Biden and Trump: Who is the Enemy?

let's look a the voters pamphlet

You all know that, as far as I am concerned, politics is explained by Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt’s notion of the political as the distinction between friend and enemy.

Here in Washington State we voters have just received our Voter’s Pamphlet for the March 12 Presidential Primary. So I wondered what the Candidates’ Statements could tell us on the distinction between friends and enemies.

First President Joe Biden’s enemies:

“When President Biden ran in 2002, he said we were in a battle for the soul of America — and we still are.”

“Where they passed the first major federal legislation to reduce gun violence in decades, they want to finish the job and ban assault weapons[.]”

“And where they finally made the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share, they believe we need to do the same for billionaires.”

Then President Joe Biden’s friends:

“Where they lowered prescription drug prices and capped insulin at $35 for seniors, they plan to lower prescription drug costs for all Americans.”

“[P]assed legislation to lower costs for working people.”

Now President Donald Trump’s enemies:

“I could not sit by and watch career politicians continue bleeding this country dry and allow other nations to take advantage of us on trade, borders, foreign policy, and national defense.”

“As president I took on every powerful special interest…”

And President Donald Trump’s friends:

“Our populist movement to Make America Great Again is the only force on earth that will lead our country back to safety, prosperity and peace.”

“Together, we will finish the job of saving our country once and for all and raise the net generation of strong American Patriots and Leaders.”

So, Biden’s enemies are gun owners and corporations and billionaires, and Trump’s enemies are career politicians and special interests.

On the friends front, Biden is your friend because he’s lowering costs for workers and drug prices for seniors. Trump is your friend because you and he are in this together. That’s an interesting difference, because Biden’s your friend because he shells out for you; Trump’s your friend because you and he are in this together.

I think I now understand why billionaires are all in bed with the Democrats. It’s all in Sun Tzu:

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

After all, one fine day, the Democrats might decide to actually start beating up on billionaires not named Trump or Musk.

What, you may ask, do the Chinese know about enemies? Just this. In 2000 BC, according to Francis Fukuyama in The Origins of Political Order, China had about 3,000 “polities.” In 221 BC the whole of China came under the rule of the Qin dynasty. So, the number of enemies came down from 3,000 to zero in a mere 1,800 years. Well, OK. No enmies in China. But then don’t forget the barbarians.