The Bell Tolls for Biden

Last week’s Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joseph Biden was frustrating, embarrassing, and sad. Pundits have tagged this three-alarm political fire as the battle of the Unhinged vs. Infirm, as the Ghastly vs. the Ghostly, as simple Elder Abuse, and ultimately a lose-lose proposition for America.

It is sad to see America’s 248-year arch of presidential power degrade from George Washington’s willingness to let go of power at the top to Joe Biden's desperately clinging to power at the bottom. During this debate, which City Club streamed in furtherance of its civic responsibility, most of the attendees representing the full political spectrum often sighed and could only peek between their fingers from the embarrassment of it all.

You know the jig is up when hardcore liberal pundits like Thomas Friedman, Maureen Dowd, and the Editorial Board of the New York Times all gently but firmly advise Biden to drop out of the race for the sake of our country’s future, striving to save us from the prospect of four more chaotic Trump years.

I look back at historical examples of how we settled matters by debate, reminding myself that only in America have we allowed two powerful opponents, like Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas and his challenger Abraham Lincoln, to debate seven times to settle the 1858 election outcome by outlining their respective visions for the future of our country.

Now, just to be clear, while Trump and Biden may hardly be Lincoln and Douglas, nor may the issue facing us be nearly as important as slavery, the stakes at the international level are every bit as high as they were in December 1941 when America entered WWII.

The silver lining and the point of all this? In America, we debate, argue, fight civil wars, assassinate presidents, and do whatever else it takes to get e pluribus unum: out of many, one.

Maintain your faith. It could still happen that someone other than Biden or Trump will rise to become our next president.

— Sina.