#Election2020: Will We See Tonight the Greatest Act of Joe Biden’s Political Life?
Yesterday, with the windows from DC to Beverly Hills being boarded up to protect from post-election violence, leftist politicians and organizations encouraging chaos, with the Biden campaign insisting there is absolutely no way a victor will be declared tonight, with doom and mayhem locked into the forecast for the coming days, I had an absolutely silly image. One of those silly things that pops into my brain uninvited.
It’s Election Night.
Joe Biden’s Delaware basement is abuzz with countless calls to and from lawyers and street muscle, trying to angle and force the counting of bad ballots, pressuring polling sites to remain open past closing time until every last person, sober or otherwise, is dragged or bribed into voting Democratic. The election map is covered in a sea of red, but for a couple swing states not yet called. Rachel Maddow — her face downcast because she knows darn well how those states really went — is on MSNBC declaring, “It’s not over yet, folks!” The Soros-funded Pennsylvania Attorney General is on CNN announcing a whole mess of uncounted ballots has been found in a warehouse in South Philly. Hillary Clinton is playing on a loop on a third screen, shouting, “Do not concede under any circumstance!”
“We’re going to win this thing for ya’, Joe!” says Jill Biden, turning around. “Joe? Joe?”
Holy Trunalimunumaprzure! Joe’s nowhere to be found! He has shuffled away unseen from his handlers like Tim Conway on The Carol Burnett Show.
As Joe’s handlers try to figure out where he’s gone, Donald Trump suddenly pops up on all the TV screen. He’s got some news. Then throughout the Biden basement his handlers hear the unmistakable, if slurred sound of Joe Biden conceding the 2020 Presidential Race. What?!?!?!
Biden graciously congratulates President Trump for his re-election to the White House.
Donald Trump resists the urge to congratulate Biden on his re-election to the Senate.
What Trump does say is drowned out by the panicked screams of Biden staffers.
“Does he have any idea what he’s done?!?!?” shouts one. “He hasn’t had any idea what he’s been doing for months,” mutters another, already preparing to start the finger pointing over who’s to blame for the Democrats’ loss.
Meanwhile, Jill Biden, Kamala, the media, DNC, Antifa, BLM and Big Tech are flabbergasted. Here we are trying to drag this thing out, and Joe’s gone and wrecked it.
The only question is, can they convince Joe to retract the concession? But alas, he’s gone to bed.
I allowed myself a little chuckle at the image, and moved on with the serious business of the day. Fun time was over. After all, the polls were still saying Biden was going to win. And the great political analyst Yogi Berra taught, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Joe Biden’s Greatest Political Act
When I woke up this morning, I was hit with a Holy Spirit prompting. What I meant for silly, God meant as serious. He does that with me sometimes. Gives me something seemingly frivolous when He knows there’s a deeper meaning underneath.
At this hour, nobody knows what the results will be tonight. But it is increasingly looking as if Donald Trump could well win re-election. The Biden campaign is already starting to say things like Biden “still has a path to 270,” even if he loses Florida and Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton is tweeting “Do not lose heart. (Vote)”
The assumption is if Trump looks to be the victor, all hell is going to break loose. Those streets in Democratic cities aren’t being boarded up because of a pending hurricane. There is one way that doesn’t happen, or at least not to the degree people are expecting: If Joe Biden does what Hillary Clinton proved incapable of doing. If Joe Biden offers a gracious concession speech and shuts down all talk of voter suppression or recounts or waiting days and weeks to confirm the election.
For Joe Biden to do this, to defy those around him who would rather see the streets in flames than accept the will of the people, would be the single greatest, most beneficial act of his half century in public life. If he is serious about wanting to unite the nation, that’s the way he could do it.
Joe Biden is clearly not the man he was. So predicting his actions is not easy. Predicting just how controlled he is by others is even harder. But the old Joe, the genial Joe, the one who routinely reached across the aisle, would be one who would concede rather than fight for the sake of fighting. There is also the Joe Biden who during this campaign routinely told voters if they didn’t like what he was saying “Go vote for someone else.” He never really looked happy to be in the race or excited about the prospect of actually being president.
I sense if defeat looks inevitable, even if not all the votes are counted, Joe Biden will step up to the plate. He will do the right thing for the country.
He will go old school and encourage his voters to acceptance of the results. He will deflate some of the anger. He will fulfill his campaign pledge to help unite the country. (And I suspect, for the first time this election season, Joe Biden will look at ease.)
If Joe does this, and Donald Trump redoubles his efforts to be gracious and unifying in victory, we could have a post-election worthy of our history and hopeful for our future.
Dear Lord, let graciousness rule this night and beyond.
Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream and co-author, with @JZmirak, of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration. You can follow him at @StreamingAl. And if you aren’t already, please follow The Stream at @Streamdotorg.