My bets are on Average Joe

If you’re like me, you’re probably salivating in anticipation of the Iowa caucuses. Can’t you just feel the excitement? Do you even know what I’m talking about? 

 For political junkies, the primaries are like the countdown to Christmas. The race for the White House officially begins on February 3rd, when Democrats begin the arduous, five-month-long process to select their presidential nominee.   

The horse race of American politics is long and at times painstaking, but it’s a marvel of democratic tradition. It’s an exercise in public engagement, with thousands of selfies (an unfortunate element of the new age) and heated debates.  

It’s all good, and hopefully the start of something better. It could spell the demise of Donald Trump in this fall’s election. 

That won’t be easy. Normally, a first-term president riding a strong economy and exuberant stock market would have no problem winning re-election. An incumbent has distinct advantages, and only in a worst-case scenario are they at risk of losing. 

This, however, is Trump’s worst-case scenario: A challenger who dares return normalcy back to the country. 

As a casual Canadian observer, I’ve been all over the map as to whom I’d support. All of the candidates have strengths, namely that they're not Donald Trump. The progressive wing of the party is represented by the likes of Elizabeth "I've got a plan" Warren, while the moderates are represented namely in their front-runner, Joe "steady-as-she-goes" Biden. And then there's  Bernie "I-won't-stop-for-a-heart-attack" Sanders...

While it must be tempting for many party members to hitch their wagon to the most visionary, boldest candidate, one who can enact the biggest social change (i.e. Sanders), I would argue this is not a typical change election. This is not 2008, when George W. Bush was mired in two wars and the stock market had just crashed. This is not 1980, when Jimmy Carter fought inflation, high interest rates and an Iranian hostage crisis.

 Despite the Mueller Report, the impeachment trial, and the millions of mindless tweets, the economic and social landscape does not favour a change election. This is a change the leader election. And if they make it to be anything more, I venture to guess Democrats will face yet another electoral college defeat. Only a few midwestern swing states counted in the 2016 election, and it's likely to be the same in 2020.

Which brings me back to Biden. I certainly have my doubts. I hate to be ageist, but it must play a role in his mangling of sentences and misstated facts. The presidency will be taxing for an 86-year-old, the age he’d be at the end of his second term. Biden also has flaws that he’s carried with him throughout his career, like saying stupid things and touching women inappropriately. But in this Trumpian era, perhaps it doesn’t matter? 

His gaffes haven’t hurt his popularity and he’s still a solid favourite among black voters. Maybe it’s a sign of our times, where we want a leader who doesn’t appear to be elite. We want an average Joe, and that’s exactly who he is. 

Reluctantly, I’ve come on board the Biden bandwagon, but only because I believe he has the best chance of victory. I hope he pulls it off, but here’s some unsought advice: Drink your Metamucil, wear warm socks, and take frequent naps (am I being ageist again?) Do everything in your powers to stay alert in front of the cameras, and for goodness sake, stop touching women like you’re their creepy uncle. 

Despite his shortcomings, what he will bring to the White House – and the world – is stability. What better alternative to an impulsive, self-obsessed teenager named Trump than a steady-as-she-goes octogenarian in the Oval Office.

He can nap at his desk daily for all I care.