Momentous

There are historical moments that enable leaders, should they choose correctly, to rise from mere politician to statesmen.

Joe Biden found himself in such a moment. And he chose correctly.

Since that disastrous, low-energy performance in a debate with his rival, pressure has been building up from within the Democratic Party for Biden to give up his quest for a second term. The race was basically deadlocked. But the Democrats were in danger of losing down the ballot and yielding control of both houses of Congress.

Biden is well loved. His term as president is probably one of the most productive presidencies in US history. He faces a rival who would very likely stand American democracy on its head.

But Joe Biden is 81 and it shows at every public appearance. His every word is belabored and he mixes up names. He has served his country for over five decades and has much to show for it. But he has set himself up for an inglorious end if he persisted in his quest for a second term.

The only real issue against Joe Biden is his age. The presidency is probably the most strenuous of jobs. The nation will suffer if its leader is less than fit.

Biden romped to his party’s nomination primarily by the force of the equity of incumbency. In American political history, incumbent presidents get nominated to seek a second term almost as a matter of course. This happens, as in the case of Jimmy Carter, even when the incumbent has become unpopular.

The only exception in recent history was when Lyndon Johnson decided not to seek a second term because of the unpopularity of US involvement in the Vietnam war. Instead of seeking another term, he committed to use his remaining months in office to work a way out of the war. He failed. His party’s candidate lost to Richard Nixon who, in turn, brought on one of the darkest chapters in American politics.

This year, American voters are disillusioned principally by the toll on their purchasing power brought on by inflation. The bout with inflation was due to the many disruptions caused by the pandemic. The Biden administration managed to rein in the inflation rate and raised employment. But Biden was still held responsible for the erosion in purchasing power.

There was, from the very start of this electoral cycle, very little public enthusiasm for Biden’s candidacy. The opinion polls show a very close race – notwithstanding that the incumbent was running against a morally bankrupt rabble-rouser who is now a convicted felon.

Early on, Biden might have considered not seeking a second term. He did not have the energy to inspire the Democratic base and independent voters. He was running mainly on the proposition that Donald Trump was an existential threat to America.

Trump at 78 has always been morally decrepit. Lately, however, he has been exhibiting more signs of cognitive decline. He is not much younger than Biden. He simply has a louder voice unrestrained by facts. At any moment, in the remaining months of this tiring campaign, that cognitive impairment is going to be more obvious.

It was not easy for Biden to withdraw from this race. But each day it became clearer he was running on political vanity alone, thereby imperiling not only his party but also his country.

A few days ago, Biden was infected by COVID. The enforced isolation must have provided a good opportunity to reflect on the fate of his country and on his own mortality. By Sunday, he was ready to announce his fateful decision.

Biden tells us his withdrawal was in the best interest of the country. No one will quarrel with that.

He called on unity to beat back the existential threat posed by Trump and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris for the presidential nomination. It is too early yet to be assured the Democratic Party could avoid ghastly factional infighting to determine its nominee. There is not much time left in the campaign period.

It is also too early to say how Harris will fare against Trump. For sure, she is Trump’s antithesis: a woman of color, a former prosecutor who went after sexual offenders and certainly a powerful voice for the progressive social agenda of her party. She will certainly put women’s reproductive rights at the front and center of this campaign. The abortion debate certainly provides Democrats a strong card against the misogynistic Trump-Vance team.

But Harris will not only be up against the seriously undereducated Trump. She will have to break the ultimate glass ceiling in American society. The US was among the last societies to give women the right to vote. No woman has ever won the presidency.

However the dynamics of this presidential contest changes over the next few weeks, the greater probability is that Harris will present a more viable candidacy than Biden. The incumbent is burdened with age-related issues. He does not have the power of personality to overcome that deficiency.

This presidential contest will actually be fought in only a few states. The rival campaigns will focus on winning the so-called “swing states” that effectively decide the electoral college outcome even as the Democrats routinely win the popular vote each time.

This reduced the presidential race to mainly local contests. More than ever, women voters will play a vital role.