Joe Biden Is Finally Passing the Torch: Joe the Patriot

Joe Biden has finally given in to the intolerable pressure and decided to bow out after 40 years in active politics. He has chosen to pass the blue torch of the Democratic presidential candidacy to his No. 2, Kamala Harris.

Since the catastrophic debate on June 27, Biden has been on political life support. No interview on the planet, no election promise or speech to the nation could slow down the inevitable. He had to abandon his presidential candidacy. Behind the scenes, party representatives such as Nancy Pelosi and even Barack Obama no longer believed in his chances of beating Donald Trump in the November election. Democratic donors closed their checkbooks in response to political pressure.

For an incumbent president to leave the race so late is historic in itself.

But what is deeply saddening is that he will be remembered as the elderly president who hung in there until the end with his cognitive abilities challenged every day.

However, if he had kept his promise and had only been a transitional president, a president who was going to be a “bridge between generations,” he would have retired defending an exceptional legislative record with important bills under his belt, including the Inflation Reduction Act.

This decision, made a month before the Democratic convention, remains a courageous and patriotic action because he could really have held onto power even longer. We know that the 81-year-old politician is stubborn by nature and that leaving the public eye in such circumstances is not at all glorious.

In a parallel universe, where polarization was not at a nuclear level, the opposing party would have paid tribute to this man who gave his life to American politics. A man who has experienced an immeasurable amount of hardships in his personal life. It is 2024, and instead of tributes, we have been treated to a string of insults, mockery and personal attacks. One of the rare class acts in the Republican Party is Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who pointed out that despite their differences, he and Biden had been able to agree on several aspects, and that the decision to retire was made with the country’s interest at heart.

Madam President?

What was no surprise was Biden’s endorsement of his vice president in the race for the Democratic nomination. It was the natural choice to make in the circumstances, and, at the time of writing, Kamala Harris will be the consensus Democratic opponent of Donald Trump next November. The former senator and attorney general of California could therefore be the second female candidate in one of the two main parties to run for president, after Hillary Clinton. She could consequently become the first female president of the United States. The 59-year-old woman of Jamaican and Indian descent could win back lost support from minority groups, youngsters and progressives in general. In a time when women’s rights are under attack, she could also inspire many others.

It is too early to say whether Harris has it in the bag, but it would be surprising if she were to be defeated. A united front, after weeks of uncertainty, would propel the Democrats who are swimming against the current in the face of a “miraculous” Republican candidate who will take all the cheap shots between now and Nov. 5.