Highlighting the extravagant 14 billion dollar cost of U.S. elections and Biden’s sudden withdrawal despite winning the primaries. Biden’s claims of honesty and transparency are contrasted with his unexplained exit and the selection of Kamala Harris, chosen not by voters but by political elites. The so-called democratic process is exposed, revealing power dynamics within the Democratic Party and the questionable future under leaders picked behind closed doors.
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Too Democratic
To understand what the United States means by “democracy,” one only needs to look at the cost of their election campaigns: 14 billion dollars, equivalent to the GDP of Nicaragua, Mozambique, Namibia, or Palestine. Moreover, Joe Biden‘s farewell speech claims his “promise to always be honest and tell you the truth.” Yet, he never explains why he is stepping down from a candidacy decided by 87% of primary voters between January and June. On April 23, he announced his candidacy despite everyone knowing (as the WP had reported on September 12) that he wasn’t even fit to complete his current term, let alone govern for another four years. Three weeks ago, he reiterated, “Democratic voters have chosen me as their candidate.” An unexpected illness? None reported. A week ago, he said, “I will only retire if my doctor asks me to,” which hasn’t happened. In his withdrawal speech, he stated that he was confident his “achievements, leadership in the world, and vision for the future deserved a second term.” Then, with a logical leap incompatible with an honest and sincere president, he added that “nothing, not even personal ambition, can hinder the salvation of democracy.” Thus – for some unknown reason – “I pass the torch to a new generation,” meaning “our great Vice President Kamala Harris,” who was never voted for in the primaries nor yet endorsed by the Convention but is essential to retain the millions already disbursed by donors to the Biden-Harris ticket, which must remain at least 50% in the race to keep those funds.
That a senile person doesn’t realize they’re senile (especially if allies obey them as if they’re lucid) makes sense: otherwise, they wouldn’t be senile. Indeed, he doesn’t even consider stepping down immediately, as someone who confuses Zelensky with Putin and himself with Harris (“I am the first female vice president”) should. He seriously claims that “for the first time this century, the U.S. is not at war anywhere in the world.” But there’s a limit to lies: everyone knows that besides his ambition and thirst for power, his wife’s, and his staff’s, who command in his place, and the fear for his rogue son Hunter without his father-patron in the White House, the primary reason for his stubborn resistance was his low regard for Harris. Biden has hidden her for four years like a liability and now says, “The beauty of America is that it is not governed by kings or dictators, but by the people” with their “freedom to vote and choose.” But the people had chosen him, and now they find themselves with his vice chosen by him, the schemer Nancy Pelosi, and the Clinton and Obama Dynasties. If these are the defenders of democracy threatened by Trump, poor democracy.
Il Fatto Quotidiano, July 27, 2024
