Here’s the deal. Joe Biden is having a moment of extreme vulnerability. He is literally sick and stuck at home, unable to work at full strength due to Covid. We don’t know how long he will be under the weather or how long he will be off the campaign trail.
While he is basically out of commission, the long knives have come for him more than ever before. You may be cheering this development or you may hate it. But Biden deserves better than this. He has given his all for the entire 2020 campaign and his presidency. He managed to get a lifeline thrown to Ukraine. He helped rescue the economy. He has poured himself into the crisis in Gaza—maybe not quite in the way that all (or, let’s be frank, even most) of us would have, but he has gotten a framework for a cease fire put together.
He has great proposals for the future as well. He is doing all he can to meet this moment and the next four years worth of moments.
Reporting is saying that the big donors have pulled out even more than the campaign feared they would, and small donors have not made up the difference, at least not thus far. Robert Reich’s statement that the big donors control elections may sound cynical but right now it seems he could very well be right.
It is also reported that not one of these people calling for Joe to step aside has put forward a plan for what would happen next if he did so. It seems like everyone is saying what they don’t want instead of what they do want. You know, something that always works out well (/s).
So if you have spiritual beliefs, send good juju to Joe. Joe needs a lifeline. A miracle, if you are a person who uses those words. This is a difficult moment for him and he needs the support of every Democrat. Because he is our President. And he needs to be Presidential right now. He needs the energy and the clarity and the strength to draw on his many years of hard-won political wisdom and move forward as a leader than inspires people to follow.
We all have our personal opinion of what leadership from our President will look like going forward. Some believe sincerely it is time for him to step down from his candidacy, or even from the presidency. Others say that time has not come. But whichever direction he leads, he should lead from strength. He should be decisive and strong, not weak and defeated. He should make a choice that aligns with his religious convictions and his faith in the American experiment and the Democratic party. So pray for Joe, if you are the praying kind. Or if you are not inclined to religion, think a grateful and kind thought about him. It’s the least we can do right now.