Tom Kando
Recent poll numbers: In head-to-head matchups, Trump leads Biden by five points (49 to 44) and Haley leads Biden by thirteen points (52 to 39).
I don’t get it. The electorate seems to have lost its senses.
Not that Americans are alone. The wacky rightward political trend is taking place in many countries, We live in an age of reactionary nationalism and populism. This is clearest in Europe and in the US, where the former dominant group - white men, by and large - is panicking at the prospect of sharing power with the growing other groups.
Coincidentally, several of the countries where the Far Right is on the march are places where I grew up: Hungary, where I was born, has been led by the extreme right-wing prime minister Viktor Orban for nearly two decades. Under the leadership of Marine Le Pen, the extreme right has also gained force in France, where I spent much of my childhood. And Holland, the country where I spent my next ten years, has also recently elected a far-right majority. In several such countries, (Holland and France, among them), farmers are one of the most vocal and angry constituents of this conservative resurgence. Other examples of the trend include Italy, where prime minister Giorgia Meloni strongly opposes the influx of immigrants, and Britain which, under Brexit, decided eight years ago to withdraw from the European Union.
And then we have the US. 2024 may well see the return of Donald Trump into the White House. I fail to see how replacing Biden with Trump (or Haley, for that matter) would be good for this country. Let me briefly re-state the obvious:
We must re-elect Joe Biden. This is a no-brainer. You and I might prefer a younger candidate, for instance Gavin Newsom, but neither he nor any other viable young candidate is running. We are now left with two alternatives. Nikki Haley and Donald Trump. The latter is so abnormal psychologically as to place the country - indeed, the whole world - in danger. He is utterly incompetent in dealing with foreign countries, be they allies or adversaries. He alienates other heads of state by insulting them. He plays golf instead of running the country. Haley is not dangerous and incompetent in the same extreme way as Trump. However, her policies regarding most issues (abortion, immigration, the economy, foreign affairs, etc.) would be contrary to what most Americans need and desire.
Joe Biden, on the other hand, is a good, decent, competent man. The country has fared extremely well during his presidency. The economy is in great shape. Unemployment at 3%, inflation below 3% again. The international situation is devilishly complicated and risky, but so far this quiet, calm, rational, moral as well as pragmatic man has threaded the multiple needles better than any conceivable alternative leader would have. Ukraine, Israel, the exit from Afghanistan, the Mexican border, Covid, rebuilding our infrastructure, competing with China, the environment, you name it. It is absurd to even begin to compare this octogenarian’s performance with that of the bizarre near-octogenarian who is seeking to replace him in the white house.
Much of people’s dislike of Biden is based on some vague and unspecified malaise having to do with his age (young people aren’t turned on by a grandfatherly figure), unsubstantiated corruption (maybe his son Hunter did something wrong), and the general malcontent mood of the country. But keep in mind what the alternative would be: an unhinged bull in a China shop, a narcissist, a man in the pocket of the kleptocracy. Is that what you want, instead of the calm, the wisdom, the good judgment, the good moral values, the honesty and the vast experience of the man who has already returned the country to recovery and prosperity, despite stormy international conditions? Biden may not be the most charismatic leader, but he shares some of the characteristics of the best president we ever elected - FDR!
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