Yesterday, April 23, we all watched the 2020 video of Donald Trump standing in the White House Press briefing room, updating the public on the status of the coronavirus. Trump was suggesting that we use ultra-violet light or worse—bleach—inside the body to kill the virus.
What a goddamn nightmare.
At the end of 2019, Trump was looking like he had a strong chance of repeating as president: the economy was growing and the stock market had reached new highs. While many Americans detested his foul antics, mounting a challenge to a sitting president is normally a losing battle. Trump seemed to have it in the bag.
Jump ahead to April 23, 2020, and it was clear that the only bag Trump had was a body bag: a lot of body bags.
Trump had so badly fucked up the national response to the coronavirus that America ended up with more deaths than any other nation.
What looked like a lock-tight cinch to become a two-term nightmare ended after one term primarily because America no longer believed it could trust Trump to protect its citizens. Trump failed to do his job: he refused to listen to the people during the worst pandemic in the last 100 years.
In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine, and we all watched as Mr. Biden stepped forward with an abundance of support for Ukraine and its people. The United States has provided billions in aid to Ukraine, and has called for war crimes committed by Putin to be fully investigated.
In October 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than one hundred Israeli citizens, Since, IDF have destroyed the Gaza strip, killing more than 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Today, at least fifteen college campuses are experiencing student protests regarding the endless murder of innocent civilians in Gaza. While we can debate endlessly the issues regarding Israel and Palestine, no one should be debating that killing civilians is right or wrong.
It’s wrong. It’s genocide. It’s always genocide, and it’s always wrong.
We applauded when Biden acted to protect Ukraine and its citizens. Unfortunately, too many of us have watched as the President of the United States has failed to end the murderous mayhem in Gaza brought about by Netanyahu and the Israeli Defense Forces.
Joe Biden alone has the power to make that end.
Mr. Biden stood up to the tyrant when it was Russia, but when it is an ally—when it is Israel killing innocent civilians—he has failed to be consistent with that same force. Biden has failed, or refused, to stop Netanyahu with the same presidential power he has used on Putin.
And now, Mr. Biden has made "democracy" the battle cry of this election--and he's right: democracy is on the line.
Since taking office, Joe Biden has used the power of the presidency to halt coronavirus. He has worked across the aisle to pass a bi-partisan infrastructure law to rebuild the nation’s crumbling highways and bridges. Against all odds, he pushed through gun reform. He has done things no one thought possible when he entered office.
So why the hell can’t he stop Netanyahu’s killing spree?
Gaza is to Biden what Vietnam was to LBJ,
and what coronavirus was to Trump:
a critical test in the final year of the first term
that defines the presidency of that man.
Both LBJ and Trump failed to change and both left office after that first term.
Biden is right now in the midst of a battle which could end his presidency: those voters he will desperately need in November are currently enraged at his approach to murder in Gaza.
In the eyes of many, Biden’s failure—or refusal—to act definitively to end the Gaza killings leaves them no option but to NOT vote for him in November.
In 2020, Joe Biden won 306 Electoral votes. He won a handful of states by razor-thin margins:
Arizona (11 electoral votes): Biden won by 10,457 votes
Georgia (16 electoral votes): Biden won by 11,779 votes
Wisconsin (10 electoral votes): Biden won by 20,682 votes
To win the presidency, one person must receive 270 votes from the Electoral College. Had Biden lost these three states, his total would have been 269.
Less than 43,000 votes gave Biden the win. Three states, where less than 43,000 people voted for Biden, ensured his Electoral College victory. The outcome could be predictably different in 2024.
Because of voter anger over Gaza.
In Arizona, where there was no way (in the 2024 Primary) to vote UNCOMMITTED, voters instead opted for Marianne Williamson as a way to protest Biden’s Gaza policy. Ms. Williamson secured 15,844 votes.
In Georgia, nearly 6,500 voters there left it blank. And nearly 9,000 voters chose Marianne Williamson, which some protest voters have selected because she supports a ceasefire. That is more than 16,000 votes against Biden in the state Primary.
In Wisconsin’s Primary, nearly 48,000 voted UNCOMMITTED in early April.
The people are speaking clearly and in a way Mr. Biden understands: they are speaking with their votes. If the General Election results go the same way as the primaries, Biden would lose these three states, and likely would lose elsewhere as well, being unable to secure an Electoral College victory.
If no candidate wins 270 Electoral College votes, chaos ensues:
In other words, The House of Representatives would decide, meaning Trump would be selected, as there are more states dominated by Republicans than Democrats.
The people are watching our government: each day, Biden refuses to change policy while we all watch children die in Gaza. Biden alone can change that policy, but he is steadfast in his support for Israel--and ultimately the death of Palestinian children--rather than act to end the bloodshed.
Let me be clear: I understand the United States commitment to our ally in the Middle East, Israel. I am not asking Biden to change our alliances. I do think it is time, however, where the President of the United States needs to move heaven and earth to end the killing in Gaza, or face his own election year defeat.
The numbers don’t lie.
Joe Biden cannot afford to lose this many votes in this many states if he expects to win in November. America cannot afford to lose Joe Biden if we expect to continue as a democracy.
All of America's issues can be fixed IF we can continue as a democracy. Without Biden changing his policy--his full support of Israel is spite of the endless killing of children--NONE of America’s issues will be fixed, because Biden won't be there to fix them.
What Biden is unwilling to do in Gaza will impact his ability to be re-elected, and ultimately will cost us all our freedom and democracy.
For the record, I do not support Hamas: I support people living in peace. Israel refuses to consider a two-state solution. Hamas, borne out of 75 years of Israel terrorizing Palestinians while trying to colonize Palestine, has no place in Palestine. But neither does Israel. Regardless of the issues, the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians must end NOW.
The way to save American democracy tomorrow is by saving Palestinian lives today. Trump lost sight of the fact that the American people hired him to act on their behalf: Biden still has the chance to do that—again.
Make Israel stop. Or watch monsters like Netanyahu and the IDF, Trump and his MAGA morons, and Putin and the Republican Party take over.
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