President Joe Biden, as he has done many times in his 50 years of public service, did the right thing — for his party and for our nation.
After nearly a month of intense pressure following a disastrous debate here in Atlanta, Biden on Sunday agreed to step aside and not seek reelection.
Now, the Democratic Party must look to the future.
Biden and several other prominent Democrats have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace Biden atop the party’s ticket. She said Sunday she is eager to earn the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. Her main challenge is that she trails former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, in all seven battleground states.
In selecting a nominee, the Democrats have an opportunity to coalesce behind a candidate, to put forth a message of unity and offer a vision that is appealing to independents and Republicans.
That message is more important now than ever. It was barely a week ago that a 20-year-old man with a semiautomatic rifle tried to assassinate a former president. Leaders of both parties, including Biden and Harris, called for civility in the wake of the shooting.
In accepting his party’s nomination at last week’s Republican National Convention, Trump, declared, “I am here tonight to lay out a vision for the whole nation. To every citizen, whether you’re a young or old, man or woman, Democrat, Republican or Independent, Black or white, Asian or Hispanic, I extend to you a hand of loyalty and of friendship.” Trump’s term in office and his words and deeds betray that vision.
But Trump left the convention in Milwaukee with his party solidly behind him. Like it or not, today’s Republican Party is Donald Trump’s party.
For the three weeks since Biden’s shocking debate performance, Democrats have been a house divided.
For the Democrats, this campaign should have been about Biden’s record and the issues facing the American people.
The president inherited from Trump a nation in the throes of a pandemic. Thousands of people were dying each day from the coronavirus. Job losses were staggering. And the economy was teetering. Under Biden’s skillful hand, the nation turned a corner. Our economy is now the envy of the world.
The number of uninsured Americans is at an all-time low. Biden has prioritized green energy. Crime, including violent crime, is lower than when he took office. Biden led the effort to pass the most significant gun reform in 30 years.
Biden had a great deal to champion on the campaign trail, but the discussion of his record was obscured by his performance on that debate stage. Though his supporters called it an aberration, the president’s lack of cogency raised legitimate concerns among Democratic Party officials and some voters about his ability to beat Trump and serve a second term.
After that debate, we called for Biden to pass the torch to a new leader who could challenge Trump. We did not take that decision lightly. Our position was grounded in the belief that Democrats needed to put forward a better candidate to lead the country at this critical juncture in history.
Trump’s debate performance confirmed what many Americans already knew: His record is littered with untruths and he is unapologetic about his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, including here in Georgia.
But Trump won an open primary, turning back all comers, and left his party’s convention with the wind at his back. Though his character and deeds should have disqualified him from holding the highest office in the land, it did not in the eyes of Republican primary voters.
Donald Trump is their choice to be the Republican nominee for president.
Democrats have a rare opportunity to put the interests of the people above their own.
They should select a presidential nominee who can help bridge our political divide, be a unifying force and offer an alternative to Trump — and, with the vice presidential pick, to JD Vance.
The election is little more than 100 days away. Many Americans have yet to make up their minds.
This race has taken on an entirely new dimension. The stakes could not be higher.
Both parties must now set aside their tribalism and their vitriol. (JD Vance’s immediate reaction, in which he called Biden “the worst President in my lifetime” and said “Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way,” was an example of the vitriol Americans are tired of hearing from their leaders.) The country has been through enough this past month. Both candidates — Trump and whoever emerges atop the Democratic ticket — must put people before party.
Biden should be commended by Republicans and Democrats alike a noble, patriotic and working in the best interest of the nation. He will be remembered as a good man who served his country well in the Senate, as vice president and as president.
On Sunday, he did the right thing, as he has many times before.
— The Editorial Board
