The Left's Reckless Crusade Against Joe Biden Needs to Stop

In the wake of the first presidential debate, we here in America have been immersed in a single national news narrative: Joe Biden: the successful sitting president who defeated Donald Trump just four years ago, who led us past an insurrection, through COVID, and out of inflation—needs to step aside.This incessant narrative has been expectedly fueled by a myopic media fully intoxicated by the hits and clicks that Trump’s circus of nonsense attracts, and an army of Conservative trolls and bots who daily traffic in disinformation and emotional terrorism.But the most confounding, mystifying, and irresponsible source of the doom-casting about Joe Biden has been pundits, celebrities, and voters on the Left who insist on making this moment about them to the detriment of this nation. They have become solely fixated on a fantasy narrative of some supposed magical candidate who will suddenly galvanize America and steamroll MAGA into obsolescence, despite having no real consensus about who that candidate is or precisely how this would happen.The argument made by many, is that Biden’s age and public speaking gaffes are alienating younger, undecided, and swing voters but this feels more like self-fulfilling prophecy than actual fact. And if even there is some truth to this, if a considerable portion of the electorate doesn't understand that you don't just vote for a person but for a person, party, Congress, justices, legislation, agenda, movement, and plan—maybe we should try and educate them rather than blowing up a campaign to placate them?The saddest thing about the progressives still beating the drum for a new candidate, is that the candidate we have is a proven leader of integrity whose body of work over the past four years is incredible, who already defeated the monster across the aisle—and whose polling numbers have actually INCREASED since the debate, tied or slightly leading. But they are now more committed to forcing their performative purity stance on the election than actually educating undecided, young, and swing voters on the stakes and the urgency of the moment. They refuse to back down from a position that is now proving to have been impulsive, premature, and impossible. And when it all goes pear-shaped in November, they will deny that reality that THEY will have cost us Democracy because they refused to put the movement before their preferences. The presidency is not a 90-minute public speaking gig, this is a leadership, diplomacy, and character position requiring a knowledge of complex issues, the ability to build coalitions, and the wisdom to hold a variety of perspectives. Joe Biden is perfectly and presently qualified for this. It's time many on the Left stop trying to be the story and start trying to save the Republic.If you can't see the decency and goodness in Joe Biden and realize how important that is to the leadership of our nation, and the clear alternative he is to Trump's sociopathy, I seriously don't now what you're looking for or what will please you.The election is barreling down on us like a runaway train and we need to be the most reasonable, sober, and mature version of ourselves because our Republic is in the balance, as are the lives of hundreds of millions of people.There is no upside to changing the Dem nominee right now. MAGA is a loud but easily defeated minority if young people register and those who are already registered, vote. A united party, a clear platform, a continual description of the differences of the parties/candidates, and a coordinated movement is stronger than polls, pundits, and the headlines of the day (created by those chasing noise). We need to turn the corner on this debate nonsense and get about the work of saving democracy.We on the Left can spend the coming critical days and weeks arguing over Biden as a candidate or we can spend them leveraging our platforms to highlight the dangers of Trump and his party and the specific threat of a GOP presidency. We can remind people of the insurrection, the fall of Roe v Wade, Trump’s indictments, his convictions, his weaponizing the Supreme Court to exempt him from accountability, the unthinkable consequences of Project 2025—or we can “better candidate” ourselves and Democracy to death.If Joe Biden chooses to step aside then we will respond at that time, but until then he is not only the nominee but the single human being standing between America and a mortal threat to its existence in Donald Trump. That is the ball game.I’m afraid some progressives are going to demand Joe Biden step down all the way to November and if he ends up losing by a minuscule amount—will fail to realize they will have been that margin.This fight against Joe Biden is the wrong fight.America is in the balance.The fight for Democracy and against fascism are the only worthy fights—and we all need to be in them together.The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnpavlovitz.substack.com/subscribe