Conservatives have one super power and one major weakness. Progressives have one super power and one major weakness. Every election cycle sees the collision of these strengths and these weaknesses. We saw both flare up during that fateful debate and we continue to see it in the aftermath. The sad truth is that the Democratic party has placed themselves in a no win scenario of their own making.

Republicans can craft a narrative and they have the discipline to stay on that narrative. That is their superpower. Whether that narrative has any truth to it, whether it is raging hypocrisy, or whether it ignores large swaths of truth doesn’t matter. Of course, we are seeing their weakness in full display here in Texas. They couldn’t govern a two car funeral. Yet, I digress.

The whole business about Joe Biden and Ukraine early on in the Trump presidency was a test balloon. Trump was able to paint Hillary Clinton as corrupt and right or wrong that label stuck. So maybe he could paint Biden as corrupt. Obviously that has never worked. He continues to try to fight a two-front war but the vast majority of people don’t see Biden as corrupt. They do see him as old and that is the other plank they have fought on. Watching conservatives fight on both fronts is maddening. One cannot be a criminal mastermind and senile at the same time. I suspect deep down inside they know this, but they almost see it as an insult buffet. You take your pick.

As Democrats/progressives we do one thing really well. We govern. When we are in charge things get done. Legislation passes and people in control do the things day to day that need to be done for things to run smoothly. The economy starts humming and people get the services they need. When polled without labels, people routinely favor what Democrats and progressives do and what they call for. That is our superpower. When we look back at these last three and a half years we see a ton of good in the Biden presidency.

Our weakness is that we care what people think. If you think back to every major progressive achievement, you see we have spent far too much time and energy asking people that will never support it to weigh in. We lost a public option in the Affordable Care Act that way. Now, we see ourselves at the precipice of a national crisis. We see a collision of the GOP strength (discipline in messaging) matched squarely against our weakness (we care what others think). What is one to do?

We blew this one folks. Joe Biden should always have been a one term president. A successor should have been groomed (the positive meaning of that word) and introduced to the public long before now. At this point it doesn’t even particularly matter if he is capable of doing the job for another four years. Politics and reality are at best estranged lovers. What we shouldn’t do is worry about the 40 percent that will vote Trump religiously. Those folks won’t vote for anyone you put up. The key now is the other 60 percent.

Yet again, this is where we burn ourselves. We worry about the narrative.Kamala Harris is too liberal and too abrasive. Gavin Newsom is too California and California is a hell hole. Bernie and Elizabeth are too old and too extreme. Secretary Pete is just too gay. Remember, these are all things the 40 percent will say and they are the folks that would never vote for them anyway. I personally don’t care what they say. I say let’s ask the 60 percent.

Anyone you put up at this point will have about a week or two where they are the darling. Then, the right wing noise machine when craft a new message and start chipping away. That’s the way these things work. So, as hard as it is we have to dial out the noise. We cannot listen to people that won’t vote for anyone we put up. This is all about people that might support the cause. Who are they more likely to support? The clock is ticking.

I have to give credit where credit is due. William Kristol came up with a thought on the campaign that I had not really considered. The idea was essentially for Joe Biden to beat Donald Trump by ignoring him. Of course, tactics can be heavily debated and they probably will be between now and the conventions when things really start ramping up.

The idea (for those that don’t want to go down the rabbit hole) is that traditional campaign tactics will backfire. Engaging with Trump treats him like any other candidate and simply becomes a traditional race between two traditional candidates. Admittedly, this is risky. Denying a debate could be seen as ducking your opponent. Such a gambit would have to involve every effort to make Biden seem more than viable. If he appears to be energetic, coherent, and working for the people then he can overcome the obvious slings and arrows for a failure to engage.

That means not only not debating him but also not even addressing him. Honestly, what does anyone think they will get out of a debate anyway? Trump speeches are degenerating into a river of word salad. His voters aren’t really weighing two coherent candidates with competing visions for the country. Those that are undecided on Biden are undecided based on his age. Watching him stand next to another old man isn’t going to move the needle that much.

