One of the problems with American politics is that by the time we arrive at the little 19th century canvas-tent-booth at the local high school gym, we are left with two choices. Sure, we could opt for that weird unknown candidate who promises not only free healthcare and tuition but breakfast with billionaires on alternate Saturdays. Most of us are sensible enough to vote for one of the two final choices, sometimes a third if an Independent such as Ross Perot has made a significant splash.
What's eating me right now is we are pushing up to an election that is likely going to be the lesser of two evils. If Trump gets impeached, that could be interesting, and we would be left with Biden vs. Pence, another uncomfortable mental jump in my opinion. So let me spell out why Democrats must put their time and energy into promoting the right candidate right now:
1. Joe Biden has not said anything very interesting. Every time he leans on his "pal Barack" I squirm. I imagine President Obama rolling his eyes from his easy chair in Georgetown, muttering something to Michelle about how he could have had a VP who didn't sniff women.
2. Which leads me to Point #2, he has sniffed women. He has butterfly kissed women. If this is not a big deal to you, imagine someone sniffing you at random at the next important public meeting you attend, or a fundraiser you are helping with. Imagine especially someone in power grabbing you, slowly kissing the back of your head and inhaling your scent while you Just Take It. I would especially like to give the men out there a minute to imagine this. Most cannot because the idea of rape is so foreign to them that they don't instinctively squirm the minute a man invades their space.
3. Biden IS too old. For that matter, so are Sanders and Trump, yet in the latter case age is the least of his ills. If you don't think age matters, consider this - after 50, one enjoys an increasing daisy chain of tests and problems she had previously not even heard about. I remember at age 39 I was flown out to Atlanta to write about a gastroenterologists' convention. I had to look up the meaning of the term. Now my GI is in my Contacts list.
I have liberal friends who will probably stop calling me if they think I won't vote for Biden if he is indeed the final one standing. So be it. I don't tell people who I vote for and now will be the same. I urge Dems to use their imagination and reading skills and read up on some truly beautiful candidates - Beto, Pete, Elizabeth, Amy ... I am using their first names because each of them has made a connection with voters. Each of them has a platform we should investigate and care about - from gun control to immigration reform to climate change to rolling back college debt. The list goes on. A binary choice may be our only choice, but let's use these precious months leading up to the primary to make a sensible choice.
Photo credits: Amy Klobuchar, By United States Senate - http://klobuchar.senate.gov/mediacenter.cfm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1866289, and Beto O'Rourke, 
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Beto_O%27Rourke%2C_Official_portrait%2C_113th_Congress.jpg/2048px-Beto_O%27Rourke%2C_Official_portrait%2C_113th_Congress.jpg
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