Biden turns back time with graceful exit from politics at Democratic convention | Opinion
If President Joe Biden had spoken as eloquently at his debate with Donald Trump as he did Monday night at the Democratic National Convention, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
He would still be leading the Democratic ticket as a sitting president running for re-election, instead of passing the torch and the nomination to his vice president, Kamala Harris.
On Monday, Biden turned back the clock, speaking fluently and forcefully as he defended his record as president and laid out his case against Trump and for Harris.
He sounded and looked like a completely different person than the man who took the debate stage on June 27 — a disastrous outing where he appeared pale, flustered, and just not up to the task of leading the United States anymore.
And lest you might think, “Well, anybody can read a speech off a teleprompter,” I can attest that wasn’t really the case Monday night.
From my vantage point slightly behind the stage, I had a clear view of the large video monitor that faces the stage and scrolls the prepared script for the speakers when they’re facing forward.
I noticed Biden departing from the script numerous times to expand on a point, without losing his train of thought. That’s hard to do and even harder to do seamlessly.
I won’t try to recount all the high points of the 52-minute speech, but I will say I thought Biden was at his best when he condemned the threat to democracy represented by the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol, inspired by Trump’s false claims that the election had been stolen from him.
“Nearly four years ago, in winter, on the steps of the Capitol on a cold January day, I raised my right hand and I swore an oath, to you and to God, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and to faithfully execute the office of president of the United States . . . surrounded by the National Guard,” he said. “And behind me, the Capitol, that two weeks before had been overrun by a violent mob.
“There is no place in America for political violence. You cannot say you love your country only when you win.”
At 81, Biden, who was first elected to the Senate at age 29, has been part of the national political scene for more than 50 years, longer than most Americans have been alive.
Barring a national disaster or tragedy, Monday night was probably the last significant speech he’ll make to the nation.
The speech was punctuated by frequent outbursts of “We Love Joe,” also the message on thousands of vertical pole signs the convention gave the delegates.
As country music star Glen Campbell sang in his 1978 hit, “Another Fine Mess”: “The words are unimportant, it’s the feeling we’ll remember anyway.”
I think the feel of the evening was summed up best by two Washingtonians I encountered on the way out of the arena.
“This is huge, and it was very emotional,” said Brian Gunn, who lives in the Tacoma suburb of Auburn. “I mean, there were people in my delegation, bro, I looked down and there were tears in people’s eyes. It’s not the moment we expected. I mean, if you went back to, you know, just two months ago, this is not where we thought we would be, and it’s so much more hopeful. And all of a sudden, despair turned into something that looks like hope and looks like a brighter future. He’s he’s done a fantastic job, and we just have to carry on that legacy.”
“I thought that it was inspiring, energetic,” added Lillian Hawkins, an alternate delegate from Seattle. “It’s bringing us back to where we need to be. You can feel the energy, and he’s touching people’s hearts. That’s what I felt today. I felt community. I felt togetherness, I felt family. I felt like we’re being restored, coming together.”
Although Biden was pushed out after the debate debacle by his party, Monday’s speech contained not a trace of bitterness. He freely and frequently shared the credit with his no. 2 who replaced him at the top of the ticket.
He summed that up like this: “I promise I’ll be the best volunteer the Harris-Walz campaign has ever seen.”
I can only imagine how Trump, the consummate grievance politician, would have handled similar circumstances if what happened to Biden had happened to him instead.
But one thing is certain. It would not have been as graceful as Biden’s farewell to electoral politics, and his people.
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 6:47 AM with the headline "Biden turns back time with graceful exit from politics at Democratic convention | Opinion."
