Battle for the soul of America? That’s turning out to be true, but not in the way Joe Biden intended

It’s unclear what possessed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to declare this election “a battle for the soul of America” where “character is on the ballot,” thereby ceding every advantage to President Donald Trump.

When Biden used those phrases in his "dark" and divisive convention speech in August, he was at the top of the polls, convinced his victory on November 3 was inevitable. Anyone could have given in to the temptation to gloat – it’s a movie trope for a reason, after all.

The US is a land of movies. Conditioned by movie tropes, Americans think about their lives in terms of narratives. Yet for all their dominance in Hollywood, Democrats walked right into this one. You see, it’s usually the cackling villains doing the gloating with the hero at their mercy, giving him or her just enough time to stick a wrench in their beautiful plan. By framing the election the way he did, Biden effectively cast himself as the villain – and Trump as the underdog hero.

Biden’s most effective line of attack has always been the supposed “incompetence” of the Trump administration in handling Covid-19. Yet time and again, he went back to identity politics, repeating the “fine people” in Charlottesville lie and calling Trump Hitler and his supporters Nazis. It’s a replay of Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” tactic, this time on steroids. Yet Biden says he wants to unite the country!

It’s understandable why Clinton tried it in 2016. Accusing Republicans of being “racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic” what have you, was a tried, tested and effective tactic at the time. They had used it against John McCain in 2008, for daring to run against Barack Obama, and absolutely destroyed Mitt Romney with it in 2012, making him into the eunuch he is today. 

Trump, however, wasn’t a typical Republican – or a typical politician, either. When he appeared on the scene in 2015, the US had been ruled by the Clinton and Bush dynasties for 27 years and counting. This includes Obama, whose campaign was all 'Hope and Change' but whose policies were basically indistinguishable from Hillary Clinton’s – as illustrated by his choice of party stalwart and the choice of Biden as his VP and “point man” on so many issues. 

When those issues came back to bite Biden – from the materials found on his son Hunter’s laptop to the testimonials of former business partners – it turned the former VP’s proclamation that “character is on the ballot” on its head. It sounded great when based on anonymously-sourced stories in the New York Times and the Atlantic; when the shoe is on the other foot, not so much. Perhaps this explains the absolutely panicked response of the media and the social censors? 

A special place here belongs to the media, who first told everyone the 2016 election was supposed to be Jeb versus Hillary, then that Clinton would win convincingly, and later that ‘Russiagate’ was real. Rather than apologize and try to repair their credibility, they seemingly set out to prove Trump right about being “fake news” and “enemies of the people,” openly embracing Biden and the Democrats and launching a gaslighting effort unprecedented in size and scope. 

Surrounded by the media yes-men, Biden went ahead with the whole “character” and “soul of America” approach, which highlighted his and his party’s weaknesses, not strengths!

The Democrats’ biggest problem is massive cognitive dissonance. They claim to be the revolutionary party of progress, change and diversity – while running a white male 47-year veteran of Washington politics, who wants to restore the status quo ante Trump. Picking Kamala Harris for running mate doesn’t fix this, it only makes it more obvious. 

If she is the Great Diverse Hope, why isn’t the party running her instead? Well, because she crashed and burned in the primaries, dropping out before a single vote had been cast despite the backing of the media, so the only way she can get into the White House is on a ticket with Ol’ Joe playing the Trojan horse. For a party that speaks incessantly about “democracy,” the Democrats sure don’t practice it at home!

As for what Joe and Kamala actually believe… they say one thing today and another tomorrow, but when they let their guard down it’s ideological zeal all the way! Open the borders, nationalize health insurance, “phase out” fossil fuels, purge the media, pack the Supreme Court, and Science knows what else, as soon as we get absolute power.

Don’t forget Beto “Hell yeah, we’re taking your guns”O’Rourke, who also flamed out in the primaries but stands to become Biden’ gun czar. 

In 21st-century terms, Democrats believe the American operating system is racist, the interface is sexist, and the output suffers from disparate impact, so all of it needs to be scrapped and reinvented in the name of social justice. 

In practice, this approach has manifested itself through the 1619 Project, monument-toppling mobs, calls for segregation in the name of “equity,” and hating on Mt. Rushmore, the Betsy Ross flag, ‘God Bless America,’ etc. 

Given all that, how did anyone in their right mind and with a modicum of self-awareness, think having Biden characterize the elections as “a battle for the soul of America” was a good idea? 

The sight of crowds packing the Trump rallies, wrapping themselves up in American and Trump flags and spontaneously organizing 100-mile Trump caravans on the highways seems to suggest that, unfortunately for Biden, many Americans have heard him, loud and clear.

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