Passing the torch…A day late and a dollar short

President Biden gave his speech to the nation this week. It was billed as an explanation for why he suddenly withdrew from the presidential race when he had told everyone a day earlier that he was running for re-election. I don’t know what changed his mind, but it is evident that the powers inside the Democratic Party, the power brokers, did not want him in the race against Donald Trump.

Let’s take a look at something that is much more basic: the passing of the torch.  This is a phony excuse for his withdrawal from the race for president.  Joe Biden did not abandon his campaign to pass the torch to a younger generation.  It was his health. He did so because the rigors of the campaign caught up to him.  If President Biden was interested in “passing the torch,” he could have done so a year ago.  By doing that, all the pretenders would have had the opportunity to mount a campaign and build a base of support for the November election.  But that is not what he did.  Mr. Biden waited until the end to suddenly change his mind and make the excuse that it was time to “pass the torch.” Not the real reason.

The disastrous debate a few weeks ago was a clear indication that Mr. Biden was not fit for a re-election campaign. His claim of being a one-term transitional president could have been his legacy, a heroic act for the country. However, his ego overestimated his abilities, leading to an embarrassing performance that tarnished his reputation. Unlike Nancy Pelosi, who knew when to step aside, Biden failed to recognize his limitations.

Let’s not forget Donald Trump.  All week long at the Republican Convention, we heard that there would be a new Donald Trump.  The shooting changed him.  His speech would be one that would pull people together.  Not so fast.  His speech was vintage Trump.  Trump lost re-election four years ago because he was the name-calling Donald Trump.  Voters were tired of that.  Whatever novelty the name-calling may have had when he first ran for President, that novelty wore off by re-election time four years later.

In this election the American voters have two poor choices to pick from.  The first choice is a very far left-leaning Kamala Harris, or the other choice is a very far right-leaning Donald Trump and his extremely right-leaning VP choice, JD Vance.  Not much to pick from.  Both sides are beholden to constituencies on the extreme edges of our nation’s politics.  Furthermore, our country is at a crossroads because of the constant fighting in Washington and the attitude that one side must always win, and the other side must always lose.  Our leaders must be committed to this country first, not their political parties.  And until that changes, Americans will continue to be poorly represented in Washington because our political leadership is committed to power and control above all else.  A friend once told me, “I would just like to vote for someone with common sense.”  I told him don’t hold your breath. There’s not much common sense in Washington.

July 26, 2024