Anchor Struck

Whew!  In Bernie’s brief tenure as front-runner, I tried my best to feel good about some of the pundits pointing out that he might have a chance.  My 73-year-old gut would have none of it.  He would have an upstream struggle against Trump’s tsunami of whale shit, especially in the down ticket races, it kept insisting.

Plus, he recently had a stent put in his heart.

Biden’s crucial win in South Carolina (thanks, Jim Clyburn) and Very Good Night on Super Tuesday did not quite have the ring that all’s right with the world again, but it felt to me like we inched back from the edge of The Abyss.  The markets agreed.

Listening to the millionaire Sanders bitch about rich people reminded me of  the millionaire Trump’s faux rage.  Other similarities come to mind.  Both have merely borrowed a major political party for their own purposes.  Both play the populist card, albeit from different ends of the deck.  Both pursue specious goals like The Wall and Medicare for All with the tenacity and clarity of Captain Ahab.

Even though Biden has enough going against him, I think he’s the Dems’ best hope, partly because he seems to be Trump’s worst fear.  The GOP is already politicizing the Burista thing, but I can’t see that gaining much traction against a health crisis that Trump is making worse with staggering efficiency.  And I will gleefully take Joe’s occasional gaffes over Donnie’s endless lies any day.

After often thinking POTUS had finally pushed things too far, I can’t quite believe that this is the camel-breaker.  Yet I’m cheered that the virus is a narrative that he can’t control, and the turbulent markets are shaking the foundation of his best strength.

Are you still buckled up?