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Biden in 2024: No Room for Error [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-11-30
This article is not intended as a prediction of disaster. But I believe we should not approach the campaign by being overconfident. Nor should we assume that Trump will be the opposing candidate. This list is an acknowledgement of some of the factors which may or may not be favorable toward an electoral victory for Biden. Listed in no particular order except the first one:
The Death of Reason and the National Media
Republican incited riot on January 6th.
When fascism infects a country reason, truth and logic are lost to large segments of the population. Mass ignorance and violence are at serious risk of breaking out at any time, which the fascist leadership often relies upon and rides to power.
The national media has been playing a part in the development of fascism in America today.
False Neutrality
New CBS Presidents Neeraj Khemlani and Wendy McMahon.
And I’m not talking about Fox News and company. Corporate media not specifically tied to fascism has no interest beyond that of survival and profits. It is in deep denial of the fascist threat.
Exposing it might anger the irrational millions of its MAGA supporters and effect their bottom lines and subject their outlets to boycotts and even acts of sabotage and violence. The safest road, the owners and managers calculate, is both siderism and to see which side prevails.
If I had to choose one factor as the greatest and most dangerous factor Biden and the rest of us face, it would be this one.
The national media, like them or not, plays a major role in manipulating and influencing the masses. It is not yet clear how much they will be a factor in the outcome of the 2024 election. But their professed “neutrality” leans heavily to the advantage of the fascists.
White Racism, Supremacy and Nationalism:
KKK March on Washington
While nothing new to America, Trump has succeeded in giving bigots a national public voice it never quite had.
It has always been the bedrock of the reactionary movements and Republican political strength. And it remains the major dividing line for the haves and have nots, and those who believe in democracy and human decency from those who do not.
It’s also the “barrier of ignorance” that has protected racism from the political kryptonite of change.
The Ghettos are Worse than Ever:
Conditions in America’s “ghettos” have not improved.
The poorest communities in America, popularly called the ghetto or the hood, still confine mostly African Americans. Sentencing them to live under the deadly reality of drugs, guns, homicides, low wage jobs, unemployment, police brutality and out of control, armed youth gangs.
Considering the wide voting support of African Americans for Democrats, the latter’s record of addressing the roots of generational poverty, unemployment rates gone through the roof, evaporation of family structures and the other problems mentioned above are seriously inadequate at best. 43% of Black workers earn less than $30,000 per year, highlighting how they are over represented in low-paying jobs. Whites families on average have roughly 8 times the wealth of black families.
The lack of action considering the long standing problem and deplorable crisis level conditions in these communities is a national embarrassment.
A Nationwide Housing Crisis:
Homelessness has skyrocketed in recent years. Much of it attributable to gentrification.
We have seen decades of an unofficial policy, largely driven by Wall Street’s need for constant capital investment and expansion to maintain profits. Bigger than any single government project over the years, it’s generally referred to as gentrification.
Very little of it is new housing for lower income and moderate income people, pricing millions out of the cities where they have lived for decades if not longer. At one time in the post WWII years, many paid not more than, and often less then, 25% of their income for housing. Most today in our inner cities pay north of 50% or even much higher. The rising rents go along with more expensive stores for the necessities of life like food.
A more recent wave of out of control home owner costs and shortages has also hit better off workers and even segments of the middle class. Another, possibly worse housing crisis/crash than in 2008 may be on the horizon. Government has done precious little about the problem, which stems from a basically under regulated and mostly no longer subsidized housing market. There’s hope, but not much more, that the crash sure to come will not occur in 2024.
Aid to Ukraine in the War against Russia:
Russian destruction in Ukraine.
While supporting Ukraine against Russian imperialism is a justifiable cause, there remains great danger of escalation into a World War. And leads one to ask the question, “Why does money for wars and the Pentagon always seem to take precedence over issues like generational poverty, unemployment and social spending?
The Republicans will surely do all in their power to prevent aid in the coming months to Ukraine. Could be a major issue in 2024 and become either a plus or minus for Biden.
The Republican Demonizing of Government:
Popular bumper poster in some quarters.
Large segments of the population have been persuaded as to the evils of the federal government and laid this belief at the feet of the Democratic Party. This trend has largely built the new right wing and fascist movements in America. Also has much to do with our history of racism as any aid to African Americans is immediately countered by Republicans claiming that whites are left out other picture by Democratic governments. They’ve been playing that song successfully for decades.
It represents a huge block of voters that are extremely unlikely to vote Democratic.
Age Bias Against Biden:
No tailored suit to hide his belly.
Both the corporate media and Eton Musk owned outlets like Twitter (aka X) promote age bias. They will do so almost daily up until election time.
This is a totally manufactured bunk. It has become, apparently, a concern dumped only on Biden, even though both Trump and Biden have long been seniors.
If you consider obesity and dementia as a cause of death, it makes Trump at a comparable if not at a greater risk of death while in office.
It is also a favorite tactic of Fox News and similar Republican tools.
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