President Joe Biden spent fifty years in public service giving his best. He will be the first to say he didn’t always get this or that matter right but he tried each day to serve the American people. The most people he possibly could. Friend’s, Joe Biden’s best was as the history books will show this country or any other has rarely seen the kind of ‘best’ Joe Biden, whether Senator, Vice President or President brought to the table. Most importantly that best included him, when forced to walk off stage sooner than he wanted or intended to to leave our country and the world in what he believes are, other than his own the best possible hands! He clearly believes his chosen successor is ready, and up to the task. That’s more than good enough for me.
I live out east, but there was no way I was going to bed until after President Joe Biden took the stage at the DNC. I stayed up after to watch some punditry too. While I had plenty to say last night I chose to wait and sleep on it. Get up this morning and reflect some more to see if my feelings had changed. They haven’t. Long before he finished I was thinking a LOT of Democrats including prominent ones I’ve admired are feeling a sense of shame for not trusting that the President had set things up for a strong, winning campaign. AND that when crunch time came he could deliver. Over and over I thought about all the ‘he’s too old’ stuff and immediately thought ‘Old man my ass!’ I’m only sixty-seven and hopefully will live to Biden’s age and longer. I can only dream that I will be half the force of nature PRESIDENT Joe Biden is.
The President could have played what was set up to be his ‘Farewell’ or ‘Swan Song’ in different ways. Admittedly I was surprised at what he chose to do. It sure seemed to me like the President had long ago had a working draft of his acceptance speech, something that could be updated/edited as events warranted right up to the start of the convention. He didn’t imagine having to edit it to the speech he gave, one in which he’d be endorsing his VP four years earlier than planned but had he been our nominee most of what we saw could have been given Thursday night. In a subtle way he issued a stunning rebuke to all his (supposed) friends who’d doubted him. In his hour long address Joe Biden delivered a tour de force lecture on the staggering accomplishments of his administration, while also roping in his chosen successor VP Kamala Harris to help set her up for the fall campaign.
Few Presidents have done as much with MORE than one term! Had that speech been given when planned, as in on Thursday night Democrats would be fired the hell up. And the GOP, Trump in particular who had been licking their chops at the prospect of running against ‘old’, ‘infirm’ Biden would have been saying ‘Oh sh*t! We are in trouble!’ Not for nothing but I’ll bet the bulk of the whiny ‘Joe’s gonna hurt MY chances’ down ballot Democrats would be fighting for a chance to stand there on the trail with him!
Anyway, after a night’s worth of accolades when President Biden walked on stage the predictions were proven true. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house including President Biden’s, until the four minutes of applause finally died down and he started to speak. In my mind he’d long ago proven the debate disaster was an anomaly. I thought so that night when it was done and saw him appear briefly at a nearby watch Party and that feeling was confirmed the next day at a rally.
Then came the NATO summit and that press conference where all those journalists were convinced they’d get a ‘career moment’ by humiliating a sitting President with an oh-so-clever and devastating question they’d go down in history for applying the coup de grace. Instead he gave them, the country and the world a master class in diplomacy. The President humiliated THEM, showing he was more than equal to the best they could throw at him.
Still, the voices in the Democratic Party who’d been scared to ‘the sky is falling’ panic by journalists wouldn’t put away the knives. Those who owned/ran major news outlets by god wanted their goddamned brokered convention (and so did most of the ‘talent’) and that meant Biden had to go. So instead of slashing with the knives some crucial Democrats started to stab. Deep and hard. President Joe Biden didn’t deserve what was done to him and if more Democrats that I want to name aren’t feeling ashamed of themselves this morning my disappointment with them shifts to contempt.
President Joe Biden displayed the kind of LEADERSHIP and CLASS not a one of those who forced him aside possess. It’s also important to note ONE person who wasn’t part of the ‘Joe must go’ crowed. His Vice-President Kamala Harris who is now our nominee. Think about it. How many stories did you read/hear about unnamed sources leaking details of Harris/her senior staff consulting with elected Democratic leaders and major donors to ease Biden out? No, she stuck with her friend and mentor to the end.
Turning around a half-hour after his announcement he was stepping aside and throwing his full support behind VP Kamala Harris proves my point.
