Joe Biden has graced our political life for decades, for most of my voting life. He was passed over for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, a decision which may have contributed as much as anything else to Donald Trump's election. But then in 2020 he returned to the fray and won the nomination and saved the country from a second Trump term. Since then, he has been by far the most effective and consequential president at least since LBJ, trying to heal the soul of America while accumulating real legislative accomplishments. His lifetime of experience has served him and America well in policy terms. But age, which is everyone's enemy, has taken its toll and prevented him from being an effective messenger in the apocalyptic conflict that faces our nation right now.
Biden's first reaction apparently had been to stay the course, a natural reaction. If anything that is a good reminder that all of us, even our heroes, are human and respond to the resentments we have inevitably internalized. But the best of us, when pressed, are challenged to rise above such personal concerns and put country first - as Joe Biden has done once again. Joe Biden is ending his long and distinguished political career with an act of great patriotism, which will always honor his legacy. In this, Joe Biden has highlighted the gulf of difference in character between him and his opponent. And in managing this difficult bit necessary course correction, the Democrats are highlighting what it means to be a real political party - as opposed to a personality cult.
Can Kamala Harris (or anyone else) successfully prosecute the case for American democracy against Donald Trump? For all the arrogance (and distorted religion) on display at last week's convention in Milwaukee, Tump remains fundamentally unpopular. His ideas reman repugnant to most Americans. He can be beaten again.
As for Trump's running mate, he famously said in 2016, "I can't stomach Trump. I think that he's noxious and he is leading the white, working class to a really dark place."
“I don’t know that I can disrespect someone more than J. D. Vance," said Utah Senator Mitt Romney to his biographer some time back. That pretty much says it all - about Vance, about the dispiriting performative display being enacted in Milwaukee, about the political party Romney once purportedly led. Running mates may sometimes add something to a ticket - representing or reaching out to this or that constituency. J.D. Vance does none of that. He represents a deliberate doubling down on Trump's narrow MAGA base.
The issues facing our country could not be more staark. Meanwhile, Joe Biden has given us a great example of how to be a great president - and how to leave the presidency with honor and dignity and grace.
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