In announcing Sunday that he is abandoning his candidacy for reelection, President Biden admirably put his party and the country above his personal interests. That he was responding to an increasing chorus from within the party doesn’t make his decision any less statesmanlike.
His willingness to step aside, and the respectful calls for him to do so from other Democrats, amount to a striking contrast to the Republican Party, which has a cult-like focus on the supposed indispensability of Donald Trump.
The president’s decision coming so late in the election cycle undoubtedly will lead to some consternation and confusion, not to mention a sense of betrayal among some of his most ardent supporters. But, as Biden rightly recognized, the prospect of returning Trump to the Oval Office he disgraced justified this historic and self-sacrificing decision. This is what true patriotism looks like.
Trump’s abiding unfitness for the office was underscored by his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, which after an appeal for a healing of the “discord and division in our society,” degenerated into a familiar litany of absurd and offensive claims, including the false and self-serving suggestion that the 2020 election was fraudulent. (“They used COVID to cheat,” Trump said.)
Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor may diminish some of the uncertainty created by his decision, with attention shifting to whom Harris might select as a running mate if she wins the nomination. If Harris is the nominee, she will need to cut through the noise and GOP talking points to highlight the strong record of the Biden administration while articulating what she would bring to the presidency.
Some critics may argue that Biden should have not only dropped his candidacy but also resigned from office. But that’s a fallacious argument. That the 81-year-old president isn’t up to the rigors of a campaign — and might drag down other Democratic candidates — doesn’t mean that he is unable to complete his term.
In his letter addressed to “My fellow Americans,” Biden appropriately trumpeted the achievements of his administration, including the most significant climate change legislation in history and unprecedented investments in transportation, renewable energy and infrastructure. Biden wasn’t just the guy who saved the nation from a second Trump term.
It is to his everlasting credit that he recognized that by remaining the nominee he might be putting those accomplishments in jeopardy, as well as the future for this country in which government decisions and policies are founded on truth.
And now, with this courageous act, Biden has delivered on his 2020 promise to be a bridge to a younger generation of Democratic leaders. It will be up to them to reinvigorate a party that has been demoralized by the fears about Biden’s fitness and to reengage voters who had been turned off by the discord and lack of focus.
