I want us to win in November. And while I didn’t originally think in 2020 that Biden was our best pick, his performance in office proved me wrong. He turned out to be a great president at a time when one was needed. And most importantly now, he is still doing the job. His voice isn’t as melodious as it once was but that isn’t what really matters.
Still, we have a large faction of the party in a total panic, not to mention the chattering class in general. And the ‘thugs are lapping it up. Do we dump Biden and lose some of his strongest supporters? Do we have a brokered convention and then have to overcome party divisions? Or does he run and show what he can do and we can hope for the best?
I think the concern that many voters have is not that he’s not doing the job now, but that four years may be too long for him. Can he still do the job in 2027? So here’s an idea to defuse the situation. At the convention, or at some other dramatic time, Joe makes a speech along these lines:
I know you are concerned about my age and my ability to continue to do the job for four more years. I’m aware of what some folks are saying. I feel fine, and I feel comfortable that I can continue on. But I understand your concerns.
Keep in mind that I’m not running for this job alone. I’m on a ticket with a very strong, very well qualified Vice President, Kamala Harris. Quite honestly I think she already can do the job almost as well as I can and she’s getting better by the day. We’re a team and a vote for me is a vote for her too.
Now as you probably know, the 25th Amendment says that the president can be replaced if he is incapable of continuing to hold office, and that a new vice president can be selected after the vice president takes over as president. The 25th Amendment says that the president can declare himself unable to fulfill the job, or that a majority of the cabinet can do so for him.
But I’m going to make it easier. After I am re-elected, I’m going to give Vice President Harris a sealed envelope. Inside that envelope will be my letter of resignation. If she decides that I am unable to continue as president, then all she has to do is open the envelope, fill in the date, and present the letter to Congress. And give me and Jill some time to move out of the White House. That’s all. No muss, no fuss, no constitutional crisis. And then she can appoint a new vice president. I’ll retire happily knowing that I’ve handed off the job to a very well qualified person who will continue the work we’ve been doing on behalf of all Americans.
And if that should pass, and I do have to retire before the term is up, we’ll have a new election in 2028 and our side will face a Republican opponent and the votes will count. Democracy will be preserved. My opponents, and his vice president pick has said this, would not certify the election even if Democrats will cleanly. We can’t allow that to happen. Whether that envelope is ever opened or not, we will save the democratic system, where free and fair elections count. We can’t allow America to become a one-party dictatorship. We have to save democracy. It’s not about me. It’s about America, and all of us.
That might take some of the fear away. Let’s go Joe! And let’s go Kamala too!