A selfless decision, a somber moment, and then palpable excitement

Joe Biden upended the race, giving Democrats new life.

For me, yesterday was a somber day. I’ve been pulling for Joe Biden most of my adult life. I have a letter hanging on my wall that he sent in 1986 in response to my urging him to run for president in 1988. He’s done more than any other president to reverse the damage of Reaganism and, despite the division in our country, passed more bipartisan legislation than any president since Clinton. He’s also a hero of American democracy who stopped the authoritarian march of Trump in 2020 and then had to step away from power to protect his legacy. It’s now our turn to defend it.

Despite the difficulty of the process, Biden set an example that offers Americans a clear contrast between patriotism and the cultism that defines the Republican Party. Biden’s decision was to put his country before his party and his own ambition. Trump has taken over his party, perverted its morals, and seeks to turn the country into his own corrupt image. Republicans just fell in line with barely a fight.

Biden’s endorsement of Kamala Harris to succeed him as the nominee was also the right the right decision. Harris has said she wants to earn the nomination, but most of the people mentioned as possible replacements came out in support of her. The party is ready to be unified. People understand the stakes of this election. It’s why we just went through this painful process.

Once the shock of Biden’s withdrawal settled in, excitement took over. Harris will probably break the one-day fundraising record on ActBlue, raising more than $50 million in less that 24 hours. The endorsements rolled in from governors, senators, and members of Congress. A zoom call organized by African American women that expected 1,000 participants ended up with 20,000 women fired up and ready to go. The rancor that had defined social media just hours before dissipated as partisans came out in support of the vice president and praising Joe Biden. The palpable excitement forms the base ingredient for the enthusiasm necessary for high voter turnout. Democrats need to exploit this opportunity.

It’s now time for Democrats to push the press to focus as heavily on Donald Trump as they have on Biden. When a deranged young man tried to assassinate Trump, Biden pulled his campaign ads and called his opponent to wish him well. When Biden announced he was withdrawing from the race, Trump went off on one of his own deranged tirades, insulting Biden on his Truth Social site. “Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve — And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement.” What a classless response and the media needs to point out the contrast.

Trump's pathetic performance in the debate got a pass because the media focused relentlessly on Biden’s performance. His bizarre convention speech never got the scrutiny it deserved. His response to Biden’s withdrawal was disrespectful both to the man and the office. Trump is raging right now because he’s not getting the attention he wants and the news story has cut short his convention celebration. He needs to be put under a microscope for the next few days as he spouts his unhinged reactions.

Our attention spans are short and news cycles shorter. The assassination attempt seems months ago and is already out of the headlines. By October, people will barely remember that Biden was once the presumed nominee. Democrats have the chance to reframe the race, but they need to act very quickly, pushing back on a press that refuses to properly cover Trump and rallying behind Harris by defending her vigorously against unfair attacks.

Joe Biden has proven that he’s a great leader. Not only has he pushed through a transformative agenda that will rebuild our infrastructure, begun the transition to green energy, and reversed the income inequality gap, he selflessly stepped away from the nomination to try to protect our democracy from Trump and his authoritarians. The fight will be hard and Trump is still the leader, but the race is now different. Democrats need to make Biden’s sacrifice count.

Thank you, Mr. President. Go, Kamala Harris!