EPISODE 925: POLITICS, UM, WOW

Also, Hi Barbie! Happy Anniversary!

Hi and welcome to Pop Culture Spirit Wow, the Substack that rarely writes about politics because at this point anything you say is out of date tomorrow. I’d introduce myself but I barely know who I am I’m so exhausted from trying to keep up.

One thing it seems like we can say for certain: This is going to be an election like none other in our lifetimes. Let’s get into it.

---

THE WOWND UP

Never has the title of this section been more fitting. Just 3 ½ weeks ago, President Joe Biden’s performance debating the other guy shook pretty much everyone, radically changing the shape of the conversation around the upcoming election. Despite his opponent having been a recent convicted felon with a history of among other things sedition and attempted election theft, no one could talk about anything but whether or not Biden was fit to lead.  

An interview just two weeks ago with George Stephanopoulos did little to reassure many of those who were now concerned. One week later Donald Trump was shot at and injured at a rally. He was carried away raising his fist and shouting “Fight.” No one should ever be shot at, even former presidents who have made inciting violence kind of their whole thing, but good Lord.

Since then in rapid succession we’ve had the announcement of J.D. Vance as his vice presidential candidate; the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which every local I know was terrified to get anywhere near; Biden getting Covid, cancelling his press appearances, and finally yesterday announcing he would not run for reelection and backing his vice president Kamala Harris. Whether or not the electors will simply fall in line, or whether we all live to see tomorrow, remains to be seen.

I don’t feel qualified to say what should happen next beyond that people should not vote for a convicted felon and American seditionist who thinks God saved his life so that he could be president again, and also I want #KamalaCouture to catch on.

But here’s my little dream.

THROW OUT THE MACHINE PLAYBOOK

I think there’s going to be some strong instincts to get everything under control fast in terms of candidate and message. And while I see the rationale for that, I think too much clarity and polish too fast would be a mistake. We’ve all been sitting right here watching; we know everything is a mess. Don’t feel like you have hide that. Acknowledge it. We’re all exhausted already. We’d be grateful for a moment to catch our breaths.

SEE THE NEXT MONTH AS AN OPPORTUNITY

In a strange way the Democrats have a great opportunity here. The Republican Convention is over. And until the Democrats officially name a candidate, the attention will tend to stay on them.  

I’d love to see the Democrats use that interest to let a bunch of different people from the party talk about the America that they see, and the America that they want. They don’t even have to be all the biggest name national figures—honestly I don’t need to hear from Chuck Schumer right now, or the Democratic leadership. I know what they have to say.

But give us some great Democrats that we don’t hear so much from; give us people from all over the country, state reps and schoolteachers and mayors and librarians and tech geniuses and janitors and cartoonists who can talk about the America that the Democratic party stands for. Basically, take this time to get the country excited about the party as a much bigger organization. Don’t focus on The Candidate too soon.

LET THE CONVENTION BE WHAT IT WAS MEANT TO BE

If the Democrats were to spend the next month giving the spotlight to lots of their shining lights and offering a vision of America to believe in, then the convention really can be the mountaintop experience where Harris is named and celebrated and sent forth to lead her party into this fight for the future of America.

I’m not opposed to the convention actually functioning as the place in which a candidate is chosen, either, if someone else emerges over the course of the month as a more compelling voice. But that’s definitely a high wire act. There’s no room for Democrats to spend the next month bickering with each other on television.

SHOW THE AMERICA WE ARE, THE AMERICA WE CAN BE

I heard someone say recently that Harris should run with Pete Buttigieg. And you know, although I didn’t really resonate with Buttigieg four years ago when he ran for president, I think there is something very powerful to the idea of presenting a ticket that itself offers a vision of America that actually looks like America, and maybe one that represents the America of our better angels.

Assuming that the Democrats don’t nominate some other 80-year-old white man—Aaron Sorkin suggested in the Times today that they should pick Mitt Romney, which was hilarious (he’s 77)—the face of the ticket is going to be very, very different than the Republicans are offering. That’s a huge selling point. So lean into it.

I am so here for this.

I’d go farther and say the Democratic candidate should immediately lay out a whole cabinet. Don’t just give us a president and vice president to rally around. That’s an idea that got kicked around a bit last term, and it’s very much how parliamentary governments work. You know who the secretary of state is going to be, the secretary of defense, etc. when you’re voting. Again, it speaks to an understanding of the Party as not just a person, but as a big tent. Also, it gives us that much more to be excited about. So give us Stacey Abrams, give us Deb Haaland, give us Gretchen Whitmer, give us Chris Murphy. Don’t just talk about America. Show us.

---

I fully expect the Democrats to announce tomorrow that Kamala Harris is the candidate and make this immediately irrelevant. But hey, it was fun to think about!

---

MEMES OF WOW

Some great reactions out there today.

This one is the most incredible of all.

Yes, that’s right, today is the first anniversary of the release of the Barbie movie, which featured in its cast Issa Rae as the Black female president Barbie.

IT ALREADY HAPPENED AMERICA, JUST GO WITH IT.

---

THANKS, JOE

You know the other thing I’m finding out there today? The unexpected return of the classic Biden/Obama memes.

These Biden memes highlight the other thing about all this that is wonderful. With the question of the next election behind Biden, the country can now to return to celebrating him for his willingness to step in and run for president in his late 70s in the first place, and then that he was able to accomplish so much with his team. After the prior four years it’s actually astonishing that he was able to to bring back a normal functioning democratically-elected government (even if things like the Supreme Court continued to run a shadow government of their own for the last administration). And he did it in the midst of Covid.

Some presses are running with how Biden is the first president since LBJ not to run for a second term. Which is so apples and oranges it’s cantaloupes and papayas. The man is 81, the oldest anyone running for president has ever been. And honestly, did anyone voting for him the first time think this guy’s got 8 years in him?

No. We thought, maybe this guy can beat Trump and save the country from absolute ruin. And he did. And I’m glad in his final months in office we’ll be able to celebrate him for that, and so much more. He really has given so much.

---

---

I had a whole other thing planned for today when the Biden news dropped, so I’m going to save it for a little later this week.

Meanwhile, given that it is the not only such a historic day, but the first anniversary of Barbie, here’s the Oscar-winning “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie. One of my favorites.