Biden’s irrelevance

OPINION:

Washington is abuzz with talk of President Biden being replaced as the Democratic candidate. Wagers are being laid over the slate of potential substitutes, with odds on the Big Guy sticking it out to the end decreasing fast.

Instead of seeking advice from the party faithful about what to do, a handful of Democratic National Committee elites will meet in a back room somewhere to make up their minds about appointing (or not appointing) a Democratic successor in the least democratic way possible.

This may seem like a momentous and historic decision, but it will have no impact on the lives of ordinary Americans. The economy, crime and immigration will be central themes on Election Day — the polling says as much. Regardless of whose name appears at the top of the Democratic ticket, the candidate is going to advance the same leftist agenda.

That’s an agenda that has sent the price of everyday items skyrocketing, that has made it unsafe to walk suburban streets at night and that has opened our southern border to invasion.

These issues are interrelated. Allowing anyone to hop over the border from the far ends of the planet without vetting is contributing to the surge in crime. A Pew Research poll earlier this year found 78% of Americans think the border situation has become a crisis, and 57% believe this has resulted in more crime.

Democrats are deliberately importing foreigners they believe will become reliable voters as soon as they’re given amnesty — if not sooner. But each of these trespassers also needs a place to stay. With millions flooding in unchecked each year, it’s not hard to see how that’s leading to the disappearance of affordable housing.

This cruel policy has snatched the American dream away from America’s youngest. A Wharton School study from February found nearly half of Americans aged 18 to 29 were living with their parents — a figure not seen since the Great Depression.

The other reason everything from housing to fast food is more expensive under Democrats is their penchant for buying votes with taxpayer dollars. The federal government will spend $6.8 trillion this year while taking in $4.9 trillion. That means Mr. Biden will just add $2 trillion to the $34.7 trillion pile of debt, printing up as many greenbacks as it takes to cover the shortfall.

This is why a buck doesn’t go nearly as far as it used to. Adding to the woes for retailers, Democratic leaders at the state and local level have given a green light to shoplifters and other low-level criminals to steal as much as they want — up to $950 per outing — without fear of incarceration.

Ordinary Americans are fed up with the insanity, but their views aren’t of much concern to the powers pulling the strings at the DNC. Whether the power brokers allow President Biden to continue or they entertain dreams of a President Kamala Harris, President Gavin Newsom or President Michelle Obama, the economy will still be a basket case, the border will be wide open and crime will be rampant.

Change is possible only by rejecting the choice of the undemocratic elites — whoever that choice might be.