One of the things I’m thankful for is discussing politics with my wife. She is a dedicated independent so she holds no punches. Her frustration is she got the feeling that Biden was supposed to be a one term president, but no one from the Democratic party stepped up to take the mantle. That is likely because everyone was waiting for Biden to step aside.

The image you get is of three fielders standing around an easy pop fly and waiting for one of the other fielders to take the reigns and catch it. The ball hilariously drops to the ground with three fielders all staring at each other. In this case it’s not that hilarious. I’m not really certain who that person would be. One of the problems is that we so readily poke holes in every possible candidate that we end up with a bench of people no one seems to want.

So, what you have are two candidates that few people inside the party seem to want. Yet, no one wants to do anything about it. The fear is that if they do something they are handing the election to the other party or ending their own political career. So, we have three or four fielders standing around and hoping someone else catches the easy fly ball.

It’s too late now. This is the matchup we have. One thing is certain. We cannot treat this like any other race. The press always loves a good horse race and if they have any excuse to turn this into one they will. Biden needs to make this a referendum on his health, vitality, and effectiveness because for undecided voters it is. In a sense, it isn’t even about undecided voters but people that are undecided about whether they want to vote in the first place. It’s not as much a gap between two men but an enthusiasm gap. People aren’t going to get more enthusiastic watching Biden tell us how awful Trump is. If you don’t know that by now you aren’t voting for Biden anyway.

The life and times of Congress can be confusing for people that don’t follow politics 24/7. We might be thinking different things. For instance, won’t the government shutdown soon unless an agreement can be reached? Sure, but the House of Representatives has more important fish to fry. So, it’s all Hunter Biden all the time.

The hysterics over Hunter come down to three different things. First, he has had a sordid history of abusing drugs in his adult lifetime. Goodness knows what his personal issues are. I’m assuming some of it could be related to losing his mother at a very young age. Some of it could be because he lost his brother to cancer. Maybe he is just one of those people that have an addictive personality.

This is obviously where Joe Biden comes in. The elder Biden is obviously like millions of other American parents. It is the same hard decision they have had to make. If you truly love your child you don’t want to see them suffer and yet you know they likely have to suffer some in order to get better. So, when do the handouts end and the tough love begins? Unfortunately, there isn’t a manual that gives you a simple flow chart you can follow.

The second thing they seem to be focused on is what Hunter Biden did while he was abusing drugs. Apparently, he frequented the company of women of the night. There were lots of pictures and a lot of sordid details. For many with more delicate sensibilities it was disgusting and unsavory. Outside of Nevada and some foreign countries it was also illegal.

Now, unless Joe Biden was also participating I’m not sure what this has to do with the price of whiskey in Ireland. Did he know about it? Again, there is more than enough documentation that the elder Biden knew that his son had a problem. One can only guess how much he knew about the depths of that problem. Did he know about the prostitutes? Maybe. Did he know about the pictures of his son’s genitals? Maybe.

We should keep one basic thought in mind. If two consenting adults take pictures of their exploits they are free to do so. If one releases those pictures without the other’s consent they have committed a crime in most jurisdictions. That is usually what is referred to as revenge porn. It should not matter that the offending party is female. We normally see this behavior from men, but it doesn’t mean that men can’t be victims. So, when someone in Congress broadcasts these photos they are aiding and abetting in a crime.

That brings us to the third consideration and the one that actually has some legs. If we go back to the first premise of drug abusers we go back to the very human desire for parents to shield their children from suffering. Some of that includes financial support and some of it includes using influence to get them breaks and opportunities others may not have. Did Joe Biden use his influence to help his son? I am almost certain that the younger Biden got positions and assistance that someone without his last name wouldn’t get. That by itself isn’t illegal. It is unsavory but it isn’t necessarily illegal.

