Here’s the thing everyone is overlooking right now
I’ll admit, I’ve spent a moment here struggling to figure out what the topic of this morning’s column should be. I think it’s clear that multiple Trump criminal trials will take place before the election, but I’ve already spelled out why, and don’t want to keep rehashing it. And while we’re a mere few weeks away from Trump’s dire financial straits getting really interesting, that story is in a holding pattern while the thirty day collection window continues to tick down. So what’s the real story right now?
What about Donald Trump’s worsening senility? We’re going to keep talking about that, because it’s important, and it’s still not getting as much media coverage as it should. We’re going to force the media to put a proper spotlight on Trump’s dementia. But for now, that’s still just a matter of calling out every new instance of Trump’s senility on display, and asking the media why it’s not covering it. So what is the story?
Normally, this would be a great time to talk about the competitive House races we should be gearing up to get behind in 2024. But with some states’ congressional maps still just now being finalized, the list of competitive races still isn’t quite clear. We’ll get there soon. But that’s not the story quite yet. Again, what is the story?
At times like this, when all the headline grabbing stuff is still waiting to play out, it’s usually a sign that we’re overlooking the truly important story of the moment. The more I think about it, and the deeper into this article I get, I think the story we’re all overlooking right now is Joe Biden. He just keeps cranking along. He’s overseeing a booming economy. He keeps proving how savvy he is by playing up Dark Brandon and popping up unannounced on late night talk shows. He’s getting virtually no credit for it from the media, but that may not matter.
We keep seeing in election after election that Joe Biden’s Democratic Party keeps outperforming expectations. This would be almost impossible if Biden’s middling poll numbers and approval rating were accurate. So if we write off the polling (for now) as inaccurate, then what do we have to worry about? It seems like we’re in pretty damn good shape for 2024 to me.
Of course we’re at that stage where doomsday scenario after doomsday scenario is being hurled at us in order to make us think that Trump will come out on top no matter what, and that he’ll somehow magically win the election even if he loses it. But when the doomsday pundits are reduced to dredging up that kind of nonsense, it’s a sign that our side is in a good place. Otherwise they wouldn’t have to go so deep into the well of doomsday hysteria in order to keep us tuned in.
So the thing everyone is overlooking right now is that President Joe Biden is quietly on a roll. He’s racking up accomplishments. He keeps playing the political game correctly. Recent election results suggest that he’s lot more popular than his poll numbers. And while the media keeps raising dishonest questions about Biden’s cognitive abilities, his de facto opponent Trump is out there putting on a display of full senility every few days.
Regardless of anything else that’s going on right now, or anything else that’s making headlines right now, let’s keep in mind that Joe Biden is in a position of strength heading into 2024. Our job is to be there with him, put in the work to help make sure he wins the election by as big of a margin as possible, and give him a Congress willing to work with him. As we continue to get into silly season stuff, let’s not forget that Joe Biden is the story.
Bill Palmer is the publisher of the political news outlet Palmer Report