrist Democrat voters, who have let their elected leaders get away with this for decades now. The blame for our situation is not entirely on Centrist Dem leadership — the rank-and-file voters own some of the responsibility and blame also.)
Think about recent speeches and commentary from people like Biden, Harris, and Pelosi. Doesn’t it seem like the content and tone of the speeches check most of the above 6 boxes? Or maybe all 6 of the boxes?
The lack of response — the genuine unbelievable total lack of a preplanned, thought-out, adult-level, professional politician’s response over the past 2 months, let alone the last 2 decades! — in these speeches is mind-boggling:
- a mishmash of bullshit, “written-by-committee” consultant-speak on the topic of climate change by Harris (If you haven’t heard this statement Kamala Harris made, take 30 seconds to listen to this. And now remember — she is “a heartbeat away” from the presidency.)
- condescending, feckless excuse-making with a touch of poetry from pieces of walking corruption like Pelosi; and
- arrogantly ineffectual responses from Biden like “I am, yes. I represent the United States of America as president. Therefore, I am the best messenger.” when asked whether he is the best messenger to direct the government’s response to Roe, given his (Biden’s) prior history and statements opposing abortion.
Part of the top-level issue with Biden is his lack of priorities and policies that benefit the American people.
Ignore the “happy-speak” by Biden, his aides, and the Democratic Party consultant-ocracy. The reality is that Biden does not spend his time and his political capital DRIVING HARD on things that will benefit regular people.
He has never been that guy across his long career in elected office, and he is certainly not that guy today as president.
Biden’s values and priorities really are a big part of the issue with how he (and Pelosi and the rest of them) have ignored the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
It’s not unfair to say that the degree to which the entire Democratic leadership was caught flatfooted represents a “full employment act” for podiatrists across the country.
And this ignores their missed opportunities over the years to codify Roe into law during the times when they had the White House along with majorities in Congress.
But hey, it seemed like so much better an idea at the time to preserve the unresolved issue as something that they could fundraise on and also use to scare people into voting for them.
So at a certain point — and we are well past that certain point — you have to start asking why they’re not trying.
Seriously, why?
The only answer I can come up with is, it’s not just that they are incompetent, it’s also they don’t want to invest themselves, their energies, their political capital, and whatever else in trying to preserve the right for American women to be able to control their own bodies.
To say that they are inane and ineffectual and embarrassing is barely a good start.
Remember that centrist Democrats have had the ability to put this issue to bed multiple times over the past few decades. Obama, for instance, promised that dealing with abortion rights at the federal level would be one of his top priorities if he were to be elected in 2008.
Once he was elected, he announced explicitly that it was not his top priority.
How has that worked out for women across the U.S.?
I get that everyone is unhappy with the Republicans, but you have to admit that they have been upfront and out in the open about what their goals were and what they were working toward over the last few decades. It’s just not credible to claim that you’re surprised that the Republicans did this.
The blame for some part of the Dobbs debacle — and for all the pain and damage that will be done to women across the United States — has to also be laid at the feet of Centrist Democrats.
Are there other possible factors I might have missed? Please share comments and thoughts below!
My recent articles include:
The Samuel L. Jackson Approach to Dealing with Centrist Democrats Post-Roe and Pre-2022 Midterms
When Is a Stock Market Crash Not Really a Stock Market Crash?
Life Expectancy vs. Healthcare Costs in the U.S.
Pressing Where It Hurts: How to Win the Fights That Matter
Six Behavioral Barriers That Prevent You from Changing the Status Quo
1. Barnacles • 2–4. Caring Enough • 5. Smart Man’s Disease •
6. Blackballing
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