It's Official. Biden Isn't Stepping Down. So What Now?

We support the 81-year-old President and physically push him over the finish line if necessary to defeat Trump and right-wing authoritarianism.

It’s official. 

President Joe Biden is not exiting the race. He has refused to listen to the coterie of overwhelmingly, but not exclusively, white men who dominate the opinion pages of major outlets. Their hyperbolic concerns after his disastrous debate performance were described as “bedwetting” by the Biden Administration, but it’s clear the 81-year-old President did himself no favors. Fortunately, he was able to recover the next day at rallies and revealed the energy, fight, and clarity that were missing the night before against Trump who spent 90 minutes lying without any pushback or correction from comatose moderators.

The reality is that we have two decaying white men who slur words, suffer from public brain farts, and inspire mostly fear when they speak with or without a teleprompter. In a perfect world, both wouldn’t run for office. President Biden is 81-years-old and has lost a step, or two, or three. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is a 78-years-old, twice impeached, convicted felon who was held liable for rape, fraud, and defamation and is still facing three criminal cases, including his role in inciting his MAGA cult in a failed insurrection. He has yet to accept the results of the 2020 election, which he lost, and he has refused to accept the election results of 2024.

Also, it’s not just Trump we have to resist but the entirety of the conservative movement and GOP which has been taken over by MAGA extremists who worship at the altar of their Orange Calf. They have unleashed their unelected enforcers on the Supreme Court to undo the progress made in the 20th century, and like helpful Bond villains, conservative activists have conveniently given us their plans for Trump’s desired authoritarian rule with Project 2025. 

So, what do we do now?

It’s easy. You support President Biden until and if he decides to remove himself from the race. Since that’s not happening and he’s the candidate, you go all in. I’m no cheerleading fan of Biden. In fact, I’ve never been excited about Biden. But, like I’ve written before, I’m excited about trying to defend a fragile democracy from a demagogue and his extremist movement. The only question that is of paramount importance is which candidate will actually try to protect and defend our freedoms, and which candidate will actively try to take them away. I give you the January 6th insurrection and the overturning of Roe as the answer. 

No other Democratic candidate can step in right now and ascend to the Presidency. It’s just not happening. Don’t listen to me, fine, but at least listen to Allan Lichtman, who has correctly predicted every election. On CNN, he used his metric system to declare Biden still gives Democrats the best chance to beat Trump. That’s what mattered to me in 2020, and that’s what matters most to me in 2024. He also provided a fantastic, insightful quote: “Republicans have no principles, Democrats have no spine.”

“But, Joe Biden is old, Wajahat! He is 81! He looked and sounded rough! Come on, man,” you might shout in response.

And my retort would be that if it’s between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, then I’ll vote for Biden 11 out of 10 times. 

If Biden was to - God forbid - have a stroke and lose all his motor functions but still retain some cognitive abilities, I’d still take him over Trump. 

If Biden was to go into a coma and was forced to be defibrilliated for 5 minutes to take his oath and then return to his coma, I’d still take him over Trump. 

If Biden was so emaciated that Democrats injected him with Compound V and it turned him into a slightly unhinged superhero, I’d still take him over Trump, who is a cruel narcissist like Homelander. 

If Biden was to drop dead and Democrats injected him with the green serum from Re-Animator, I’d still take Zombie Biden over Trump. 

If Biden were barely alive and Kamala Harris had to puppeteer him like Bernie from Weekend at Bernie’s, I’d still take him over Trump. 

If Biden were to die right after taking the oath, I’d still take him over Trump, because VP Harris and Democrats, despite their numerous flaws, would be in charge instead of Trump and his MAGA minions. It would mean democracy would still have a chance and a Democratic President would have the ability to nominate up to three potential Supreme Court Justices.

I can generate excitement to support this 81-year-old man and do my best to push him over the finish line, literally, if it means avoiding the alternative, which tragically, is Donald Trump. 

Our democracy and freedoms are at stake. Those are good enough reasons for me.