Dear Friends,
Have you heard? The Targaryens are on the precipice of war. An eye for an eye, a dragon for a dragon, a son for a son. And that’s only the second episode of season 2 of House of Dragons. We’re in for a long a bloody slog because their sclerotic, antiquated king has died of his greyscale.
Yup, I watch House of Dragons. I wouldn’t call myself a fan per se, but I try to stay current. I was a big fan of Game of Thrones. I watched every episode and read every book. I’m not as invested as some fans are but I’m more invested than the average human. I approached House of Dragons with the same mix of anticipation and trepidation as many other people. A show focused on the Targaryen family ensures (1) incest and (2) a population of indistinguishable blondes. But knowing was half the battle, right?
Season 1 was fine. If you were a GoT junkie, it was probably like getting your cocaine cut with baking soda. [I’m being imaginative here; I’ve never used cocaine]. The reviews for Season 2 have been stronger than expected. Going into it, I expected a lot more than it delivered. In the second episode, I realized why I don’t like this show as much as Thrones.
Brief spoiler: A child is killed. In the plot of the show, this is a huge inflection point. A regent is infuriated and demands vengeance. And somehow, it all seems so boring.
This helped me understand my issue with the HoD: the viewer has no investment in the characters. Mostly they are wan elites, wrapped in dark velvet bespoke costumes, angry at their families and advisors. How is this different from GoT? you ask. In GofT, we learned enough about the characters to care about them. In the very first episode of that show, we were invested in Bran, Jamie, Cersei, and Tyrion. In season 2 of this other show, I struggle to recall the character’s names.
The difference between GoT and HoD is similar our current political moment in a certain way. We want to see the exact same show even when we’ve lost any connection to the characters. Also, a lot of people are committed to politicians as personalities and not because they are effective leaders on the issues that face our country. We sit by and watch politics as a show. Trump is Game of Thrones; Biden is House of Dragons. One is exciting and cancelled; the other is boring but On Right Now.
Now let me shift to talking about That Debate. Aka the second worst night the Democrats have ever known (Election night 2016 keeping top honors).
Folks. That was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen on TV and I watched both the Challenger explosion and the attack on the World Trade Center live. I don’t mean to diminish the seriousness of those events by comparing them to this act of American hari-kari, but if the stakes of this election as are as high as Democrats claim they are, then I believe Joe Biden needs to graciously step aside and let someone else run. While some of his supporters claim that Biden just had a bad night, but he’s a good president, I believe those can both be true and that we need someone else to take the reins.
I also think this is an important discussion we need to have and that we shouldn’t be shooed along - nothing to see here, Trump is worse.
Let’s talk about this. Let me address some arguments against my view.
Myth: We can’t have an untested candidate in such an important election.
Fact: Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were both “untested” “fresh faces” and they were the last two Democrats who won election.
Myth: But they had an 18 month primary to hone their arguments and undergo intense scrutiny.
Fact: Our primary seasons are unnecessarily long and only serve the fundraising bottomless pit that is American politics. The news cycle moves so fast now that four months will still be plenty of time to battle test the candidate.
I heard one commentator say that the difference between being a state governor and being president is like the difference between tee ball and the World Series. That is insulting. Being the governor of a state, particularly one as large and complex as California or Michigan is more like being a college baseball player called up to the World Series - a big jump but not impossible. California’s economy is bigger than all but four countries in the world. Michigan is embroiled in foreign policy in a unique way. Being President is unimaginably difficult but somehow even Donald Fucking Trump did it for four years. I think most Democratic governors or the VP can meet the moment.
Myth: Democratic incumbents typically win elections.
Jimmy Carter didn’t.
Elections are like sports seasons. You aren’t even guaranteed to win if you have the exact same team (e.g. the Warriors0. Every year is a new and different election. There is no “typical”.
Myth: Presidents don’t just step aside because they recognize it’s in the country’s best interest.
Fact: LBJ did, and Bobby Kennedy probably would have been an incredible president if he’d had that opportunity.
Myth: It was one bad night! Chill out!
Fact: Richard Nixon probably lost to Jack Kennedy because of how he appeared in the debate: sweating, pale, and growing a 5 o’clock shadow as the audience watched.
Myth: A brokered convention would be a nightmare.
Fact: A brokered convention would be amazing. Talk about a ratings bonanza. If there were a few rounds of floor votes to determine the candidate, we’d spend a whole week talking about Democratic Party ideals and hashing out what we consider to be the best leadership. Sure, there might be aspersions cast, but that’s the “battle testing” people claim to want so badly. What do they have? Kamala has high staff turnover? Newsom ate at French Laundry? Gretchen Whitmer . . . has a pool in her yard? Ultimately, the delegates are going to try to select the most electable candidate, who will emerge after intense lobbying and fundraising, just like Biden did in 2020.
Some people fear that if Kamala Harris isn’t the nominee, it would “fracture the party” which is politic-speak for “Black women will be angry.” While I think that is oversimplifying and stereotyping the views of Black women. If there’s an open floor vote at the convention, we will have transparency around the process that will very likely assuage the frustration of voters who preferred VP Harris.
Myth: You are being ageist.
This had been my view until Thursday night. I felt that if Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Joe Biden were still up for the job, we should let them continue. We would benefit from their experience. But the debate changed my mind about this. I agree with Ezra Klein that Joe Biden is the RBG of our political moment. His failure to step aside reflects his ego, not the best interest of our democratic institutions.
Worse, I think Biden looked worse than he might have if the voters had been prepared for the effect age has had on him. His advisors and supporters have been so full-throatedly assuring us that he is FINE that to see him so enfeebled tells us that they are lying. They are not to be trusted. And so their reassurances at this point feel false. I believe my lying eyes. Biden is no longer qualified to be our president.
Myth: Trump is worse than Biden so dance with the one that brung ya/Biden is the only person who has beaten Trump.
Ugh. Stipulated that Trump is the absolute fucking worst. But why do we have to settle for not worst? Can’t we have best? Or at least great? Vigorous, strong, thoughtful, leadership: when do we get that again? We need a way to lead our allies out of two wars, lead our world out of the climate disaster, and lead our country back to spreading its abundance to all of its citizens and residents. That ain’t Biden.
And I don’t care that Biden has already beaten Trump. It’s not like Trump has a track record of winning. He’s a fucking loser, and he is the cult leader for a cohort of Americans who are themselves losers (defined here as anyone who waves a Confederate flag, the surrender flag of the Traitor Loser nation). Let’s put it a different way: the only person Trump has ever beaten is Hillary Clinton.
Liam says, “It’s Joe-ver for Genocide Joe.” That gives you a sense of how young voters feel about Biden’s candidacy. While there’s no rectifying House of Dragons (alas, season 2 is done filming), this election is far from over. President Biden needs to do the right thing and step aside.
I know nothing of the dragons, but I agree with everything else. Well said.