A Lesson from Hank Williams about Joe Biden’s Age
I am certainly not dismissive of the concerns over Joe Biden’s age and his ability to defeat Donald Trump. And to some extent, I do understand the debate about the fact he may be too old or may not ‘last another four years.’ There is a huge feeling of uncertainty mixed with anxiety and genuine angst surrounding this race. The entire Democratic field has voiced their fears about the possibility of losing to an authoritarian.
Some of the ideas are genuinely funny. “Make Authoritarians Great Again’ is one of the better slogans I’ve seen tossed out. And the fact that this has finally, in good and bad ways, put the spotlight on the Presidency of Joe Biden and his accomplishments along with his candidacy is not all bad. Another marketing guru seemed to believe ANY publicity-good or bad-was welcome! (That Was Trump, by the way, and it’s really his only field of expertise.)
So looking at it from a thousand foot perspective there are some good and bad things connected with Joe Biden’s terrible debate performance But most notably, the defiant Joe Biden who is at once indignant & irate at the thought of the party suddenly deserting him at this late date becomes understandable. And relaying his own personal and human anger at so many having expressed a desire to kick him overboard is very human and very relatable for most of us. But that’s not the real bottom line in all of this.
Looking at it from another angle, there’s the notion that perhaps all of us are asking the wrong questions; and looking at this situation from a very distorted lens. Everyone is angry about Joe Biden’s age and despairing over the fact he’s not an Adonis or younger or better looking or just more reliable! The question should be: What are we doing as a collective nation to stop Authoritarian forces from taking over this country? Why are we relying on one little old spindly man to become the Bulwark of the Nation and sole defender of Democracy?
Why aren’t we all pulling together to stop tyranny and defend the United States of America? As stated in the past, we are not being asked to jump out of the Higgins Boats and hit the beaches at Iwo Jima or Normandy! We are being asked to vote and to enlighten others about Project 2025. We are asked to elect officials statewide that will protect women’s reproductive rights. We are going to have to pull off a “Trifecta’ at the ballot box in November. That means control of the House-the Senate AND the Presidency….
If we can vote our way out of this mess in November, we have a chance of restoring large pieces of our democracy. We have a chance to restore Roe v Wade. We have a chance to pass Voting Rights and restore it and reform it. We have a chance at a new Immigration Bill to support those who want to come to our country and work and help really and truly keep America a great nation and worldwide Superpower and defender of freedom.
OR…we can sit and kick and grouse about how old Joe Biden is. And we will lose if we keep it up. Because the fact is, not even Superman could do this alone, folks. We are all needed in this fight and asking questions about Joe Biden’s age and whether he is on a teleprompter is not the real issue. If he can give a speech-and we know he can-we should just say ‘Amen!” & point to the dictator in waiting.
We should have the mentality that the likes of Grover Norquist instructed towards the Republicans a long time ago. Norquist was one of the more sinister architects of the GOP unraveling, who was quoted as saying something like “If our guy can wear a suit and hold a pen to sign the bills,’ that’s all we need! President Biden is so much more than that. However, no man is an island. Biden needs help and we need to surround him now and close ranks.
And he is old, Father William, and he is understandably fed up with some of the people who are trying to kick him out. We should go full speed ahead, shore up the base, and start worrying about saving our democracy rather than trying to take Biden’s temperature every few hours. I truly believe that if we can, by the Grace of God, get a Democrat into the White House, the press will do what they usually do.
My prediction is that less than 24 hours after the win, they will start the horse race speculation for 2028. In other words, it will be business as usual for the beltway media. And life as we know it will go on in these United States.
However, if Trump wins this, all bets are off. I cannot begin to speculate what will occur, but no good will come for the American People if the architects of Project 2025 make their way into the Oval Office and the seat of power. The Roberts Court has already written a blank check to all of their power grabs and sinister plans for their purported enemies. It will be chaos and confusion and no one is prepared for the onslaught and unpredictability that they have in store for us. We should wake up to the reality and start asking the right questions today. No one said it better than Hank Williams: “I saw the Light!”
