Jamelle Bouie argues in today’s NYT that the Democrats should refuse to nominate Biden, or any other “moderate,” on the ground that dramatic social change only occurs as a result of conflict and confrontation with the powers-that-be. In other words, Biden won’t bring about the “revolution;” he’ll just rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Guilty as charged. Biden would undoubtedly heartily agree with his conclusion; it is the premise that is faulty. Neither 2016 nor 2018 provided any evidence for the proposition that America yearns for a “revolution.” We have problems, and we need new leadership, but the country is fundamentally skeptical of dramatic change; the “revolution,” under today’s political and economic conditions, is a pipe dream.
Bouie’s best hope for a “revolution” is a national catastrophe and a subsequent political backlash. If that is what he really wants–not a Democratic victory in 2020–he needs to buy a MAGA hat and work his butt off for Trump.