"What should Biden do now? (To me, it's obvious!)"

"I think he should get out now, not skew the voting any longer. He's not going to make it, and he doesn't deserve to make it. He's been the Jeb of the 2020 Democratic race, standing in the way of others but unable to succeed himself. He should bow out now, which will look gracious. It won't look gracious later, after 2 or more weeks of clinging to lost hope. He can endorse Pete or Amy and give one of them a boost now, when it will really count. But then, if what he secretly wants is to help Bloomberg, he should just cling to his horrible campaign and keep telling us it's all about South Carolina...."

I wrote on February 12th — less than a month ago — reacting to "The spectacular collapse of Joe Biden as Democratic frontrunner," a NY Post headline after Biden came in 5th in New Hampshire.



What an incredibly strange turnaround! Was it because he was in fact right that "it's all about South Carolina"? Was it that Bloomberg's strategy was so disruptive and distracting that it let Bernie Sanders slip to the front and that caused a panic and a stampede toward Biden?

My words from February 12th are not that ridiculous: "He's not going to make it, and he doesn't deserve to make it... He's... standing in the way of others but unable to succeed himself." That's still true as it relates to the general election. And "He's the Jeb" in the sense that Jeb would — in all likelihood — have gone on to lose to Hillary Clinton (and I think Biden will lose to Trump).

It bothers me — I won't say "amazes me" — that we Americans put so much time and effort into selecting major-party candidates for President and we end up with such a wearisomely inadequate, bland old politician, the very person who would have been selected if, without all this fuss, the party had just given the nod to the next person in line. It's so dispiriting that it's come to this!

ADDED: "You got a choice between Sleepy Joe and Crazy Bernie," said Trump, in early May of last year, prompting me to say: "There are a lot of Democratic candidates but they're all pathetic. It's the choice of no choice — 'a choice between Sleepy Joe and Crazy Bernie.'"

And here is Trump last April:

Welcome to the race Sleepy Joe. I only hope you have the intelligence, long in doubt, to wage a successful primary campaign. It will be nasty - you will be dealing with people who truly have some very sick & demented ideas. But if you make it, I will see you at the Starting Gate!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2019