You use “identity politics” throughout when what you’re really talking about is representation. You pose a false dichotomy between “identity” and the “issues” when it’s not so easy to disentangle the two. Sure, it’s true that the electorate might not view a candidate’s age, race and gender as being disqualifying but nevertheless people do vote on the issues based on their interests as minority groups.

When you say the media will be unkind to Biden, you’re right, but they won’t just focus on the superficial aspects. They’ll (rightly) focus on the crime bill, his opposition to busing, his chummy relationship with Strom Thurmond, and of course, his decades of being on the wrong side of the abortion debate. These are all substantive issues that don’t just boil down to some woke “straight white man bad” routine.