A Divided Party Will Fall

Democrats are suffering with continued Biden bashing.
Since Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary last week, many political commentators have declared that the primary is over and the general election has, for all intents and purposes, begun. The two major candidates, Trump and President Joe Biden, seem to agree. After the results from New Hampshire were announced, Biden’s Communication Director Michael Tyler disclosed that the Biden campaign is “now laser-focused on presenting that direct choice to the American people because it’s real at this point.” And, for better or worse, he is right. Come this time next year, either Biden or Trump will be president. Barring something truly morbid, there is no other option.
No one is happy about this. Republicans are happy that the former president won their primary and is not in prison yet, but they are not happy about the persistence of Biden and his alleged radical socialist government. Democrats are not happy about anything — not about Trump’s primary victories or Biden’s re-election campaign. At every opportunity, self-proclaimed liberals, leftists and progressives will loudly lament their doubts and displeasure with the current president.
I am here, as a fellow progressive, to politely ask that we stop this.
I understand the frustrations surrounding the current president. I understand the anger. It is, in many aspects, justified. However, what does it accomplish amid this election cycle? What progressive values are furthered by trashing Biden? It is not going to stop him from running. He is the nominee. He won by 64% in a write-in campaign in New Hampshire. His two challengers, Marianne Williamson and Dean Phillips, did not even hit a combined vote share of 25%. Like it or not, Biden is inevitable, and all that bashing him does is weaken his position going into the general election. Democrats need him to win the general election.
On every issue, Biden’s position is better than Trump’s. Biden is better than Trump on climate. In fact, Biden signed the most expansive and comprehensive climate action bill in United States history. Biden is older than Trump, but only by three years, which is evident if you listen to both of their recent speeches. Biden has forgiven more than $130 billion in student loan debt, more than any other president in history. Biden’s immigration policy is not based on racist, inflammatory rhetoric and focuses on reforming the immigration system to be more human. Biden did not appoint the Supreme Court Justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and has promised that, if given the opportunity, he would codify access to reproductive care. Biden has never challenged the legitimacy of our electoral system or undermined the outcomes of democratic elections.
The choice we have in November is, perhaps, not one we want, but that does not change the reality of the situation. Biden needs to win. Trump has to lose, and to accomplish this, we need every voter we can get, from disaffected progressives to moderate voters to people who, generally, do not care about politics. And if we on the left, as members of Biden’s base, spend the next ten months trashing the president, people will not be inclined to vote for him. And like it or not, a reality where Biden is not the president is a lot worse than a reality where he is.