(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Polls Say Dems Want Alternative To Biden. Or do they? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-31 Today I saw another poll which claims to show that Democratic primary voters would support someone other than Biden as our nominee in 2024. These polls are just plain dumb-dumb. Here’s why: I like calamari. AlthoughI like it better as food than as a social companion. When calamari is on the menu at a restaurant, I often order it. However, if someone asked me in a poll if I’d rather have Calamari or any other food in the world, I’m afraid I’d have to kneel down and say adieu to those sweet golden tentacles, which now that I write it, does seem like a weird ritual. But the point remains that while I like fried squid a lot, it is not my absolute favorite food of all foods in the world and I can certainly conjure up other foods which I’d clearly prefer. Kohlrabi for example. My Parable of the Kohlrabi (trademark protected) illustrates the problem we see with the recent stories accompanying Joe Biden’s re-election announcement. Inevitably the coverage of the campaign kick-off is accompanied by a poll. And while there is dubious value to a poll about a race that isn’t fully formed where the first votes won’t be cast for five months, they always include one question that would be dumb no matter when it was asked. It is always a version of “Would you like to see someone other than Joe Biden in 2024?” This question is essentially an invitation to take an imperfect human being and ask if you would prefer a perfect human being instead. Not a specific perfect human being, because of course, such a thing doesn’t exist, except of course Anita, who turned me town for my high school senior prom. Why Anita! WHY??? The question would make some sense if the pollster asked if you are happy with Joe Biden or would you prefer Marianne Williamson, or Robert Kennedy Jr., the only announced alternatives for the Democratic nomination. At least then it would be a fair comparison between Biden’s known strengths and flaws versus the known strengths and flaws of the alternatives. A voter might think “Well, Biden is slow on reversing Trump’s immigration policies, but RFK thinks that Bill Gates is putting a microchip in my arm that will enable me to fly”, and make an informed choice. But that’s not the question asked. You are instead asked to choose between Biden and “somebody” else. And the word “somebody” is doing a lot of work. There are a lot of people who would qualify as “somebody”. For example, the other declared Democratic candidates are somebody. But not only them. Bernie Sanders is somebody, as are most of the New York Knicks, and members Portsmouth, New Hampshire Bald Men’s Kickball League. So are the Visigoths who pillaged much of northern Europe during antiquity. Also, my cousin Skylar, along with (and you can imagine me doing my Sam Kinnison impersonation here) EVERY OTHER HUMAN BEING WHO HAS EVER LIVED! “SOMEBODY” MEANS EVERYBODY. AUGGG!! If I am asked to decide between Biden, and any other human being in history, the choice becomes easy, and not to Biden’s advantage. Everybody who is asked this question naturally conjures up the one person in the world they would most like to see as president. Some may say Bernie Sanders, or Elizabeth Warren, or some other theoretical candidate who, while plausible, isn’t actually running. Some people will look off into the distance wistfully and say that they prefer Barack Obama, who not only isn’t running, but isn’t even constitutionally eligible. And it’s not necessary that the person you tell a pollster you’d prefer to Biden even be alive. For example, who would I pick if I could make anyone president? I’d give serious thought to Franklin Roosevelt, or George Washington or David Bowie (I really loved the Hunky Dory Album). Some would prefer a religious figure, such as Jesus Christ, Allah or Zeus (my personal favorite). Or, who wouldn’t want a President Joan of Arc, or her equally courageous, but less touted brother, Harvey of Ark? Even if I was limited to people who were alive, I could certainly think of people I’d prefer to Biden. For example…ME!! I’ll pick some sereious-ass Supreme Court Justices. Plus, I’d LOVE to have a motorcade! I’ve always dreamed of having one. In fact, when I first got my license I made my mom pull out of the driveway behind me and follow me with an American flag attached to the hood of her car every time I drove to Pep Boys to get Motor Oil. Since the question is an open-ended one and doesn’t require the respondent to actually identify anyone specific, we have no idea how fanciful, or preposterous, or dead the people others prefer to Biden may be. In fact, I find myself perplexedf by the people who respond that they actually DO prefer Biden over “someone else”. Really? I mean, I think Biden’s done a great job and may even go down in history as a transformative president. But out of the 117 billion people who have ever been born, there’s not ONE you would prefer? We’re getting into some serious cult-like personality worship here. The point is (for those who bet their friends that there wasn’t one, time to pay up!) that almost everybody is going to prefer some chimerical vision of the perfect, flawless president to any actual, flesh and blood, imperfect incumbent. But as Joe Biden himself has famously said, “Don’t compare me to the almighty. Compare me to the alternative”. That’s fair. And real alternatives are what polls should reflect. Not fantasies and pipe dreams. Nobody can measure up to those. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/31/2190728/-Polls-Say-Dems-Want-Alternative-To-Biden-Or-do-they Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/