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To the Editor:

“Democrats should run as if we’re 10 points behind, not even, so that enthusiasm can be lifted up.” This piece of advice was given recently by Donna Brazile, former interim chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, during a Huff Post interview.

A new CNN poll shows President Biden’s job approval rating at 30 percent. By the way, in the aforestated interview, Brazile gave Biden kudos on numerous fronts and policy positions amid many concerns about Biden’s age and mental and physical competence.

Although numerous political pundits acknowledge that the President has accomplished many tasks, his message touting those accomplishments are not resonating appreciably among those who see inflation, high grocery prices, and vicissitudes in gas prices as major concerns.

Indeed, Biden needs to borrow some sagacity from FDR, LBJ, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, all former presidents who communicated well to the general populace.

Biden deserves much credit for finding clever ways to circumvent the US Supreme Court within the context of helping the poor and middle class. When the Court struck down Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loans for individuals making under $125,000 a year, Biden used his authority to cancel student loans through a one-time IDR (Income Driven Repayment) administrative fix. This pertains to students who have been making payments for 20 or 25 years. Further, many of us learned that some folks awoke one day and realized that tens of thousands of dollars were discharged. I know one person whose student loan obligation of over $90,000 was eliminated, thanks to Biden-Harris.

It is clear that the highest court in the land is comprised of six ultraconservative political hacks who overtly place politics over legal principles and the US Constitution. For example, the Court’s overturning Roe v. Wade, which has been settled precedent since 1973, tainted the Court in, arguably, irreparable ways.

In terms of age-related concerns, conventional wisdom holds that an 82-year-old President may be a safer choice than one who has been twice impeached and indicted multiple times. Furthermore, multiple political scientists and presidential historians (like Michael Beschloss, Jon Meacham, and Doris Kearns Goodwin) believe that a return of Donald Trump to the White House might mark the beginning of the end of our Democracy. After all, wasn’t Trump implicated in foiled efforts to overthrow the US government on January 6, 2020? In any event, we sometimes have to play the card hand we are dealt.

Institutionally, it would be difficult–if not impossible–at this time to expect the DNC to support a progressive, formidable challenger (like RFK, Jr.) to oppose Trump, who is likely to be the national standard bearer for the Republican Party in 2024, unless he is found in a federal prison cell.

Keith W. Cooper

Greenville