Looking at them together after the President’s speech the mutual respect and love they share which goes back longer than Harris was Biden’s VP was clear and obvious. I saw a pundit recently who spoke almost reverently about the Cabinet and other people President Biden surrounded himself with. No scandals. Just hard work doing what needed to get done and doing it well. However, the very first pick then presumptive nominee Joe Biden had to make was who would be his Vice-President. Like the President HE served, Biden didn’t merely choose well. He picked what we’ve already seen is EXACTLY the right person.
Last night Joe Biden showed us what might have been, if only he’d been given the chance. His due if you will. You’ll never convince me it wouldn’t have been another amazing four years and given the challenges around the globe even President Harris, great as she will be won’t be Joe Biden. I read a short piece from Huffington Post with a headline that mentions something I’ve already alluded to: Biden telling us he gave us his best. It delves into some of the tensions that led to him speaking last night instead of on Thursday while accepting the nomination himself. For example, the broken relationship with Speaker Emeritus Pelosi which might never be fully repaired. There are other wounds with other people but I suspect that one is the deepest. Even Pelosi has been awkward when dodging questions about it.
However, the article makes an important point:
If the president does harbor ill will toward those Democrats, it wasn’t obvious at all on Monday night. He enthusiastically threw his support behind Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, to build on the work he’s done and said he’s still focused on things he wants to do as president.
“Folks, I’ve got five months left in my presidency, and I’ve got a lot to do,” he said to cheers. “It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your president. I love my job, but I love my country more.”
“All this talk about how I’m angry at those people who said I should step down, it’s not true,” he added.
Is President Biden hurt inside? I’m sure he is and though it will fade in time I doubt in some cases it will ever fully go away. However, President Biden is a leader and a great one. A huge part of that is because like any great leader he knows down to his DNA that it’s not about HIM, but the people he leads and serves. President Biden has more important things to worry about than his personal feelings. The same threat to our country that prompted him to abandon retirement and get back into politics and run for President in the 2020 election is still out there. Keeping Donald Trump out of the WH and MAGA from controlling Congress is ALL that matters. So Joe Biden has chosen to set aside any personal hurt and focus on the common good. In this case that means doing everything in his power to help his Vice President move up into what for five more months is still his job.
Five months. We saw last night that at key moments President Biden can be very effective on the campaign trail. But in five months, as I wrote late yesterday afternoon there’s no telling what new achievement he’ll pull off. Another hostage swap with Russia? Finally forcing Netanyahu (who has to realize the odds of a President Trump giving him carte blanche are really bad now) to accept at least a cease fire deal? One last round of cuffing certain NATO countries (Germany in particular) to keep the weapons flowing to Ukraine? Some domestic policy achievement in addition to an increasing list of infrastructure projects?
President Biden has stepped away from being re-elected but he hasn’t stepped away from being President and has no intention of doing so. He’s determined to get more done. That’s some old man folks. Hell, old man? As I said earlier ‘Old Man my ASS!’
Part of me will never get over my anger. However, part of me knows that while I believe the Joe Biden we saw last night would have energized the Party what we’ve witnessed in the past few weeks is something well above what would have been the case. We have a deep bench of capable Democrats ready to lead our Party and country (and the world) into a better, more hopeful future and the time has come for them to take over. And while with the exception of Trump Presidents never fully retire from the job (former Presidents including those from the other Party are on every sitting President’s speed dial. Again, except in the case of Trump both now and in the future) Joe Biden has earned the right to retire. To spend the rest of his years at a slower pace, and fully enjoy time with his beloved family, and friends who stuck with him through thick and thin,
That is the reward he’s earned for a half-century of giving ALL of us his best. A “best” that exceeds that of all but a precious few number of public servants.
Well written and thought out Denis. I was one of the ones with tears in my eyes as I watched. However some of the media just could not bring themselves to give Joe his due even now after his great sacrifice. I started out watching PBS but had to switch to NBC because the commentators were getting me so upset with their sly backhanded comments about Joe. For years I donated to them but also had to quit because they started that “both sides” stuff even when there’s only one “truth” side. I love you President Joe and thank you for saving us!!
Sharla (and everybody else), I watched through CSPAN—-no commercials or pundits. What you see, namely the Democratic Convention, is what you get!
I’ll never stop being angry about what was done to him. It’s a hell of a way to ‘thank’ him for saving this country. I like Harris and Walz, but Biden would have been just as amazing for four more years – just look what he’s accomplishing right now!. Thank you so much for stating it all so eloquently.
