This was the question Joe Biden was asked by an Iowa college student today, and, of course, his answer got him in trouble. I say “of course” since getting him in trouble was the sole purpose of asking him in the first place. After all, it wasn’t as if the asker really didn’t know the answer and was just sincerely hoping Uncle Joe could enlighten her.
Now, I realize that all GOML readers are extremely woke, maybe even woker than anyone else, but I’ll bet most of you didn’t know the right answer to this question off the top of your heads any more than Biden did. In fact, I’ll bet most of you thought to yourselves, “well, the answer can’t possibly be two genders as that would be too obvious and not nearly tricky enough to embarrass a Democratic candidate”.
OK, so how many genders are there?
Well, before you have a chance to Google it and then pretend you knew it all along, I’ll give you a fighting chance with a multiple-choice test. Pick one:
A) 5
B) 58
C) 81
D) All of the above
The correct answer is “D) All of the above”. Click on the links given for A through C to find out how each is correct.
Biden’s answer in the moment was “At least three”, which you would think would satisfy the average Democrat, though “gender is a spectrum” is now the preferred way to skirt this silly trap. Obviously, the average Republican would mock him for saying anything other than, “Of course there are only two genders no matter what you hear on the fake news or in the lamestream media”. And mock they did.
If the asker was pro-Trump, you have to give her credit for scoring some points for her side. If she simply preferred one of the other Democrats now running and wanted to diminish Biden to aid her choice, it’s just depressing, not to mention stupid.
Earlier this year, I wrote a post that some read as some sort of endorsement of Biden. It wasn’t. I do not think Biden is the best choice we have for the next president. There are several, even many, other candidates still running who I would rather see leading the country, and I could name a few people who aren’t running as well. But our choice will not be which of these 20 should we elect. The choice will be Trump or one other person.
Single-issue voters on the left must abandon their narrow interests and pull together behind the strongest, i.e. most electable, candidate. Now is not the time for any potential Democratic voter to try to diminish any of the other candidates still standing. Even the most gender-clueless Democrat will serve the “I-only-care-about-gender-issues” voter better than Trump over the next four years.
Here at GOML, our view is that obviously any alternative would be preferable to Trump. But it is not up to us. It is up to the swing voters in a very few states, specifically white suburban and rural voters in a few mid-western states who voted for Obama in 2012 and Trump in 2016.
If you want to really get down in the weeds and find out why the electoral math makes this true, have a listen to this NYT podcast with Nate Cohn, who makes a convincing case that the election will be won or lost in Milwaukee, that Biden stands the best chance of anyone to beat Trump, and that the smart money is still on Trump.
The point of today’s post is simple if a bit harsh: if the issue that you care most about in life is not one that resonates with the farmers and blue collar voters in Wisconsin, you will ultimately make far more progress for your cause by just shutting up about it until after the election.
Get Off My Lawn 