Staff Reports
In the realm of political intrigue and power plays, the spotlight has fallen once more on President Joe Biden, a figure tangled in an old, dust-ridden strategy: prop him up, hide him away, and when needed, roll him out for a quick wave to the public. Some say that a well-oiled machine of advisors actually props up his leadership, a claim that prompts eye-rolls from anyone with a passing interest in genuine democratic engagement. After all, the Founding Fathers envisioned leaders who were very much awake – both figuratively and literally – in their roles as heads of state.
There’s a certain hilarity in the commentary from various intellectuals who seem perfectly content with a Biden-led “Weekend at Bernie’s” scenario in the White House. They rationalize this by painting former President Donald Trump as an “existential threat to democracy,” as if hyperbole could substitute electoral processes. It’s as if the more elaborate the argument, the more it becomes a full-on Olympic sport of mental gymnastics in which these commentators earn gold for stretching reality to its breaking point.
Sam Harris, a famed intellectual, waded into this debate with his own admission that he’d rather a committee of unelected advisors run the country than give the keys back to the controversial Trump. It’s quite the mental image: a group of folks dilly-dallying around the Oval Office, making monumental decisions like they’re ordering a round of lattes. If that doesn’t scream democracy, what does? Harris and his ilk seem to believe that the world is best left to self-proclaimed wise ones with no accountability, instead of allowing those pesky voters to have their say.
Some of these insights come from a new book, promising to shake both political and pub trivia nights. Apparently, behind closed doors, there’s hushed speculation about Biden’s capacity to command from all sides, yet the Democratic front merely pats him on the back with reassurances and ignores any visible frailties. Meanwhile, they portray Trump as the boogeyman, whose policies, ironically enough, resonate with many voters. Trump appeals to people who believe in secure borders and a robust economy – truly the stuff of nightmares if you’re nestled comfy in an ivory tower.
The circus of politics rumbles on, with midterm elections serving as the next test of where public opinion truly lands. Politics, like the ocean, ebbs and flows, and the tides seem to be turning. As the shadows of silence around the White House sharpen into sharper questions, Republicans might be smelling opportunity. The Democrats, on the other hand, must grapple with the reality of their own creation: painting Trump as the bad guy only to find their own protagonist lagging behind in the third act. Such are the perils of playing the long game with short-sighted strategies.
