With Biden Stepping Aside, There’s Hope Now that Democrats Can Save Democracy
When I heard President Biden was stepping aside as the Democratic nominee, my first thought was: “There’s hope — hope for democracy.”
With President Joe Biden’s magnanimous act — putting country over self — Democrats can save American democracy from the wannabe-autocrat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025, which he’s now running away from as fast as he can but which, once elected, Mr. Trump’s extreme far-right vice-president JD Vance no doubt would be tasked to implement.
When it became clear with Mr. Biden’s disastrous debate performance that he could no longer carry the democracy banner forward and defend it against the anti-democracy Republicans, Democrats, both grassroots and elected, struggled over whether to “stick with their guy” or urge him to step aside as their presidential nominee — a decision only Mr. Biden could make.
Over the last three weeks, increasing numbers of prominent Democrats went public with their no-go decision. Many a Democrat has had many a sleepless night, worried about losing our democracy (me included), awaiting Mr. Biden’s final decision. The pressure on Mr. Biden must have been enormous.
And now, with Mr. Biden’s historic announcement of July 21st that he would indeed step aside, an act which New York Times columnist Frank Bruni calls “utterly extraordinary,” Mr. Biden puts his fellow Democrats in a position to save American democracy — if they can win the election in November. This, they suddenly are enabled to do: Within hours of Mr. Biden’s announcement, the party’s disparate factions — moderate, progressive, conservative — began to issue pledges to come together and unite, something myriads of pundits opined they would never ever do.
In his announcement, Mr. Biden said, “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” so we know how hard it must have been to surrender the office — and the power to do good for others — that he had spent a lifetime seeking. In his announcement, Mr. Biden also expressed gratitude to his Vice President Kamala Harris “for being an extraordinary partner in all this work.” In a follow-up social-media post, Mr. Biden endorsed her as his successor.
Wisely, no doubt to avoid any impression of a coronation and a done deal, Ms. Harris in her announcement for President pledges herself to an open process, where she’ll run “and earn” our support. In another show of unity, many of the talented and able challengers expected to make a run for the White House — governors Josh Shapiro (PA), Roy Cooper (NC), and Gavin Newsom (CA), and senator Mark Kelly (AZ) — instantly, all endorsed Ms. Harris. Governors Andy Beshear (KY) and Gretchen Whitmer (MI) endorsed the next day.
Also, if Ms. Harris is the nominee, her campaign theme instantly came together, too, and is already being cited broadly: the Prosecutor versus the Felon. (Ms. Harris is a former prosecutor, Mr. Trump is a current felon, with 34 criminal counts, which despite his monumental criminality Republicans have, cult-like, embraced.)
So much realigning and unifying — it’s some remarkable political physics, achieved in just one day. But it shows what can happen when a party understands there is a truly existential threat to the system, our beloved democratic system: Donald Trump and his Project 2925
Every American who loves this country should study Project 2025. (Ms. Harris in her announcement explicitly connects Trump to “the extreme Project 2025.”) If you don’t have time to read a 900-page document, for the highlights see here, here, and here — and see if you don’t see anywhere in the plan any of the elements of a democracy — rule by the many — and instead you see rule of one strong man: a dictatorship. For one thing, this plan would allow this strong man to turn the military on the people!
To save American democracy, in November vote Democratic.
