Unequal Presidential Expectations
Over the last year, and as we move forward into the 2024 election cycle, the expectation that some are placing on presidential candidates seems to be a bit lopsided. There are a lot of liberals, including independents and democrats, who have lots of opinions about how well Biden needs to preform in order to get their votes. So let’s take a moment to consider how each side is setting expectations for the their nominee.
On the one hand, we have former president trump, whose followers have an expectation of (checks notes) … him not being in prison as the baseline to get their vote. His insanity, cruelty, lack of policies and ideas, potential conviction for 91 charges, 2 impeachments, failure to get candidates elected, and desire to be a dictator all seem not to matter to his followers. Heck some even like the idea of the fall of democracy and forever king trump because reasons (they are not sure why they just do… because Murika).
On the other hand, we have President Biden. We seem to expect him to, in the next 10 months:
- Single handedly fix the American economy
- Increase wages and create jobs
- Forgive all student loan debt
- Radically change the housing market
- Reduce the deficit
- Create a single payer medical system
- Stop discrimination
- Make the US government look like American society
- Save women’s rights
- Save LGBT+ rights
- Save all of the other minorities groups rights (there are too many to list here)
- Reverse climate change
- Create an entirely green energy infrastructure but also don’t make all of the fossil fuel workers unemployed
- Save democracy both at home and abroad
- Win a proxy war with Russia, but not spend money to do this
- Solve Middle East peace exactly the right way everyone wants it done, even if what everyone wants completely contradicts each other. And he must do this with the most radical leadership in both of the two political entities while also stopping any regional escalations with any other radical leaders in the area. But he can’t say the wrong thing or everyone hates him and will not vote for him.
- Eliminate homelessness, especially for veterans but also for everyone else because it’s a blight on cities
- Solve all crime, but especially gun violence
- Solve all of the economic issues occurring in Central and South America so there is no more immigration but also Fix immigration but also make sure there are enough immigrants to do all of the jobs Americans don’t want to do like picking crops, cleaning places, and building things
- And, most importantly, stop being old
All without not only not having a solid Democratic held Congress, without a functioning Congress! Not only that, because Congress is dysfunctional, he will need to do all this with gaping holes in his administration because republicans are holding up nominations for ambassadors, civil service positions and the top 400+ military positions (these JUST got approves and everyone won’t be in place for at least a few months).
If he does not do all of this perfectly right and on someone’s perfect timeline, including all of the things he has absolutely no power over, he is clearly a failure and people will NOT vote for him. Yet it will also be his fault if people don’t vote and trump gets elected because he was not able to meet these unrealistic expectations.
The absurdity is ridiculous and frankly people need to get over themselves. Its either King trump or Old Biden doing more than another president in the last 50 years. The idea that someone won’t vote for Biden because he not a fucking wizard and isn’t perfect, is stupid. The idea someone won’t vote for him because he is old is stupid. The idea that if he doesn’t solve Middle East Peace, when no one has in 70- years including the people that live there, someone won’t vote for him is stupid. The expectations put upon him by many people, given his situation, is stupid!
Elections are not about finding your soul mate, they’re about getting on the right bus that takes you closer to the place you want to go. The idea that a president must accomplish everything on the wish list is unrealistic. Get on the bus! Go Dark Brandon!