Biden: Time to re-evaluate

At a time of worry, humans don't look to the nicest leader.

They look to the strongest leader.

The coronavirus changes everything. Democrats have a problem.

Joe Biden wins the category of compassion and empathy. Biden understands the pain of grief and the humiliation of the parent who loses a job. Sentimental, good guy Joe. By contrast, Trump is very comfortable looking cruel. He know who his enemies are and he wants to crush them.

Likable, approachable Joe Biden

Democrats are stuck in the past if they think this gives Biden an edge. Not anymore.

The economy is in chaos. The monetary dashboard has gone haywire because the indicators policymakers normally use aren't relevant. The economy is led by a disease, not a business cycle. Businesses are closing, people are out of work.

The politics of the nation feels chaotic, too. The rise of populism on the right grew out of ideas spoken by Barry Goldwater, made eloquent by Ronald Reagan. Government was the problem. Under Newt Gingrich's influence bipartisan cooperation was the problem as well. For government to shrink, the public needed to learn to have contempt for it, and they did.

In the aftermath of the bailout of the banks in 2008 and 2009, the public realized that the guilty wealthy had been saved by the many. It confirmed and accentuated populist discontent on the left as well. Both Trump and Sanders say the institutions of government-- from the campaigns, the election counts, the elected officials, the operations of government itself, and the media that covers it--all are biased and corrupt.

Democrats looked at Sanders, saw a proud disrupter, but one who had failed in his hope to grow the left with new voters and failed to unify Democratic voters who had been comfortable with Obama. Sanders represented risk; Biden represented calm. Democrats chose calm.

Americans had a choice: Chaotic Trump vs. Biden Normalcy.

Then the coronavirus.

Normalcy is not an option. Between economic chaos and the health fear, we are in wartime. An enemy invader haunts the streets. There is invisible death on any doorknob, grocery cart handle, dollar bill, and the air we breath. Cancel everything. Shelter.

Americans observe failed states and don't perceive their relevance, but there is a lesson In mafia controlled areas, in drug states, in battle torn areas: security comes from the barrel of a gun, not the rule of law. People seek strength. They want to ally with it and have its protection. The shared agreement--the social compact--dissolves. It is an emergency. America just voted a two trillion dollar special deficit. The old rules no longer apply.

It's a new election environment. The safe, low drama candidate is no longer possible. 

Biden is singularly unsuited for the role of wartime president. He doesn't look or sound strong because he isn't strong. He doesn't project competence. His addled gaffes aren't harmless or endearing anymore.

Trump, too, is ill-suited for the job of wartime president, but less so. Trump is patently, obviously self-centered. A wartime leader projects a singular focus on the needs of the polity he leads. Trump fails that test. He shirks blame. He shamelessly, openly craves adoration, displaying a weakness for flattery. He takes the easy road, not the responsible one. Still, Trump can argue that what is good for Trump politically and personally is good for the country.

I expect that to be a winning argument.

Can Biden grow into the role of the strong, resolute leader who communicates competence in a crisis? Maybe, but I have not seen it, either in person or on television, and I ached with desire to observe it. Biden is who he is, a nice sentimental guy, suitable for leading us back to normalcy.

But there is no normalcy. That was last month, not now. If Biden realizes it on his own, he will drop out. If not, Democrats would be wise to push him out.