Bye American
On the Monday after Joe Biden stepped aside, I wrote that most elections are about undecided voters while much of this one was about an undecided candidate. But Joe Biden did something unnatural for a politician, and completely unthinkable for his opponent: He ceded power. By exiting the race, Biden is left with many of the positives and none of his negatives, rising from the political ashes of his sluggish campaign to become a campaign supernova. After being greeted by a nearly four-minute ovation at the DNC, Biden accepted this role: “I promise I’ll be the best volunteer Harris and Walz’s camp have ever seen.” None of this is to suggest that last night could have been easy for Joe Biden. The decision by a person in power to step aside is rare for a reason. And Joe Biden knows full well that those cheers he received when he walked on stage in Chicago were boosted by his decision to walk off the political stage before he wanted to. Biden wiped away a tear after the introduction by his daughter, Ashley, before listing many his administration’s accomplishments and explaining that he still had much to achieve. But, ultimately, this was a speech to say goodbye: “It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your President. I love the job, but I love my country more. And all this talk about how I’m angry with all those people who said I should step down—that’s not true. I love my country more, and we need to preserve our democracy.” Watch and Read Joe Biden’s Full Speech.
+ “For Biden, the recent, sudden surge of enthusiasm among Democrats has been a barbed blessing; victory now seems far more likely, but there’s little doubt how desperate Democrats were for him to step aside. Over and over, the crowd rewarded him with ovations and chants of ‘Thank you, Joe!’ In the hours before Biden went on, one speaker after another seemed to be competing for who could praise him most lavishly. The acclaim occasionally bordered on patronizing, and Biden, one suspects, knows it; his nerve endings are especially attuned to the personal gestures and slights of politics. But, most of all, the sentiment was one of relief and gratitude.” Evan Osnos in the The New Yorker: Proud and Impassioned, Joe Biden Passes the Torch at the DNC.
+ The first night’s speakers were all pretty good (you can watch them here), but things started a bit late and went on a bit too long. Just ask James Taylor. He got bumped from the program. One of the early speakers was Steve Kerr (who knows something about winning teams in Chicago) who gave a very solid speech and made what I think is one of the key points of this moment in American history: “I know very well that speaking out about politics these days comes with risks. I can see the ‘Shut up and whistle’ tweets being fired off as we speak. But I also knew after being asked as an American citizen it was too important not to speak up in an election of this magnitude.” Let’s hope others follow that lead.
+ The most highlighted issue of the night was women’s health care and the right to choose. Several women and couples who have experienced agony in Post-Roe America courageously shared their stories. None was more powerful that Hadley Duvall who shared her story of being raped by her stepfather as a child in Kentucky: “Growing up, I was an all-American girl. Varsity soccer captain, cheerleading captain, homecoming queen, and … survivor.”
+ The last time I attended a political convention was in Boston in 2004. I was among a group of the first bloggers ever to be granted press credentials to a major party convention. At our welcome breakfast in a small hotel breakout conference room, the guest speaker was a soon-to-be Senator from Chicago. His remarks to us were pretty good. His speech to the Convention a couple nights later changed the course of American history. Tonight, he’s the headliner as he makes the case for Kamala Harris.