If Biden primarily solicited favors for his son as a former vice president then he has done nothing illegal.  What makes it illegal is when someone accepts bribes or promises goods and services in exchange for the favor. It also can be very illegal if the person in power promises punishment or harassment if the favor is not given. Anything short of that and this is all a nothing burger. Given that there is no evidence of that then we all know this is a whole lot of nothing. Of course, we all knew that anyway.

I know it is not a good idea to ask people about their age, but I can reveal mine with impunity. This weekend is the 30th high school reunion. I attended the 10th and 25th. I imagine it will end up being about the same. It comes with a ton of mixed emotions that range from nostalgia, joy at seeing friends nearly forgotten, schadenfreude, and finally sadness.

The sadness comes from seeing what time has done to some people that were close friends in school. I remember having a running conversation with one of them prior to the last election. I think we got to the point where we were talking about the riots and I brought up the story about Trump supporters running Biden’s bus off the road along with the fact that a good portion of the damage in these “riots” was actually done by right wing extremist groups. That apparently was the last straw. We have not spoken since.

Obviously, within the conversation an obvious statement was made. I cannot condone anyone that hurts others or damages property. It was then that I discovered the extent of what had happened. Even though my friend was not a part of those right wing efforts or January 6th, he felt a kin to them and identified with them. So, when I started to criticize them it felt to him like I was criticizing him. If they were deplorable then he was deplorable. That sparked the reaction I got.

The 45th president has continually stoked this along the way. His message seems simple. All of this going on right now is a witch hunt and if they can put him in jail for specious charges then they can do the same to you. If you identify with the former president then it almost feels like they have indicted you. It feels like you are going to jail. They are persecuting you for merely being conservative. Let’s ignore the fact that 45 is not conservative. Let’s ignore the fact that 45 really doesn’t care about his followers. Let’s ignore the fact that he really has committed numerous crimes and wakes up out of bed committing more each day. You will never convince them of that because they have become so wrapped up in it that saying these things about him means you are saying it about them.

This is where the flip side comes in. They continually attack Hunter Biden and Joe Biden because they assume we are the same. They poke fun at him for his age. They question his support because no one carries a Biden flag or wears a Biden shirt. They are confused by this. Do I care that there was cocaine in the White House? Sure, I’d like to know that everyone working for the president is sober. Do I think it belonged to Hunter? Honestly I don’t. It may not have even belonged to a staff member. It was in a place where numerous people from the public could have left it.

Yet, here’s the difference. If it did belong to Hunter then he should go to jail. If it did belong to Joe then he needs to be impeached. If it belonged to a staffer then that staffer should be fired. It’s really that simple. We should definitely investigate this and not just assume anything. Our identity is not wrapped up in who we voted for. It can’t be. For those that find themselves attached to a politician, we really can’t help them anymore. We have to let it go. For those at the reunion, it just means talking about the past. The future for them is all too bleak anyway.

Amidst all the chaos and chicanery, real life continues unabated. This morning my daughter and I awoke to a crackling sound. It sounded a lot like a kid playing with those poppers that make firecracker sounds. That image was dashed when I saw the fire suburban pull into the cul-de-sac and park on the common ground. They were followed immediately by two fire trucks. The entire cul-de-sac was engulfed with onlookers from the neighborhood.

Apparently, one of our neighbors (obviously we want to maintain a tiny bit of anonymity on their behalf) had some trouble with one of their cars. It somehow had some electrical issues and started to spark. The sparks caught and somehow reached the walls of the garage. One thing led to another and the garage was engulfed in flames. Luckily, it was one of those detached garages. That fact probably spared their lives and the lives of their animals. So, luckily the whole spectacle only created property damage. The car was destroyed and the garage is completely gone.

What’s the point? The point is that while all of the malarkey happening in Austin, Washington, and anywhere else government does it’s dirty business real life is occurring. People are going through things. Any one of us could have something like this morning happen. Any one of us could have a spark occur in a household appliance and see everything engulfed in flames. Any one of us could get a sudden cancer diagnosis or experience some kind of health emergency not related to cancer. Any one of us could be the victim of a violent crime. It’s all just too sobering.

