The problem with Joe Biden, aside from his support for and complicity in the #genocide of the Palestinian people, is that he's quite evidently so diminished by age that he should not be President any longer. Aging is an individual process. Bernie Sanders' performance on The Late Show the other night is a stark contrast to Biden's swindling capacity.
But the problem with Bernie is, he doesn't really listen to other people. If he sounds like he's listening to you, it's only because you already agreed with him. But I promise you, Bernie Sanders is marching to the beat of his own drum, damn the torpedoes, it's full steam ahead with his equivocation of "capitalism" and "democratic socialism". He means well, I'll grant him that, but as they say, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Sanders needs to retire, sooner rather than later. The only problem is, Vermont isn't sufficiently prepared to replace him.
Peter Welch looks good in pictures, but in person, you have to wonder if he's "all there". At whatever point Sanders retires, Welch becomes the senior Senator, and the most likely scenario is Becca Balint, freshman Congresswoman, gets tagged to be the junior Senator, possibly only a year into her first term in Congress, which frankly isn't ideal. It would be better if she gets through a full two years, at least, before moving up to the Senate.
But that then raises the question of who replaces Becca, and from where I'm sitting, I'm not seeing a Democrat in Vermont who has enough statewide support to be the obvious choice. I have a few favorites, of course, but they have yet to decide whether or not they want to get in the game.
The next gubernatorial election in Vermont is going to be important, because it may determine who serves out the remainder of Sanders' next term, if he wins re-election this year, and retires sometime in the next few years. As he has not yet announced, no one else has announced a run for his seat. The longer he waits, the more turmoil it causes, but no one is really talking about it, yet.
Becca is a good bet for President...eventually; it's very likely she could be the first female President. She needs to build a record and build credibility, and as a Jewish lesbian, she's in the hot seat right now, with the situation in Palestine. A misstep here could easily sideline her.
And don't discount the possibility of Sanders and Welch retiring at the same time, possibly not by their own choices. I expect Phil Scott to make a bid, possibly Miro Weinberger, but whether or not either of them would make a strong showing at the polls is unknown.
#USpol #VTpol #Vermont #VT #elections