President Biden's ungraceful exit

It is beyond clear by this point that Biden should have said 18 months ago that he would not run for re-election.

I had a joke scheduled for early Monday morning on X, saying that no matter who wins the election, his supporters can be happy he won "four more years." Both candidates can also use "four more years" as a campaign slogan. I had to delete that scheduled post, because the events of Sunday made the joke outdated.

When President Biden decided to abandon his bid for re-election in the middle of the campaign, it was shocking and unprecedented, but not terribly surprising. He had been under pressure to clear the way for someone else (Vice President Kamala Harris) after he stumbled in the first debate with President Trump. The way it was done was less than ideal and, naturally, I have some thoughts.

Biden said that he was resigning for the good of the country and his political party. But why is it good for the country and party? Is it because Biden's mental abilities have declined to the point that he does not feel confident he would be able to serve effectively until he is 86 years old? Or it is only because he was behind in the polls and was expected to lose the election - perhaps becoming only the second Democrat to lose the nationwide popular vote in the last nine presidential elections spanning 32 years?

If it is the former, the President owes us an explanation for that. If the reason is cognitive decline, I do not necessarily believe that Biden needs to resign from office. If he worries about his fitness 2 or 3 years from now, that is not the same as saying he cannot serve another 6 months as President, especially with a competent staff and the disruptive effect of suddenly swearing in a new President with almost no notice. Biden could argue that he is more capable of serving now because he does not have the added pressure of a re-election campaign and can focus on his responsibilities.

As a pure trolling effect, however, if Biden resigns now it would force the Trump campaign to rebrand all of their "45 - 47" merchandise.

I do not necessarily believe that anointing Harris as the successor is "undemocratic." Biden chose her and the 2020 delegates approved her to be the nominee for Vice President, and the VP has always been expected to step in for the President if he is unable to serve for some reason. (And as a reminder, Biden did not say he was unable to serve another four years.)

Having Biden suddenly step down and be replaced on the ballot does look rushed and chaotic, and that does not help the Democrats' case that they are the party of stability - a key factor in the 2020 campaign. It is beyond clear by this point that Biden should have said 18 months ago that he would not run for re-election, as his decline was already obvious by that point and it would have avoided exactly the kind of chaos we have right now.

If Biden was really looking out for the best interests of his country and party - instead of his pride, ambition and personal animosity against Trump - that it is what he would have done. So no, Biden is not a "hero" or a "patriot." He is a selfish career politician who put himself ahead of his country and his party. He should not be thanked. He should be scorned.