I love reading JVL but I will offer a contrarian view:
1) The Democratic Party is not healthy. Sure, it is healthier than the Republican Party, but that is, I think, a very low standard. Part of the problem is that both parties are weak and both are effectively controlled by outside institutions (the media, activist groups and the tyranny…
I love reading JVL but I will offer a contrarian view:
1) The Democratic Party is not healthy. Sure, it is healthier than the Republican Party, but that is, I think, a very low standard. Part of the problem is that both parties are weak and both are effectively controlled by outside institutions (the media, activist groups and the tyranny of small donors). But because most of the media is on the left, its coverage of the left identitarian movement distorts the Democrats more than similar institutions of the right distort Republicans. As a result, Democratic politicians cannot escape the cultural branding associated with left-wing Progressives. The current polling on Israel-Hamas war among the young people is just depressing.
2) Biden was forced to govern as a moderate; he didn't want to. Or he was too weak to resist the House Progressive Caucus. Filibuster was preserved because Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema said no; not because Biden did. Sure, there are other Senate Democrats that want to keep the filibuster but they are not speaking out. Adding new states is a particularly radical idea; it would not change much in the balance of the Electoral College. Instead, Biden could push for the expansion of the House (say, adding 100 new seats) and in the process, give DC representation in the House. If DC is not a state, it cannot have Senators, but surely it can have Congressional Districts. If the Supreme Court ruled against it, Democrats would then have a good argument for adding DC as a state.
3) Biden's biggest mistake is running for reelection. I don't think JVL appreciates how mad people are at Biden for the inflation. BTW, what caused George HW Bush to lose reelection after having 90% popularity during the Gulf War? The recession officially ended in March 1991! But in June of 1992, unemployment was 7.8% and the benefits only went for 26 weeks; there was no Obamacare etc... Politics are often irrational. On the other hand, ANY other Democrat (except MAYBE Kamala Harris) would have beaten Trump handily. Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Jared Polis, Wes Moore - pick anyone. Even Harris would have had to step up her game if she were to win the nomination.
4) Biden may not have wanted to go after Trump at first, but he ended up doing that anyway. Add to this the Bragg indictment, which should have never been handed down, and you have the "rallying around the flag" effect. Sarah Isgur at the Dispatch suggested that Jack Smith could have brought one charge - Obstruction - on the Documents case, and he could have gone to trial much sooner. I don't know whether this is true, but now, it will be a miracle if we have the trial before the election. I realize the DOJ felt they had no choice; but if they truly wanted to leave him alone, they should have just let States (Georgia in particular) to do it. Given all of the delays his legal team will throw, it was too late to bring Jan 6th indictments in early August of 2023.
I love reading JVL but I will offer a contrarian view:
1) The Democratic Party is not healthy. Sure, it is healthier than the Republican Party, but that is, I think, a very low standard. Part of the problem is that both parties are weak and both are effectively controlled by outside institutions (the media, activist groups and the tyranny of small donors). But because most of the media is on the left, its coverage of the left identitarian movement distorts the Democrats more than similar institutions of the right distort Republicans. As a result, Democratic politicians cannot escape the cultural branding associated with left-wing Progressives. The current polling on Israel-Hamas war among the young people is just depressing.
2) Biden was forced to govern as a moderate; he didn't want to. Or he was too weak to resist the House Progressive Caucus. Filibuster was preserved because Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema said no; not because Biden did. Sure, there are other Senate Democrats that want to keep the filibuster but they are not speaking out. Adding new states is a particularly radical idea; it would not change much in the balance of the Electoral College. Instead, Biden could push for the expansion of the House (say, adding 100 new seats) and in the process, give DC representation in the House. If DC is not a state, it cannot have Senators, but surely it can have Congressional Districts. If the Supreme Court ruled against it, Democrats would then have a good argument for adding DC as a state.
3) Biden's biggest mistake is running for reelection. I don't think JVL appreciates how mad people are at Biden for the inflation. BTW, what caused George HW Bush to lose reelection after having 90% popularity during the Gulf War? The recession officially ended in March 1991! But in June of 1992, unemployment was 7.8% and the benefits only went for 26 weeks; there was no Obamacare etc... Politics are often irrational. On the other hand, ANY other Democrat (except MAYBE Kamala Harris) would have beaten Trump handily. Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Jared Polis, Wes Moore - pick anyone. Even Harris would have had to step up her game if she were to win the nomination.
4) Biden may not have wanted to go after Trump at first, but he ended up doing that anyway. Add to this the Bragg indictment, which should have never been handed down, and you have the "rallying around the flag" effect. Sarah Isgur at the Dispatch suggested that Jack Smith could have brought one charge - Obstruction - on the Documents case, and he could have gone to trial much sooner. I don't know whether this is true, but now, it will be a miracle if we have the trial before the election. I realize the DOJ felt they had no choice; but if they truly wanted to leave him alone, they should have just let States (Georgia in particular) to do it. Given all of the delays his legal team will throw, it was too late to bring Jan 6th indictments in early August of 2023.