Three Old Men Walk Into a Bar

It's time for me to decide.  I have to vote on Tuesday, and I'm back where I started when this campaign began: supporting Joe Biden.  I didn't expect this, having preferred both Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar in recent months.  But it looks like we're left with three septuagenerian white men.

Voting for Michael Bloomberg is not an option for me.  He had two opportunities in the debates to prove that he understood and regretted his racist, sexist past, and he didn't do so.  His ads are terrific, true, but he doesn't come across as well in person.  He's like the Wizard of Oz when Toto pulls back the curtain to reveal the truth: the man behind the splashy ads is not the man to govern this country.  Bloomberg's money is better spent on his main concerns, gun violence and climate change, and on Democratic candidates in November.

Bernie Sanders is more difficult for me to reject.  The America he imagines is one I'd love to see.  Health care is a human right, as he says whenever he gets the chance.  Our economy should work for all of us, and not just for the wealthy.  He's consistent in his views; who we see is who we get.  But he's also said, "I think there are a lot of people who, when they hear the word 'socialist,' get very, very nervous."  He's correct, and this is a big part of the problem.  He scares people.  His views require explanation and subtlety, which don't fit well in the American political landscape.  Moreover, Bernie's rigid, angry demeanor are not what we need following the turbulence of these last four years.  We need someone calm.

Which brings me to Joe Biden, who's also flawed.  As I've written before, he's often seemed confused in debates and presents a backward-thinking agenda.  He wraps Barack Obama around himself too much.  The world has changed since the two of them governed, and we need fresh thinkers and new ideas.  Still, Joe knows how the federal government works.  He knows the people who can sort out the mess that Donald Trump created.  He knows world leaders and understands the dynamics of international relationships.  He's the most qualified of the three to start governing on January 20, 2021. 

Three old men walk into a bar. . . It's almost a joke that we've ended up here.  But it's not funny, and it's not ideal.  Still, any one of the three would do much better than the yellow-haired guy currently serving the drinks, and I think Joe Biden is the one most likely to succeed at taking his place and taking back our country.