Granted, no one in Washington, Austin, or any other statehouse can possibly prevent every disaster. No one expects them to. They couldn’t have prevented that fire anymore than we could a matter of feet from it. What they can do is make sure that emergency services are there to help as quickly as possible. They can pass laws and provide funding and oversight to mitigate all of the other things that I’ve mentioned in passing. We can find ways to curb the amount of gun violence. We could pass reforms to the health insurance industry and health care field to make sure that a cancer diagnosis doesn’t result in bankruptcy. We could safeguard women, people of color, and those in the LGTBQ+ community. We could safeguard our democracy.

So, what are our public servants in the U.S. House of Representatives doing? They are debating whether to impeach Joe Biden. What exactly would they impeach him for? We aren’t exactly sure. They aren’t exactly sure. You see, they don’t understand little pesky things like the rule of law. They don’t get it. They think when you charge an ex-president with multiple felonies that you need to respond in kind. Except they really can’t fathom who the you is. The you isn’t Democrats. The you isn’t Joe Biden. The you isn’t even the Attorney General. The you is a special prosecutor and a whole group of ordinary citizens that heard a ton of evidence and voted to charge the ex-president.

What’s the alternative on the other side? They have no evidence of wrongdoing. None. They keep floating sources that don’t materialize with damning evidence that never checks out. You can’t impeach a public official because you don’t like them. You can’t impeach a public official because you disagree with them. You certainly can make a public spectacle of yourself. You can snipe and shout down your former friends because they have gotten between you and the cameras. You can do all of these things, but the funny thing about seeking out that camera is that the world is watching. The world does notice. While you might have a few wingnuts and psychiatric patients applaud your efforts, the rest of country sees you aren’t doing their business. They never were. The house is on fire and some are fighting over who gets to be in front of the camera.

Okay, I have a confession to make. This probably makes me a bad Democrat and a bad progressive, but I need to get it off my chest. I have never voted for Hunter Biden. What’s more, I will never vote for Hunter Biden no matter what he’s running for. It’s a character thing for me. Maybe that makes me a hypocrite. After all, George W. Bush was a recovering alcoholic and alleged drug addict and millions voted for him. Of course, I wasn’t one of those but I have to admit that I saw him differently. He was clearly in recovery and had been for decades. We can’t be too sure about Hunter Biden.

What’s more, I am willing to acknowledge that he has gotten multiple opportunities in life that 99 percent of people in other walks of life would never get. He has made more money and put in more positions of prestige than anyone deserves. Maybe he should have served some jail time for his drug habit. Of course, I have never really been big on dolling out jail sentences for addicts, but I suppose fair minded people can differ on that point. Simply put, he will never get my vote.

The funny thing is that he has never been on a ballot. He has never held any position within any presidential administration in the United States. He is currently a private citizen and is likely to remain that for the rest of his natural life. If he’s committed a crime then he deserves to go to jail. I don’t know that the current president has ever said differently, but maybe he has and I’m just not aware of it. Maybe he has the location of Jimmy Hoffa, the real story behind the JFK assassination, and the location of aliens on his laptop, but I tend to doubt it. Maybe that laptop holds the key to inflation, the price of gas, and the secrets to solving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Maybe it’s just a damn laptop.

Somehow, Hunter, his drug problem, and his laptop didn’t make it Twitter in the summer of 2020. Apparently, there were tweets about this that were taken down or not published for some nefarious reason. Somehow this “scandal” amounts to an affront to free speech and the kind of cheating that means the 2020 election was stolen. Yet, and I’m just spitballing here, no one that was undecided at the time gave a hoot about his laptop. Maybe no one that was undecided gave a crap about Hunter Biden. Maybe it was because Hunter Biden wasn’t on the ballot, but again I’m just spitballing. Maybe it was because they still haven’t proven a damn thing about why I should care. Maybe it was because we looked at the two candidates and decided that no matter what had happened with Joe Biden’s only surviving son, he couldn’t be worse than the worst president in the history of the nation. Of course, I’m just spitballing here.