Debate Is Constructive. Destruction Is Not.

Making the intra-Dem fight over Biden judo, not MMA

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Democratic politicians and voters are in a state of panic about Joe Biden’s candidacy. I’ve been writing about this a lot over the past two weeks: How there was no great conspiracy to cover up Biden’s decline, just mostly well-meaning people who made decisions based on limited information and a series of bad incentives; how Biden is particularly struggling with male voters, whose Tough Guy macho act actually covers up a profoundly fearful way of moving through the world; how Americans just may not be ready for President Kamala Harris; how Kamala Harris is probably the best bet anyway, and commentators like me need to get over our 2016 Hillary trauma and realize that Kamala can win.

What I also want to say, though, is that the deep disagreements happening within the Democratic party on the question of whether Biden should stay or go are symptoms of a functional democracy and a functional party. It’s good to have these discussions and debates, difficult as they are. What is not good is tearing each other apart over differences of opinion on a question none of us know the answer to but are all trying to divine: What is the best way to beat Donald Trump?

So consider this a plea for humility, and a statement of my own. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I do think Biden should drop out. But you can be damn sure I’m glad I’m not the person in charge of making that decision (that person, whether we like it or not, is Joe Biden). And I certainly don’t think people who continue to back Biden are stupid or misled or delusional or acting badly. I think all of us are pretty scared, and have different levels of risk tolerance, and sit in different places in the country (or in my case outside of it). We perceive Biden differently, partly based on our own experiences, and partly based on what we’re seeing, reading, and talking about with the people we trust. There are indeed some bad actors involved: People who hate Biden or the Democratic Party from the left and right alike, and are eager to sow chaos or put the weakest candidate forward. But mostly, the people duking this out in public and private have a genuine interest not just in the health of Democrats (for me, that is far from the top concern) but in the health and very future of American democracy itself.

That’s important when we think about how we talk to each other, and the strategies we use to advocate for our respective positions. The very fact of this conversation is damaging to Joe Biden’s campaign – there is no way around that. Those who like me think he needs to go believe that damage is an unfortunate necessity to get to a stronger position. But let’s not delude ourselves about the fact that, if Biden stays in the race, the very fact of this party-wide dispute weakened his candidacy. For people who want Biden to remain the candidate, this is understandably infuriating. For those of us on the other side, there is no better option.