Biden should resign the Presidency now and allow Kamala Harris to be sworn in. Then he should release his delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
If Biden can’t campaign effectively, then he can’t govern effectively either. Being President is at least as challenging as running for President, and the stakes are just as high. If Joe Biden can’t go toe-to-toe with our own wannabe dictator, how well will he do in ongoing confrontations with our nation’s adversaries?
Did Biden have “a bad debate,” “a bad night”? That’s a weak argument. Being able to self-regulate, think, and act under pressure, and do so consistently, are key qualifications for the Presidency, as for any high-level management job. You can’t go create a disaster on Thursday and make up for it the following week. Nor is it convincing to say he can run on his record. That was then, before what we all saw July 27. This is now.
This situation is why we elected Kamala Harris to be Vice President. To step in if Joe Biden is unable to serve. Kamala should serve he remaining four months of Biden’s term while running for re-election as the incumbent President.
If Biden resigns as President now, Democrats will unite behind Kamala Harris at the August convention. Sure, there are plenty of ambitious egos out there, but you can bet they’ll all fall in line rather than challenge an incumbent President Harris for the nomination.
Harris will make a fine President. We already decided that four years ago. And, as the incumbent, she’ll make a fine 2024 candidate.
- She can take full credit for this administration’s accomplishments, because she was part of the team that won them.
- Her youth and vigor change the perceived dynamic of the race. It will no longer be between two old, white men.
- She represents change, and can run against “more of the same.”
- She appeals to core Democratic constituencies. A solid Black vote will keep Georgia and North Carolina in play. Compared to Biden, she isn’t as compromised with Arab-Americans. And she has an advantage with Asian-American voters.
- Of all potential candidates, she is best-suited to focus the election narrative on abortion rights.
- She’s got a law-enforcement background, as a big-city District Attorney and state Attorney General.
- She has a stellar resume, having won repeatedly won statewide office in a big, diverse state, served in the Senate and then as Biden’s VP candidate and VP. She’s exceptionally qualified to run for President and to be President.
Most of all, we’ve seen that Kamala can take it to Trump, relentlessly calling out his corruption and lies—and do so energetically and articulately. She can rally opposition to what most of the country agrees is an existential threat to democracy. Matched against hypothetical Democrats, she holds her own, but that’s not what’s at stake here. Head-to-head against Trump, she can make the contrast clear—responsible, sane, and knowledgeable vs. off-the-rails narcissistic, demented, and above all, old.
Does Kamala have negatives? Of course. Her approval/disapproval ratings are only a little bit better than Biden’s or Trump’s. Every candidate has negatives. But not every candidate is sitting VP and can be made the incumbent President and presumptive nominee instantly, by the action of one person—Joe Biden. Kamala can. Joe should act now.
