Macron fending off National Rally offers a lifeline for Biden

Sunday’s French election results had the world all atwitter. Polls had predicted Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally would win an “absolute majority.” That would’ve humiliated President Macron’s centrist alliance and a mishmash of leftist parties.

Instead, the New Popular Front, a rebranded leftist coalition, won the most seats; Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance came in second; and the National Rally finished dead last.

It’s clear why Biden might be salivating over this unexpected gift.

Polls schmolls: Don’t count chickens or measure drapes

Biden should argue that polls predicting a Trump victory are as reliable as a chocolate teapot. And it’s not just Sunday’s election results in France that should give one pause.

After all, if polls were as predictive as pontificating pundits and puling politicians would have you believe, Hillary Clinton would’ve been president in 2016, not Donald Trump. And in 2022, the predicted “red wave” of Republicans fell flat against a blue wall of Democrats.

He should argue further that the National Rally was pushing France towards the abyss, and the French people rallied to pull it back. And that, likewise, MAGA Republicans are pushing America towards the abyss, and the American people will rally in November to pull it back.

Yet Republicans are already “measuring the drapes” in the White House. Indeed, they’re more focused on implementing their neo-fascist Project 2025 agenda than actually winning. Cocky much?

Project 2025: Making America Gasp in Alarm (MAGA)

Project 2025 is a blueprint for turning American democracy into a Russian-style autocracy.

For his first term, Trump infamously delegated The Federalist Society to transform the judiciary to serve his interests. To see how well that’s serving him, one need only look at his appointed federal judge, Aileen Cannon, who continually defies precedent and reasoning to rule in his favor in the classified documents case.

But most notable is how his appointed Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, have revealed themselves as political hacks in judicial garb. Their rulings to roll back voting rights for Blacks and abortion rights for women are Trumpian enough. But they erased all doubt about their loyalty to Trump by granting him de facto immunity to escape justice and the legal authority to rule like an autocrat.

For his second term, Trump has delegated The Heritage Foundation to transform the “administrative state” to ensure that every government agency—from the military to the DOJ and Treasury—serves his interests. This foundation authored the infamous Project 2025, which reads like a how-to guide for aspiring autocrats:

• Exact revenge on political opponents, notably, Biden, Obama, and Hillary – a la “I am your retribution.”
• Slash healthcare for the poor to fund tax cuts for the rich.
• Round up and deport as many as 20 million undocumented Brown and Black people.

You’ve probably seen the foundation’s president, Kevin Roberts, on TV talking about a “second revolution” already underway. With a menacing smirk, he deadpans that this revolution could be bloodless—if only Democrats would kindly step aside. Newsflash: The Civil War would’ve been bloodless too if only the North had just stepped aside.

Biden: Between American democracy and Trumpian autocracy

Biden should hail the French people for voting a resounding “Non!” to extremism. He should then urge Americans to vote the same to Trumpism.

Indeed, Biden’s probably as relieved as Macron right now. He can use this French surprise to argue that polls mean nothing when it’s a choice between a defender of democracy like him and a stooge of Putin-style autocracy like Trump.

This analogy offers hope for despairing Democrats. And, given the clear and present danger a reelected Trump poses, they’ll take what they can get—even if it comes with a side of French fries.

To save face, take a cognitive test

Biden shouldn’t get too carried away. After all, the French people see in Macron a young, vibrant leader. Americans see in him a feeble, old man in the throes of dementia.

That’s why Biden should spend the next two weeks doing everything possible to convince Democrats to support his reelection. If he fails, he should end the circular firing squad and withdraw from the race.

I suggested earlier that he use a bike fall as a pretext. But, given the baying calls for him to take a cognitive test, doing that might provide a more convincing and sympathetic pretext.

No matter the results, Biden could say the test shows enough decline to make clear it would be ill-advised for him to even attempt another four-year term. He should then challenge Trump to take the same test, citing flubs that make Biden look like Cicero.

With that, he should endorse his VP Kamala Harris and urge Democrats to rally around her and her chosen VP to save American democracy.