The Double Standard For Moderates

President Biden finally discovered the secret to boost his approval ratings; he dropped out of the race. At last report, a news outlet none other than Fox News reported President Biden is enjoying a 13 point rise in approval ratings. If only he had stayed in the race after he dropped out, he might have a chance to win. There may have been other ways he could have avoided having to drop out to secure his legacy as a successful president. The most obvious example is Afghanistan. Or his staff could have prepared him more for the debate. One can argue who’s fault the June debate performance was, but it’s hard to believe it was unavoidable. Especially after President Biden’s late night performance at the convention.

Despite that she stood at the convention cheering him, rumor has it President Biden is currently not on the best terms with former Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats who nudged him out of the 2024 race. Speaking of Democrats turning against Biden, Michelle Obama made an indirect jab at him in her speech. Obama referred to a feeling of hope that had been missing for a long time. This was rather passive aggressive, meaning President Biden failed to deliver that feeling.

Even before the disastrous debate performance, President Biden and his supporters have always been victims of a double standard held against moderates. CNN’s Anthony Van Jones wisely pointed out that if Biden had given a speech as “rambling” as the speech Trump gave at the GOP convention, the Democrats “would shoot him with a tranquilizer dart and drug him off.” Van Jones is right. Even now, the Democrats are quick to move President Biden out of the spotlight. He was the last act of the first night of the convention. It would give him more influence if he spoke on the final night. And it would make sense. He is the reason why Harris is the nominee after all.

Under President Biden’s watch, America saw the death of al-Qaeda’s number two leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. According to many terrorism experts, al-Zawahiri may have been a more formidable threat than Osama Bin Laden himself. Additionally, the United States is now experiencing an unemployment rate currently below 4%. Last year, there was an eleven percent drop in homicide numbers.
So…
Killing a Al-Qaeda leader worse than Bin-Laden
Unemployment rate under 4%
Eleven percent drop in homicide rate, after one of the worst crime waves the country has seen in decades.

If a “movie star” politician like Reagan or Obama had accomplished this list, that would give them credit for supplying more than enough “hope.” They would secure the nomination and a landslide re-election, regardless of how many gaffes they made during a debate. When President Obama passed ObamaCare, his approval ratings rose, simply because it was accomplished. When Governor Cuomo successfully passed gun control laws, his approval dropped by a considerable amount. Everyone loves a winner. Unless you’re a moderate Democrat.

Depending on who you talk to, Vice President Harris was a tough on crime prosecutor. So in a way, one could argue Harris is a moderate. Vice President Harris is currently crushing Trump with younger voters in a way President Biden never did, despite having Harris on the ticket, despite engineering a lot of the same policies that Harris is running on. These younger voters are doing the right thing for the wrong reason. They are simply voting Harris because she is cool, at least compared to President Biden.

But double standard or not, President Biden is still the President. As he is not running for re-election, he now has the luxury to devote all his energy to getting legislation passed.

New York Magazine featured an article that compared Obama to Biden, under the caption “Now Who’s The Candidate For Change?” The article correctly pointed out that President Biden had accomplished more than Obama. Yet somehow, Obama creates more “hope.” Someday there will be another Biden-like candidate that will run for President. Hopefully the public will remember what President Biden was able to accomplish (although this is unlikely, as many are already forgetting). With any luck, the next one will be able to secure the presidency at a younger age. And who knows, maybe if the next Biden does secure the Presidency at an earlier age, they will be able to serve two terms. And maybe the next Joe Biden will not have to drop out of the race to increase his chances of staying in the race.