Opinion

It seemed like the Democrats were facing a gamble that might not be worth taking. Could Joe Biden really beat Trump after so many of his party allies called for him to step down? The problems that he displayed were clearly not going away and they provided too much fuel for a vindictive opponent to burn a candidate at the stake.

Biden did something that Trump would never do. He looked at the situation objectively and listened to a lot of people and he put his own needs aside and made a decision that was best for the country. The real embodiment of what it means to be a mensch and a true patriot.

Now we have Kamala Harris as the heir apparent. I was never really excited about the possibility of a Harris run for president but when Biden made his announcement I felt a sudden sense of relief. I felt a level of hopefulness that I have not experienced from politics in a long time. This reaction surprised me.

Ian Goodnow should become the next state representative from Brattleboro District 9 because he is the right person at the right place at the right time. The 32 year old Brattleboro lawyer has already proven that he has extremely effective leadership skills serving on the Brattleboro selectboard for four years, two of those as chair. Anyone who has been elected and then re-elected to office has earned the trust of his constituents and that is one of the many reasons why I am voting for him.

Ian represents a generation that does not have enough presence in the statehouse. If we are to remain a vibrant state that is responsive to the needs of the long future ahead for this state then we must elect people who are part of the emerging social and economic fabric of communities.

In the contest for the Democratic nomination for the Windham 9 (old 3) district, we have two candidates with records of community service and good policy values. In part because he is older, David Gartenstein has a much longer history of working for the people of Brattleboro; moreover, he has broader experience, including 20 years as an assistant State’s Attorney and service on Brattleboro school boards.

What really distinguishes Gartenstein is the depth at which he has thought about the issues that matter to Brattleboro. He speaks with more than superficial knowledge on these things and has concrete plans for trying to improve the town’s circumstances. (For evidence, watch the candidate forum on BCTV.)

On a personal level, a disturbing part of Biden’s calculus, and this stalemate, is recalling how my mother became increasingly stubborn and delusional as she progressed into her dementia through her eighties.  She would often make outlandish proclamations, boasts of grandeur, and throw tantrums, which I came to understand were common effects of her condition.

Joe Biden’s stance, digging in and rebuffing the skeptics has that intransigence, but also brings other unsettling questions. His claim to be ‘the only one who can…’(manage NATO, grow the Economy…) is not only Trump-like, but dismissive of the talent now relegated to the bullpen in his own party.

In the first televised presidential debate between JFK and Nixon- I’m not old enough to remember- the tide swung in favor of the more telegenic Kennedy, when Nixon’s candidacy went down awash in beads of face sweat and furtive glances.

In certain matters Americans are forgiving. Will Smith is back. Even Nixon was able to rise again. But in other matters we are an obstinate people. And irrational to boot. I don’t understand it, but have often observed the phenomena. Why are the optics of Jan 6th malleable? Why are Nazi’s back? The world can be mad and maddening, that fact goes back to antiquity.

Returning to the present moment. Biden’s debate performance is fixed in the collective mind, nothing can or will erase his frozen expression and underwater responses to softball opportunities. Leaving for now the conundrum of Biden’s opponent being a recidivist and deranged narcissist, the question becomes: are Americans willing to vote for a dead man over a return to Trumpian autocracy.