(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Why Treat Biden Like a Woman? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-29 I didn't watch the recent debate, because I don't have a television. Over the years I find it's a good thing because I've gotten lots of work done. Partly because of the lack of such a readymade distraction, I seem to have developed a way of life that takes long term goals into greater focus. I'm grateful that my life isn't under constant rush, endless deadlines, bombarded with wave after wave of advertising distractions. I've had the time to work out what my priorities are, the difference between a need and a want, and live fairly simply. (I've never had children. That's a whole debate in and of itself.) Today I check out some online publications and videos and myoho mio! One less than stellar performance from President Biden on an early debate and there's a hullabaloo to chuck him overboard and nab anyone younger, experience and results be damned. It's like "We here at Acme Animal Shelter will never put a healthy dog down. But one cough and it goes in the lake." That much of this panic is led by many intelligent, much better informed, younger people has thrown into stark relief how we as older folk have utterly failed them. This failure could, at its worst, fail the human species. Progressives aren't as progressive as we like to think. Why? Because we're treating President Biden like a woman. This knee jerk hysteria isn't just ageist, but sexist as well. Let me explain. President Biden has, as his greatest strength, the quality called Soft Power. Unlike force, which serves to beat people down, Soft Power subtly allows people to use their hidden strengths, to perceive and recognize the basic human dignity of individuals who don't see things the way you do. Soft Power doesn't siphon off others into rigid ideological categories in a bid to nab total power for themselves. It works behind the scenes that enabled the Biden Administration to push through the CHIPS Act, the thousands of infrastructure projects, including the biggest investment of funding for green projects so far. Not to mention everything he's done to not only maintain strong relations with our international allies, but inspired them to unite to resist dictators like Putin from turning the whole world's clock back to 1956. The problem with Soft Power is that it seldom makes for great television viewing. Negotiating is boring. It's not full of riveting dramatic moments. Many results won't be obvious for years, even decades. That is where we older folk have failed the young ones. Look at the quote that starts this article. We as a society hasn't even got the attention span to think a week in advance, let alone seven generations. The aim of American life seems to be to work and work and work to get as much stuff as possible, then dump it all to get the newest version of the same stuff. Don't have all the latest stuff? Then you're worthless. Besides, Soft Power sounds so... feminine. From both the left and the right, the ideal leader needs hard "masculine" qualities like rigidness, bluster, no compromise, a my-way-or-highway (or concentration camp) approach to governing. Orders will not be questioned. Any dissent and you are an enemy who must be expunged. Because President Biden doesn't do that, he baffles left and right alike. Bluster is not his thing. Because he doesn't bluster, that must make him a woman. The challenge for every born woman today is that she is still not allowed the freedom to make honest mistakes on her path to human growth. Despite career and financial strides, she must be perfect from the start. Any tiny flaw, any slip of the tongue, and she will be hounded for the rest of her life, no matter what she does brilliantly (but her emails!). Of course, if she acts "like a man" that is an unforgivable offence. Hence we treat President Biden like a woman because he's not acting like a stereotypical man. He's chosen to act like a real complex human being. He knows his flaws. That is why he has surrounded himself with good people who truly appreciate working with him, like Secretary Of Defense, General Lloyd Austin; Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg: Secretary of the Interior Deborah Haaland, and so many more than I can remember off the top of my head. I've not heard any of them quitting during President Biden's first turn, unlike the revolving door of staff during the previous administration. President Biden won't single-handed give us every little thing we who want to live in the 21st century desire. How can we expect him to do that? What I believe is that President Biden, as his legacy to the next seven generations, works to lay down the solid foundation with which these seven generations will be able to build that better world ourselves. Here are the tools. Let's see what you can do. Give the Biden-Harris team a second term, and this foundation will have the time needed to grow so strong and essential that all the reactionary force cannot budge it. Let the media hullabaloo over Biden's performance in the debate make us all panic, not only would we toss the President overboard, but his entire cabinet as well. The foundation will be torn to shreds. "We at Acme Animal Shelter will never put a healthy dog down. But one cough and every dog in here goes in the lake." Allow the mainstream media to keep treating Biden like a woman, not only might there not be a seventh generation left for humankind, we might not make it to two. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/29/2249619/-Why-Treat-Biden-Like-a-Woman?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web 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/