Biden Should Declassify "Jaw-Dropping" Trump-Egypt Bribe Intelligence

The public has a right to know, but will never get a chance to if Trump wins

(Photo by Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Council/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The history-making news developments of the past month have forced American liberals to think long and hard about the relative risks of competing scenarios. What if Democrats stick with Joe Biden, though he is clearly losing and unable to campaign effectively? If Biden ends his candidacy and endorses Kamala Harris, will the benefits of handing the party over to a younger standard bearer offset the lost advantages of incumbency? Will they be swamped by racism and sexism in society?

Which is lower risk: for Harris to select a running mate who appeals to every faction of the Democratic coalition (Tim Walz?) or one who has some detractors, but is extremely popular in the must-win swing state of Pennsylvania (Josh Shapiro)?

The difficulty with questions like these is they have no certain answers. We will only run this race one time, and will thus never know what might have been. But it’s still obviously important for leading Democrats to weigh the costs and benefits of these options and then make responsible, clear-headed decisions—the consequences of miscalculating could, after all, result in a second Donald Trump presidency and the end of American democracy.

And that’s by and large what I, with great admiration, think they’ve done.

If the weeks since the Trump-Biden debate have taught us anything it’s that this upper echelon of Democratic Party leaders and elites has immense sway over events, quite apart from material distribution, policy objectives, or the state of the economy. Biden’s debate performance, his decision to drop out of the race, and Harris’ determination to hit the ground running all underscore the importance of performance, choreography, and information in politics. A new candidate running a different kind of race under identical conditions was able to turn things around almost instantly. Harris is there because party leaders chose to act. The things they do, say, and choose to emphasize can sum to the difference between being losing and winning. And they clearly want to win.

Yet eight years into the Trump era, and two weeks into the Harris er, they have not accepted that this logic applies generally.

DENIAL IN EGYPT

Consider this not-exactly-hypothetical scenario: