Biden Will Not Complete First Term
“I’ll tell you why,” Rob replied enthusiastically, “It’s because Biden is the only one looking out for Latin-X voters.”
Juan threw his empty can into the recycling box. Standing, he indicated that he was ready to tackle the fence project and that Rob should join him. “Rob,” he uttered his neighbor’s name with a thick layer of sarcasm. “You come to all my parties and drink all my beer. Have you ever heard a real Mexican say ‘Latin-X’? That’s not how we talk about things.”
Rob shrugged off the mild rebuke. “You gotta start learning to think big picture, amigo,” Rob also discarded his empty can into the recycling box. “Instead of thinking just of your social or peer group, you need to think in broad terms about people with shared values.”
Juan stood and retrieved his post-hole digger, “Why?”
“Well,” Rob considered the question as he walked to a spot on the ground beneath the stringline and indicated the place for a new post. “We have to do so much more than defeat the Republicans. Working together, we have to seize this opportunity to ‘Build Back Better,’ you know?”
Juan marked a spot on the ground beneath the string line and then planted the post-hole digger. He grimaced, not from physical exertion, but from the conflicting thoughts about the migrants coming across the border. “What does Build Back Better mean?” he asked, shoving the string aside with his leg and bringing the tool down on the desert soil with a thump.
“At the most basic level, it’s a budget reconciliation bill,” Rob fairly bubbled with enthusiasm as he began explaining the complex legislation. “It’s one half of Biden’s 3.5 trillion-dollar domestic agenda. The first part is focused mainly on rebuilding infrastructure, while the second part revolves around social policies and programs like healthcare, housing, education, and fighting climate change. It’s aspirational! You’ve got to imagine a better future for yourself and your family.”
Juan began to regret engaging Rob in this line of conversation. He knew from long experience that his friend could talk about arcane policy for hours on end. So he moved to cut him off before he was dragged too much further down this path. “Yeah, but I don’t know. Do you think Biden’s gonna make it? I mean, he’s so old. Is he even going to run for president again?”
Rob brought up a plastic wheelbarrow and shoveled the excess dirt out of Juan’s way. “Yeah, I’m worried about that too,” he admitted, “Biden has become a laughingstock. I mean, the way he fumbles his words at speeches and then has trouble finding his way off the stage. He’s becoming a liability to the party.”
Juan nodded his head as he returned to his excavating work. The rhythmic chunk and swoosh of his efforts rapidly deepening the hole. “So, you don’t think he’s gonna make it?”
“I mean, anything is possible,” Rob considered the question. “He might decide to step down for the sake of the party. He might get sick. He might even get impeached if the damned Republicans get their way.”
“Then watcha gonna do?” Juan asked. He’d noticed Rob was spending more time talking than working.
“I don’t know, I kind of like Gavin Newsom,” Rob responded thoughtfully.
Juan’s post-hole digger slammed down again, hitting something hard and unyielding as if he’d slammed the blades down on concrete. “You mean that governor from California? I didn’t think he was even running.”
“He’s not… officially,” a conspiratorial gleam came into Rob’s eye, “but I think he’s been running a stealth campaign.” Then Rob noticed that Juan had stopped working, “What’s the matter?”
“I hit caliche.” Caliche is the dense, calcium-filled soil common throughout the American Southwest that is extremely difficult to dig through.
“Figures,” Rob commented in disgust. “Want me to get the hose? Maybe some water will soften it up?”
“No.” Juan had been working in Arizona for decades. “That just makes it worse. I’ve got a Makita in my truck. It’ll break through this easy.”
The Makita power hammer was a small electric jackhammer. Juan carried it up from his truck while Rob ran an extension cord from the back of his house to the fence line. Before Juan began, he asked, “How can you vote for Gavin Newsom if he’s not even running?”
Rob leaned on his shovel as he watched, “That’s because, unlike the Republicans, the Democrats have what’s called ‘Super-Delegates.’ These are the people who ultimately decide who is going to be on the Democratic ticket. I see Joe Biden running until he’s gained all the delegate votes, and then, at the last minute, he will step aside for some reason.”
“How does that bring Newsom in?” Juan frowned.
“Aha!” Rob raised a finger to the sky, “If that happens, the Super-Delegates have the power to select anyone they want, even if they weren’t running before.”
“Are you kidding me?” Juan depressed the levers, activating the powerful tool. He leaned his weight into it and felt the steel tip chisel its way through the hardpan. That doesn’t seem right.