Our current political maelstrom is so severe that it can be hard to make sense out of all that is happening. It’s clear that the news isn’t good. But exactly how bad is it? What is the best path through the whirlwind that surrounds us? How are we to understand this moment and what actions should we take to combat the forces lined up against us?
We’re here to help. Here are some of the most salient questions being asked right now — and our answers:
1. Biden and Trump are both old and both showing signs of cognitive decline. Why are they being treated so differently in the media?
We know. It seems completely unfair. Biden shows signs of mental decline at a debate and suddenly every op-ed in the mainstream media is calling for him to step down. Meanwhile, Trump has been spouting lies and delusional rants for months…and there is no similar outcry demanding that Trump step down. Why?
First, the dynamics behind the calls for Trump vs. Biden to step aside are very different. It’s mainly Democrats who are asking for their own candidate to stand down. It’s also Democrats and Never-Trump former Republicans who are asking for Trump to stand down. The Republican Party, in contrast, is quite content with Trump — even if he is a convicted felon, a rapist, guilty of financial fraud and a inveterate liar who suffers significant cognitive decline and wants to turn the country into an autocracy. Why? Because Trump is in the lead. It’s that simple. The media coverage reflects this difference.
Second, to be fair, there have been significant calls from the media for Trump to step down, although they tend to be more muted than the demands on Biden. One prominent example is a recent New York Times editorial that declares Donald Trump is Unfit to Lead — although it comes after an onslaught of NYT editorials and columns pleading for Biden to step down. A column by Paul Krugman asks Biden “to do the right thing” and step down — even while recognizing how bizarre the current situation is:
“The extent to which [Biden] has been denied credit for [his] achievements boggles the mind. Almost as many voters give credit for infrastructure to Trump — whose repeated promises to come up with a plan became a running joke — as to Biden, who got the job done. Everybody remembers when gas prices (over which presidents have little influence) hit $5 a gallon; far fewer took note that we just saw the lowest July 4 prices at the pump in three years.”
This isn’t entirely the media’s fault. But it seems clear, when the dust settles, that mainstream media hold Trump to a different standard than Biden (or anyone). Trump too often gets a pass for things that no other candidate would get. A common claim is that this is because Trump’s craziness is already “baked in” and his supporters clearly don’t care about all his baggage. But it’s more than that. As an Atlantic column on The Double Standard in Trump-Biden Coverage explains:
“The press too often continues to present what should be appalling, even horrifying information as if it is just part of the normal give-and-take of a political campaign: Trump goes to Las Vegas and rants about sharks, and the press, likely trying to appear unbiased, instead pulls out a dull nugget about Trump’s mention of not taxing tips. Trump vows to destroy the American civil service, and the headlines talk about his ‘plans to increase presidential power.’ Why? Because it is not in the American journalistic tradition to say: Today in Las Vegas, one of the two major candidates said things so rabidly toxic and incoherent that they raised doubts about his sanity.”
Yes, it’s unfair. But no one ever claimed that politics is fair. And demanding fairness at this point is not likely to change things — or help us win the election. We need to play the hand we’ve been dealt.
2. How bad was the Supreme Court decision on Presidential immunity?
The decision was truly horrible — perhaps the worst ruling in the history of the Court. It was not only poorly reasoned in many cases — it seemed deliberately crafted with Trump in mind, designed to help him escape the legal consequences of his current indictments. It grants Trump, and future Presidents, a level of immunity that even the harshest critics of the Court were not expecting.
Yes, it allows for Presidents to be prosecuted for “unofficial acts.” But it then adds so many caveats as to make such prosecution almost impossible. The result is that, even the Trump trials that clearly involve “unofficial acts” — the Mar-a-lago documents case which alleges crimes that took place after Trump was no longer President and the New York election interference trial for which Trump was convicted of crimes that took place before he was elected, might still be undone by this ruling.
This is especially because of the most egregious passage in the entire decision; the one that was so off-the-wall that even Amy Coney Barrett could not stomach it (leading to a 5-4 split on this issue, rather than the 6-3 split of the rest of the majority opinion). Briefly, it states that, although prosecuting a President for an unofficial act is permitted, the prosecution cannot cite official acts as evidence that an unofficial act is criminal.
This is why Hope Hicks’ testimony in the NY election interference trial could be struck from the record. If Hicks’ conversations with Trump when he was in the White House are considered “official,” they could be excluded. And this, in turn, could lead to the verdict being overturned. It’s unlikely but possible. But, even if the verdict stands in the end, Trump can appeal again — based on this section of the decision — all the way up back to the Supreme Court! You can see where this is going. It’s going through the looking glass.
This decision immensely helps Trump’s re-election bid. There’s no other way to paint it.
If you want to delve deeper into all the twists and turns of the immunity ruling, there are numerous articles available, such as this one from USA Today. And we especially recommend this episode of the Prosecuting Donald Trump podcast.
3. Should Biden drop out of the Presidential race?
Biden’s answer is a clear no. At least for now. He believes he is on track to win and represents the Democrats’ best chance to do so. And he has support for this stance.
The other side, while they laud Biden for his prior accomplishments, view Biden more like a mentally-challenged grandfather who refuses to give up his car keys even though he can’t safely drive anymore.
Again, politics doesn’t run on fairness. Ultimately, the critical thing is not what is fair to Biden nor whether Biden has an impressive record of accomplishment. All that matters are the answers to two questions: (a) Does Biden exhibit a level of cognitive decline that makes him unfit to run for and/or be President and (b) Regardless of his competence, are the political winds so against him now, because of his perceived mental decline, that he has virtually no chance to recover and win the election?
If the answer to either of those questions is “yes,” then Biden should step down…ASAP. Unfortunately, especially as to the second question, the answer does appear to be “yes.”
4. What can you do at this point?
It’s easy to feel helpless. After all, there isn’t much you can do that will directly influence whether or not Biden withdraws from the Presidential race (other than writing/calling the White House and Congress to express your views). And you certainly can’t alter the Supreme Court decision, which is poised to remain in place indefinitely. So what can you do? Robert Reich offers some great advice — with a list of “11 suggestions for what you can do in the 118 days before Election Day.” It’s worth checking out the entire list. But the first two are the most critical. Here they are:
- Try not to allow issues such as whether Biden should resign, or his degree of responsibility for Gaza, to get in the way of your determination not to let Trump back into the White House. Regardless of our differences over these issues, they pale compared to the threat Trump poses.
- For the same reason, please don’t decide to leave the top of the ticket blank or to vote for a third party or not to vote at all. All make it easier for Trump to win. Instead, make sure you and everyone you know and trust is registered to vote, and votes for Joe Biden or whomever is the Democratic candidate for president.
Yup. The bottom line top priority remains unchanged: Prevent a Trump victory in November.
