Saturday, June 29, 2024

Biden's Opportunity

 Joe Biden achieved his life's ambition when he became President.  To lose now in a second-term attempt can only tarnish his accomplishment and, given his debate performance, losing to Trump in November is the highly likely outcome of continuing a run for a second term.

The smart move now for Biden in terms of leaving with a record of many accomplishments would be to resign before it is too late to give a replacement a fighting chance. There is certainly no shortage of candidates with the energy and debate skills to confront Trump's endless stream of transparent lies.

There are, of course, no guarantees that any Democratic candidate could make up the lost ground now.  What seems certain, however, is that turning over the job to a new generation of leadership now is a step in the right direction for Democrats regardless of the 2024 election's outcome.

It is worthwhile to look at the previous resignations for guidance to avoid the many pitfalls.   Johnson's choice to back the candidacy of his Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, brought on the disastrous Chicago convention and an electoral loss. And, of course, it is important not to forget the assassinations of the Kennedys and King given the current climate of violence which Trump has encouraged at every opportunity.

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