Thank You, Mr. President!

 

President Biden announced today that he would no longer seek his party’s nomination for president and endorsed his Vice-President, Kamala Harris, for that office, thus closing weeks of Democratic consternation.

The New York Times discussed these actions here:

“While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus entirely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Mr. Biden says in a statement. He called it “the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president.”

The Washington Post discussed this change:

“I am ripping up my assumptions about the 2024 election, and you should, too. It turns out it won’t be the much-dreaded rematch of 2020 that we have all spent months anticipating and planning for, after all.

 

President Biden made the historic decision Sunday to end his campaign amid concerted pressure from his party to reconsider it. His decision comes weeks before Democrats are due to formalize their ticket in Chicago.

The unprecedented move leaves Democrats an extremely abbreviated period during which to figure out what to do next.”

 

In the Atlantic, Peter Wehner voiced his thoughts on the decision:

“There will be plenty of commentary on what this means for both parties. But I find my thoughts this afternoon going to President Biden and his family—and to this agonizing denouement for a man who was first elected to public office more than half a century ago, at the age of 29.

Biden was clearly reluctant to make this decision; it was in many ways forced upon him, and by a particularly painful process. The party he loved and to which he has dedicated his entire adult life turned on him, including former colleagues and trusted friends. They were right to urge Biden to step aside—it had to be done, and those in Biden’s party took no delight in doing it—but from the p Biden’s withdrawal, then, wasn’t simply necessary because he had lost the confidence of the country and even his own party. For him to agree to step aside means, on some level at least, he is acknowledging that he is entering a difficult final chapter of his life. There is grief in that. Coming to that point will of course stir up powerful emotions—denial, anger, bitterness that those he trusted have b But in the end, and to his credit, Joe Biden got to where he needed to be, and not a moment too soon. Staying in the race would have been an act of monumental selfishness. As it is, what he did will be seen as an act of impressive selflessness.

I think Joe Biden has been a transformative president. He came into office in a time of turmoil, a time when his predecessor disputed the election results, encouraged his followers to attack the Capitol, and refused to attend the inaugural ceremony. COVID was still raging and vaccine distribution was only in an early stage. Supply chain issues hampered economic progress, some schools remained on virtual learning, and unemployment was high. In a few short months, his administration took steps that added child credits to help families and the Recovery Act to assist communities across the country. Later on, The Chips Act, Medicare costs, tuition forgiveness, and moves to bring more industry back on-shore complemented his earlier actions. And, if he had a more compliant Congress, he could have gotten a lot more done.

On the International scene, apart from a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, he stood tall in his vision to thwart Russian aggression against the country of Ukraine, marshaling NATO members and other countries to provide military support to the beleaguered nation. He also worked hard to unite several Asian countries to stand against Chinese territorial moves across the Far East. After the Hamas attacks on Israel, Biden provided American military equipment and emotional and diplomatic support concerning the hostages. He continues to work diplomatically to reach a cease-fire for this conflict.

For these, and many more policies, I, as an American, thank Mr. Biden. I know millions of others join me in saying “thanks Joe” for fifty years of service to our country. This decent man, who might say, “here’s the deal” as he explained another plan to make our country a better place for all, has been a steady hand at the helm.

Biden has been a powerful voice over the years to ensure that America remains a democratic republic living under the Rule of Law. He said he entered the race in 2020 after being horrified by the “Right the Night” white supremacist rally and riot in Charlottesville, VA, and the refusal of DJT to condemn the paraders. Many thought at the time that he would be a one-term president and then pass the torch. However, when his former opponent again entered the race, he became convinced that only he could defeat this rival, whom he deemed unfit for the office.

He believed he had the vision and the energy to win, conveniently overlooking the issue of his age, that the national polls showed was a problem for voters. Many voters said they didn’t like either of the two major party nominees, citing age as well.

An early schedule for debates, which the Democrats hoped would provide a contrast between the two candidates, did not turn out well as Biden was not responsive to the repeated false statements by his opponent and stumbled through his answers. He was obviously ill and spoke with a hoarse voice, but the inability to adequately respond was a genuine concern.

Calls for the president to step down have been increasing since the June 27^th disastrous debate between the two announced candidates. The calls from candidates in his party who were running in close races increased in recent days. Biden has admitted he messed up at that event, but, to many, it was more than a onetime gaff. Although he made it through the NATO conference and subsequent press conference and network interviews, he was not the Biden who ran four years earlier. Yes, he had a pretty good command of some facts, but some of his answers trailed off and wandered around. Aside from the name recall issue, it seemed obvious to me and others that other answers were not always spot on. His interview with Lester Holt was defensive and not helpful to his candidacy, in my opinion.

And, no matter how hard he tried, how many times he said, “here’s the fact”, he was not always convincing. He may have had the message, but it was the elderly messenger who spoiled it. Every poll taken mentioned that the age of both candidates was a sticking point for many voters. Aging is progressive and it is a cruel, unrelenting force; such incremental changes most likely will continue for both men.

Certainly, the 90₊minute long rambling, ranting, and bizarre acceptance speech by DJT showcased his aging changes. Some news organizations played clips of both candidates from previous years; when viewed side by side, the aging process shows clearly over time for both men, although DJT looks more vigorous with his aggressive demeanor and use of makeup.

The Republican Convention just ended and gave us all a preview of the destructive plans they have to disrupt our governmental agencies, deport or place in camps millions of immigrants, restrict the rights of women, and provide tax cuts to billionaires. Even though the platform did not mention the 2025 Plan, it echoed its premise. The selection of JD Vance as VP further drilled down on the MAGA extreme views. Politico Magazine had a great article about Vance here:

Some voices at the convention also spoke against women as voters or even as secret service agents. Many Silicon Valley Billionaires, such as Thiel, Musk, and Sachs, vowed to support this ticket that would lower their taxes and decrease regulations against their interests.

Notably absent from the Convention were previous multiple Cabinet members, retired Congressional leaders, former VP Pence, and earlier Republican presidential candidates.

So, since we will have a stark contrast between the two parties for our next election, where do we go from here?

First, Democrats, Independents, and disaffected Republicans should rally behind Kamala Harris as she looks for delegate votes for the party nomination and runs for this office. They should support her selection of a running mate. The other side is already planning to attack her on multiple fronts, but we need to unite and have her back. Americans need to push back on any upcoming dog whistles, or racial, and feminist attacks against Harris and speak with a firm voice that we have moved past these issues and are ready to elect a woman who is well-qualified to serve as our Commander-in-Chief.

Now let's get busy and win this. I believe the future of our democracy is at stake.

In the few hours since this announcement, Democrats raised over 50 million dollars to support this candidacy.

Til next week-Peace!