It occurred to me while writing that for the President at the moment anger is not only a useless emotion right now but actually a harmful one to what’s most important him. And to us. My way of setting it aside was to write, and for any who read what I wrote I hope for the time being that will be enough to if not flush it then lock it up in some corner of the basement. With each passing hour I’m more convinced that the reason President Biden gave the speech he did and why he’s made it CLEAR he’s going to do all he can to elect the Harris/Waltz ticket (and down ballot Democrats) is we simply HAVE to keep Trump out of the WH and give President Harris a Congress that can pass much needed legislation for her to sign. This country is a long way from pushing Trump/MAGA back under their slimy rocks or deep into their caves. Winning isn’t enough. We have to BEAT them, and I mean open a huge can of whup-ass on them. Big enough they slink off to lick their wounds. But then we need to go after them and whale on them some more. Like with the Klan when they made the mistake of pissing off Hoover, keep hunting them and make them fearful to expose themselves. That’s a virus that can never be killed but it can be driven into near dormancy with enough effort.
I truly believe that the President feels the same. Set aside any anger and do so right freaking now and instead concentrate on the task ahead. IF things go like they should this fall, any time President Harris wants to get his take on some diplomatic/foreign policy issue he’ll be ready to give her an unvarnished opinion. And who knows? Even if he is never again close with certain people like I said he’s got his family. Friends and even some still in elected politics that stood with him. He’s done way more than his share and deserves to be able to actually enjoy the retirement he was settling into prior to Charlottesville.
It would warm my heart to a year from now read a story or two about all the fun Joe Biden is having with his grandkids, and getaways he’s finally getting to enjoy with Jill. A series of second honeymoons they have both earned. Focus on helping Harris win and any time you feel angry think about that until your head is reset. It’s what I plan to do.
Anger can be a spur to action. Anger fueled the Founding Fathers. Anger has fueld a great many huge changes over history, some good and some not so. There is a lot of anger to go around (how can any decent person not feel anger at MAGA?) Put it aside if you must, but I suggest targeting it properly may help more.
We are now fighting midogyny. which is to ageism as Godzilla to Cujo. Winning the popular vote will not be enough. We need to se cool heads on our anger, and target it where it will do the most good.
This youth oriented culture, as opposed to many cultures that respect and revere people for enduring in this life, was Joe’s biggest threat. Stupid? Yes. Short sighted? Yes. Narcissist? Yes. Real? Yes. It’s been that way forever then tv, computers, and cell phones come along to shorten our attention spans, erase history, and teach us to be dissatisfied with ourselves and our material situation. Joe may have won but ANY sign of his aging would have been another albatross around his neck. Trump has gotten a pass because the billionaires, who run the media, and the corporations want him no matter what it takes. They’ve been eaten up with GREED, and the root of all evil…the LOVE of money. The ‘old’ guy used his wisdom, character, and patriotism and chopped that snake’s head off by stepping down. Only one other president has done that, not counting Johnson who was harried and blamed for Vietnam, and that was George Washington. If we get out of this fascist mess, someday Joe should have a statue in D.C. with the inscription: During the darkest and most dangerous days since the Civil War…his selfless act saved our Union.
A Biden Memorial or Monument. I love the idea. I think it would be awesome if the new President Harris tasks the First Gentleman Doug Emhoff with heading a commission to get it in the works. It would take years to come to fruition but getting the momentum going enough it will become inevitable while both Biden and Trump are still alive will do two things. Properly honor Joe Biden, and also as a bonus drive Trump up the fooking wall! (Artist rendering of potential designs if it’s to be a statue that show Biden wearing or putting on sunglasses, a shout out to Dark Brandon might cause Trump to stroke out)
“We have a deep bench of capable Democrats ready to lead our Party and country (and the world) into a better, more hopeful future and the time has come for them to take over.”
This sentence absolutely shows why the Democratic Party owns the future.
Depth of talent.
Hundreds and hundreds, indeed thousands of capable, motivated, pragmatic, honest people guided by truth, facts, and thoughtful logical responses to them, not by ideology and discredited, dated, proven wrong political, economic, and religious theories.
And, at all levels of society.
And what have the other side got?
Nobody and nothing, but spun-up ‘scandals’ and ‘controversies’, and no policies they can admit to an informed electorate.
Their hate and vitriol and fear are running out, they know it, everyone knows it.
The future is ours. Not theirs.