The dueling campaign emails that landed in my inbox back to back Monday afternoon captured the whipsaw essence of this ridiculous race.
"Joe Biden is dropping out of the race!" the email from former President Donald Trump's campaign declared. "You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. It can happen at any moment."
President Joe Biden's campaign offered this counter-declaration from him in an email nine minutes later:
"Let me be clear: I'm running. I'm the Democratic Party's nominee. No one is pushing me out. I'm not leaving."
Both asked for donations that they said they need to beat the other guy. But Biden is also asking for something else from his supporters – the kind of pass Republicans give Trump and his troubled bid for a second term.
That's a tall order. I'm not so sure Biden catches that kind of a break from Democrats seriously freaked out by his disastrous debate performance, followed by days of limited, scripted appearances and then a 22-minute ABC News interview that did nothing to reset his campaign.
There's a reason for that, which probably seems unfair to many Democrats hoping Biden stays in the race. The Democratic Party these days holds its candidates far more accountable than the Republican Party does. Sorry, but politics has never been an endeavor rooted in a foundation of fair play.
You know who can change that approach to candidates? Democrats.
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