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These days everything seems to be determined by a particularly slender balance.
If you were at the Biogen conference and shook hands with or possibly even followed the wrong person in the lunch line, then beware COVID-19.
But sometimes the slender balance can swing the other way. Think about Joe Biden and his political fortunes less than two weeks ago. He was down, he was almost out, but with the grim reaper knocking at the door, he pinned his slim hopes for a cure to the vote in South Carolina. And with the help of miracle worker Dr. Jim Clyburn, Joe has gone from political life support to leading the marathon, now about at the 20k mark.
I’m excited by Joe and his amazing turnaround. I’m actually thinking that he and the Democrats might actually pull this one out, especially given the total inability of Demagogue Don to plot a policy course through this pandemic nor to even fake the slightest bit of empathy or compassion for the people threatened and affected by it.
But back to the slender balance. Uncle Bernie is licking his wounds. He is playing it smart, somehow hoping to turn it around, but referring to his “old friend Joe” for a number of reasons. First, if the vote next Tues doesn’t change momentum, then I predict with a high level of certainty that Bernie will drop out of the race. Still, Bernie wants to assure that he and his agenda are not totally left behind, that the movement that he so dearly believes in will at least find some place in the Democratic agenda.
Second, he really doesn’t hate Joe Biden the way he did Hillary. Bernie is a decent guy who has seen Biden at work and actually worked with him. While he is frustrated by Joe’s lack of vision for sweeping change, he hates Trump with a sufficient vigor that he knows that he will actually put in some honest work to help defeat evil in favor of good.
Last and most important, Bernie is trying to lull his “good friend” into a sense of complacency before Sunday night’s debate. Just as the momentum swung toward Joe based on little more than a quick change of perception, a terrible one-on-one performance by Joe versus Bernie can release those latent thoughts of “He’s not up to it,” ”He’s past his prime,” and “How will this guy ever stand up against Bully Trump?”
Imagining himself as Rocky, Bernie will come out on Sunday trying to land a knockout punch, knowing that a decision on the judges’ cards won’t be enough to right the ship. He will attempt to do an Elizabeth Warren on Biden, seeing red and imaging Mike Bloomberg, not “old friend Joe,” in front of him. If Joe has the preparation, and can demonstrate enough skill and stamina, he can withhold the bull rush of his 78 year old opponent and leave the fight as a draw, which for him would be a win.
But don’t be fooled into anything less. Next Sunday night will be an interesting heavyweight fight for the championship belt, and if there’s a winner by knockout, he will be declared the undisputed alpha male in Democratic circles.
So, in the belief that Trump’s slender balance—and really, this nation’s slender balance–will swing one way or the other depending on whether he faces Joe or Bernie, I await Sunday night’s debate with fear, dread, and (recalling the mantra of friend-of-Joe, Barack Obama) even a bit of hope.
another good one, Ed!