In an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe – which faithful viewers know is a de facto cheerleading squad for Joe Biden and his presidential campaign – the former vice president revealed this week that if President Trump mocks his age or questions his mental state in a presidential debate, he has his response ready. And before I reveal the response, let it be apparent to all reading that some of y’all’s “Uncle Joe” really thought he nailed his reply. Bless his heart.

“I’d say, ‘C’mon Donald, c’mon man. How many push-ups do you want to do here, pal?’” Biden answered. “I mean, jokingly. . . . C’mon, run with me, man.”

I won’t question Biden’s level of agility at this stage in life, but I will confirm that no matter how old he is, his ability to agitate remains in astoundingly good form.

The question was asked in reference to Biden’s lackluster performance at the first Democratic presidential primary debate, which featured Senator Kamala Harris directly challenging him on his citation of working with segregationists. Lest we forget, Biden and these men worked together on anti-bussing legislation, and the memory of that led Uncle Joe to talk nostalgically of a more “civil” period in the Senate.

In other words, whether or not Statler can do more push-ups than Waldorf is irrelevant to the matter at hand. If you are Joe Biden – someone who launched his campaign on the subtext that the current White House occupant’s bigotry is an aberration to the presidency – there is valid reason to wonder that if you are the best person to challenge Trump in a general election, given you struggle to understand why talking in a misty-eyed way about that “civil” era could be construed as incredibly offensive.

Instead, Biden wants to either jog it off or do more push-ups than the sitting president. As if Trump would even take such bait; if anything, he would kick Biden as soon as he hits the floor. C’mon man, indeed.

Someone ought to sit Joe Biden down and explain to him that you cannot bro your way to the presidency. Granted, he’s within his right to try, but is this really want any of us should be looking for in a presidential successor? Donald Trump is emblematic of most of America’s lasting sins – racism and sexism – restored to their traditionally high levels.

Joe Biden may not be the monster that Trump is, but is he the best answer to the cultural norms that allowed him to exist and fester until the stench became too unbearable for some to tolerate? Joe Biden, who apologizes for making women physically uncomfortable only to swiftly mock their expressed discomfort? Joe Biden, who takes weeks to apologize for speaking chummily about segregationists only to still make the black woman who called him on it the villain? Joe Biden, who thinks the best way to answer inquiries about his capabilities in light of that confrontation is to act like he’s the special guest star in an old episode of Saved By The Bell?

Alas, Joe Biden represents many things to people all the same. He is fortunate in that not only does he embody the traditional attributes associated with power – his whiteness, his maleness, his age – but he is associated with the singular example that differs from it.

In the recent Washington Post op-ed “We need someone who can lift us up again. Enter President Obama,” columnist Karen Tumulty recalled the words Barack Obama said as he accepted the Democratic nomination for president in 2008: “Tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land: Enough. This moment – this election – is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive.”

Tumulty went on to write: “President Obama, what we need more than anything else right now is someone who can lift the country’s sights again.”

“Find your voice again. Reclaim your legacy. Do it now. It won’t wait until your memoirs.”

Tumulty’s words didn’t make me angry in the way they made others – though I do understand the frustration many rightfully have at the optics of a white person calling on a black man to deal with the racism seeping from the fingers and mouth of Donald Trump. I imagine her plea is well-intentioned. She, like many others, just wants to go back to “normal.”

But the normalcy that such people purport to seek is just the same false idea they’ve clung to all their lives – even sometimes Barack Obama himself. That lie says we are not a divided nation; instead, as Obama claimed in his career-turning speech in 2004, “There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.” They can’t get this man back, but they can get the nice older white chap who stood by his side.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

When I first heard those words out of Obama’s mouth, I knew they were good for him to utter but not true for my black ass to believe in. In fact, Biden himself referred to Obama as the first “clean” black candidate seeking the presidency in 2007 (he had less favorable things to say about Jesse Jackson in the 1980s.) He got on the ticket anyway, in part to help assuage the worries of a white electorate for reasons that ought to be apparent.

And the Obama-Biden administration did indeed do some good things: beyond any of our respective complaints about that period in history, most of us can appreciate the significance of what it meant. Still, we ought to be just as honest about what happened after: the election of the huckster who brags about sexual assault, routinely gets accused of ripping people off, and relishes in typing out tirades of overt racism – a man who gained political legitimacy only after questioning the legitimacy of the first black American president.

Trump may have been helped by the Russians, but he was boosted by an electorate not nearly as progressive as it would like to believe, along with racism that has long been institutional. Trump’s political genius has been grossly overstated, but what he does understand better than many is just how pervasive prejudice remains. The people waiting for Obama to save them are doing so in vain. So are the people who think they can get even a fraction of him back through Joe Biden.