I'm sure President Biden doesn't feel that way now, given the fighter he is, but resigning was the right thing for him to do.
Not because members of Congress asked for it, not because donors had begun withholding funds, and certainly not because of that dismal debate performance. Deciding not to seek reelection was the right thing to do because doing so fulfills a campaign promise he made to voters shortly after Super Tuesday 2020.
Opinion columnist
Granderson Landing Station
LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports, and navigating life in America.
“Look, I consider myself a bridge, nothing else,” he said at the time. “There is a whole generation of leaders who supported me. They are the future of this country.”
He was then 77 years old.
Few progressives questioned his ability to work with Congress or bring a sense of normalcy to the world stage, but many expressed concern that he would be an octogenarian when it came time to seek reelection. To ease their anxiety, he said he wanted to repair the damage done during the Trump administration and get the country moving in the right direction. He told us that the likes of Pete Buttigieg and Gretchen Whitmer would not be stymied by a Biden reelection bid.
As he noted in his Sunday letter announcing his decision not to seek reelection, he has kept many of the campaign promises he made to the American people.
“Today, America has the strongest economy in the world,” Biden wrote. “We have made historic investments in rebuilding our nation, lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We have provided critically needed health care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. We passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. We appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And we passed the most important climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than today.”
Perhaps achievements like those are why it was so difficult for him to keep that campaign promise: to be a bridge to the future.
I guess to teach us how to say goodbye It's much more difficult in practice than singing in a popular Broadway musical.
The decision not to run for reelection is rarely celebrated as honorable. It is usually an indication of legislative disappointments or a lack of morality. Like when a coach says he is retiring to spend more time with his family. We Americans find it hard to imagine anyone willingly giving up power. This is particularly true when that person is as effective as Biden has been. Quitting the presidential election must feel like a punch in the gut, particularly given the risk that the Republican nominee will become president.
Donald Trump is the first convicted felon nominated by a major party. He has been found responsible for sexual abuse and business fraud. During periods of his presidency, he struggled to denounce white supremacy. Four years ago, at this time, unemployment was over 10% and we struggled to find hand sanitizer and toilet paper in our stores.
Biden, like many of us, grew up in an era when evangelical voters in this country would never have considered supporting someone like Trump. Now, this con man is worshipped as a demigod. selling bibles next to sneakers.
And yet Biden is projected to lose to him.
Not because the president isn’t good at his job, but because the concerns about Biden’s age that were raised in 2020 have come true. He’s a good man, but he’s also dangerously close to resembling Michael Jordan with the Washington Wizards. Politics, like the NBA, is for the young. Washington today is less “The West Wing” and more “Game of Thrones.” And Democrats no longer need an elder statesman to remind voters of America’s promise. The party needs a warrior who can be relentless on the campaign trail and effectively communicate the party’s message about the future. Biden can no longer do either — and that’s fine.
In 1972, when he was first elected to the Senate, I was still in diapers. Since then, he has dedicated his life to serving this country. And those years of service are greatly appreciated.
He did not deserve to be attacked as harshly by the press as members of his own party did. If he had kept his promise to be a bridge candidate, that would not have happened. This year could have been a celebration of Biden's leadership, along with a strong primary competition to choose a younger candidate.
Instead, what we’re seeing is a race heading toward the convention in Chicago next month. I hope that Vice President Kamala Harris, with Biden’s support, can easily take the top spot on the ticket and bring along a running mate like Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a former astronaut and husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. That would reset the narrative around the ticket, which would focus less on Biden’s age and more on the dangers of Trump’s geopolitical policies and the domestic implications of Project 2025.
Biden's decision to withdraw from the race does not reflect on the effectiveness of his administration or discredit his career. What it does do is better position the party and the country to avoid the threat of a second Trump administration.
I'm sure Biden doesn't feel that way now, but history will remember this day as one of the most patriotic moments of his career.
