The transformation of the presidential race began with Joe Biden
President Joe Biden takes the stage for his speech during the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. Jasper Colt/USA TODAY
Harris and her team have done a remarkable job launching her presidential campaign and swinging the polls in her direction. Trump and the Republican Party have done a spectacularly bad job responding. But it all started with what is arguably one of the most selfless decisions in American political history.
Harris made a surprise appearance early in the evening, saying: "I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible president, Joe Biden. ... Thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you.”
Cheers of 'Thank you, Joe!' filled the DNC arena
Later, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said : “Let’s salute President Biden. He has been democracy’s champion at home and abroad. He brought dignity, decency and competence back to the White House. And he showed what it means to be a true patriot. Thank you, Joe Biden, for your lifetime of service and leadership.”
Thousands launched into chants of “Thank you, Joe!”
Biden’s critics, undoubtedly, will pooh-pooh Biden Appreciation Night. They’ll claim he was forced out. Trump will say it’s unfair. He’ll repeat his bizarre and astonishingly wrong claim that it was “a coup.”
That’s all fine. That’s their thing. Monday night wasn't for them.
And I’m not going to sit here and claim Biden swiftly and humbly stepped aside when he saw the Democratic base unenthused about his reelection bid. It took a bad debate, one that, fair or not, highlighted his age and flattened his chances of winning. It took pressure from congressional Democrats, pundits and even celebrities .
A politician deciding to let go of power is rare, and Biden deserves praise
But the “how” of it all is a lot less important than the end result.
That doesn’t happen much. People don’t often let go of power, as Trump himself has so loathsomely demonstrated since the moment he lost the 2020 presidential election.
With Biden at the top of the ticket, this would've been a very different DNC
It’s hard to envision what the DNC would have looked like had Biden not stepped aside. The Democratic mood post-debate was dour. The effort to compensate for what many saw as Biden’s age-related downsides would’ve overwhelmed this week. Democrats would have been walking on eggshells.
Instead, because of one decision, there was a bounce in their steps on Monday. There was an inescapable air of enthusiasm and a message of positivity and optimism.
President Joe Biden speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. Jasper Colt, USA TODAY
When Biden took the stage to make the baton passing fully official, the crowd erupted, waving “We Love Joe” signs and cheering for minutes on end.
As he waved to silence the crowd, the old man who, one way or another, found the guts to loosen his grasp on power said this: “ America, I love you! ”
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