Editor’s note: Damon Lindelof has been a significant contributor to Democrats up and down the ballot for years, including to the campaigns of President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden. However, after Biden’s stumbling debate performance last week, the Emmy-winning Lindelof writes that the Dems need to replace Biden soon if they want to have any chance of beating Donald Trump in November.
My name is Damon Lindelof. I am a lifelong Democrat and I love my complicated, glorious country. I am not writing this anonymously because I’m asking others in positions of influence to do the same. I don’t know if what I have to say will matter, but I know what my eyes and my ears and my heart tell me. I’ve been asleep at the wheel and it’s time to wake the fuck up.
There is a choice before us and the choice is this – Do we leave our pitcher on the mound or do we go to the bullpen for relief?
Our president’s debate performance has been characterized in many ways; disappointing, upsetting, terrifying… but for me it was simply game-changing. So yes, let’s go with the bullpen please. Let’s go with relief.
I voted for Joe. I wept when the election was called for him and whooped out of the windows of my wife’s car as she honked the horn in joy, the streets filled with revelers, all celebrating a return to decency. Joe is a good man and a great president. And he has risen to leadership despite a level of loss and suffering that would bring me to my knees. I believe in Joe Biden. I believe in him so much that we wrote him a sizeable check as recently as two weeks ago. We had to considering his opponent.
The liar. The cheater. The rapist. The felon. Immune, immune, immune, courtesy of the highest court in the land. If elected, he would replace the two most conservative justices on that court with two who are thirty years younger. Which means my teenaged son will be SEVENTY before there’s even a chance at a balanced court. So … what is the remedy for imbalance?
Checks.
Because the checks are what get us in the room where it happens. I wish that wasn’t true. I wish it was strength of character or viability of ideas. But it’s checks. Checks all the way down.
The checks give us access to power and it is power that is needed to persuade our pitcher to come out of the game, because dammit, even four runs down with the bases loaded and no outs, he still feels like he’s got good stuff. Yet we’re just here in the stands. We can shout as much as we want, but the pitcher will ignore us despite our checks. Fortunately, he’s not the only one we’re writing them to.
His teammates are right there next to him. If they can be compelled to walk over to the mound, not just one or two of them, but the manager and the catcher and the entire infield… maybe, just maybe, he will hand them the ball. And we can get our reliever in.
And so, I propose a DEMbargo. No checks written. No ActBlue links clicked. For anyone.
When a country is not behaving how we want them to, we apply harsh economic sanctions. It’s a give and take — Short term hurt for long term healing.
Is it misguided to punish the entire team for the stubbornness of the pitcher? Maybe. But it’s also common sense that if he stays in, they will also lose. A rising tide lifts all boats. A falling Biden sinks them.
Some will say it is too late. That no team has ever come back from four down in the ninth. To them I say HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SPORTS MOVIE?!?
Others will say it cannot be done. That our bullpen is so packed with talented pitchers it will be impossible to choose which one is ideal. To them I say, YOU’RE TELLING ME OUR PROBLEM IS TOO MANY GREAT PITCHERS?!? COME ON. LET’S GO!
I will admit, I am driven by the hubris implicit in thinking anything a Hollywood Elite says will matter to anyone. But I am also driven by purpose. And the polling. Oh God, the polling. He was behind before the debate. And it will not get better.
So it has to be now and we have to move fast.
When they text you asking for cash, text back that you’re not giving them a penny and you won’t change your mind until there’s change at the top of the ticket. And when Joe finally leaves the mound, I will stand and applaud. Because he truly pitched a great game.
But I’m ready to hear the walkout song for our closer. And once I do, I’m going to double the size of the checks… I’m going to write so many damn checks my hand will cramp.
God bless you for making it through this stream of conscientious consciousness … and God bless America.
