Bye, Felicia (er, Joe)

Bye, Felicia (er, Joe)

What our democracy now must try to salvage is some kind of Plan ‘B’

By Dwight Cunningham

There hasn’t been this much carnage in Georgia since Gen. William “Tecumseh” Sherman burned Atlanta down almost 160 years ago.

Of course, I'm referring to President Joe Biden’s conflagration of a presidential debate performance against the known insurrectionist, serial liar, rapist and felonious business chief Donald Trump. One could add COVID-19 denier and disinformation guru to Trump’s infamous resume. His malfeasance undeniably took thousands more American lives.

All of that was low-hanging fruit for Joe Biden to just pluck with able, confident pricks. Done with any aplomb, he could have ground Trump into political dust.

Instead, Biden nosedived, crashing quickly into a firestorm where even the embers of his stellar presidency are no longer recognizable.

What our democracy now must try to salvage is some kind of Plan “B” — a hard handoff that could easily be fumbled with just mere weeks before Election Day.

At least Sherman knew his mission: To put insurrectionist Confederate rebels out of commission for good. History says Sherman’s men had begun firing Atlanta on Nov. 12, 1864, targeting places of military importance, such as factories and railroad depots. A subordinate general had issued a $500 reward to anyone who caught Union soldiers committing arson at private residences.

Nonetheless, wayward troops did torch plenty of homes and shops. Entire neighborhoods were burned to the ground, and with the destruction of Atlanta, the Union was saved.

Today, in a last-ditch attempt to save our precious union, now is the time for Biden and his Democratic handlers to reckon with the obviously hard truth: He just isn’t up for four more tough years.

Sadly, only Biden can shift his aged focus to what much of America witnessed with dread in the first — and maybe the only — presidential debate of 2024.

There is no denying that the president looked frail, weak and lacked mental acuity. He stumbled over set pieces on many subjects over which he has a clear policy edge.

Doubtless, the pundits and pollsters will hang onto flubs that point to an 81-year-old president. But who among us fortunate to live that long want to work? And, worse, with the toughest job on the planet?

Trump’s nefariousness is a smoking gun that is willing to load up with a new brand of facism run amuck in America. Again, low-hanging fruit.

But with his debate debacle, Biden may not even survive a second term, given that he would be 86 at its end. Not to mention the rigor to put in 16-hour workdays (or more) and few weekends off while overseeing an ever-complicated world stage.

We Americans deserve better. The world deserves better. Heck, this universe deserves better with no Donald Trump possessing the nuclear codes to oblivion.

Here we are, contending with the ever-faithful survivalist Trump uttering a plethora of powerful falsehoods and lies that likely will crush coming eons, given the opportunity.

We, therefore, will get no shot at good outcomes for our national security, veterans care, Social Security protection, immigration reform, women’s reproductive rights — none of that will matter in a few more weeks if Biden (and Vice President Kamala Harris, for that matter) fail to put egos aside and deal with Biden’s declining health issues.

At least Gen. Sherman knew when he embarked on his Atlanta journey to put the South out of business that he had the blessing of the Lincoln White House to do whatever was necessary to win.

Apparently not so with the Biden White House, who are blessing themselves with a blind spot for the ages. It is a fearful reality that their guy may be riding a pale horse.

It is time to take the reins away from Joe.

These days, when an older person is no longer able to drive without endangering themselves and others, the kids have hard talks before taking away the keys. With love, they convey the painful message that untold lives depend on the sickly person’s self-sacrifice.

Joe Biden may not be at that point yet. And there may not be too many among his inner circle — including his consoling wife and sister — who will have the moral courage to save him from an election defeat and much American chaos to follow.

As an adolescent, my first typing book had an exercise: “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party.” I must’ve typed that hundreds of times in those early years, without truly understanding its meaning.

Today, I do. More than ever, I know that now is the time for all good men — and women — to come to the aid of their country. Party be damned.

(Dwight Cunningham is a retired journalist, college educator, emergency manager and U.S. Air Force veteran. He resides in South Carolina.)