All week this question has been running through my mind, “Should he or shouldn’t he?” The question has plagued me as I thought about Biden, my letter/post of last week, and the past couple of days of Biden campaigning. It was even a bit of the conversation at a Democratic Party meeting I attended this past Tuesday.
I wondered if I had bought into the panic. I wondered if I had bought into the rhetoric of the pundits. I wondered if I had bought into the language of a couple of Democrats who have called for him to step aside. I wondered too about the commentary that left Harris out of the conversation should Biden step aside.
Should he or shouldn’t he is a tough question.
Is Biden the only person who can beat the other old man who continues to want to end our democracy? After all, Biden does have the only track record of doing so. Four Republicans challenged Trump in 2020, but we all know who became the nominee. Biden did beat Trump by over seven million votes. Biden did beat Trump in the Electoral College votes. Biden, indirectly, won virtually all of the election fraud lawsuits filed by Trump and company after the election.
With this past success against Trump, is it indicative of future results against Trump? Or, have the Trumplicans done enough to purge voter roles, suppress voter turnout, and convinced enough Secretaries of State not to certify a Biden win to “win” the election. Can Biden truly overcome his extremely poor showing at the June debate? Are there too many “ifs” to make this election downright terrifying?
But if Biden does drop out, what are the consequences?
Will the Democratic elite allow Harris to become the candidate? Is it even possible for her to be the automatic candidate by virtue of being Biden’s vice presidential candidate—her name isn’t only any ballots cast, just Biden’s? Will the war chest the Democrats have been able to amass go towards her campaign? Is there enough time to get her name on ballots nationwide? Does it have to be a brokered convention? What happens to the black and Latino vote if white males push Harris aside? What about the women’s vote if the men push aside a woman? Is Harris ready to become the next Commander-in-Chief? How will young voters react to bypassing Harris? Will the donor class support a black woman at the top of the ticket?
If Harris does indeed become the nominee, who becomes her pick for vice president?
Is it Gavin Newsom, current Governor of California? He has taken to the airwaves speaking out against DeSantis, even debating him already. He has called to pass a constitutional amendment regarding common sense gun control. He has been a staunch supporter of Biden and would he provide the same support to Harris. Also, being from California, which in all likelihood will vote democrat for president, be a good strategical choice. Newsom also comes with a lot of baggage from his personal life.
Is it Gretchen Whitmer, current Governor of Michigan? She has been shown to be a fighter for democracy in her time as governor. During the last election, she handily won reelection. She has been a strong advocate for voter and women’s rights. Being the target of a plot to kidnap her by some MAGA/Trump supporters didn’t seem to phase or scare her publicly. With Michigan possibly in play because of Biden’s support of Israel, would her being on the ticket solidify Michigan’s electoral votes. Would the electorate support two women on the ticket for the highest offices in the world?
Is it Andy Beshear, current Governor of Kentucky? He has shown to be a fighter, winning not one, but two times in the governor’s race in a red leaning state. He has been an active supporter of women’s rights. He has spoken out against discrimination. Would his being on the ticket bring a win in November for democrats in Kentucky?
Is it Josh Shapiro, current Governor of Pennsylvania? He has also shown to be a fighter, winning a tough run campaign in Pennsylvania for the win. While in office, he has been a supporter of women’s rights, voting rights, and policies to support the working class and poor of his state. Pennsylvania is also a state that could go either way for president in 2024. With Shapiro on the ticket, and with Fetterman on his side, would it firmly bring Pennsylvania into the win column for Democrats. Shapiro has also demonstrated he can get things done when he got the collapsed overpass rebuilt in record time last year.
Is it Wes Moore, current Governor of Maryland? He has already proven he can beat the odds and win an election as he became the first black governor of Maryland. He has also already proven he can handle a tough and stressful situation with his actions and words after the bridge collapse in Baltimore when it was struck by a container ship. Moore did not take the political taunt bait hurled at him, saying he, “has no time for foolishness.” As with Whitmer to some degree though, would the electorate vote for an all black ticket?
And last but not least, is it Pete Buttigieg, current Secretary of Transportation. He has shown he can win elections. He was the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a red leaning state. He was a candidate for president in 2020, actually winning in the bell-weather state of Iowa as an openly gay man. Buttigieg also has a great knack for presenting the obvious and shown he is not afraid to go on Fox “News” to answer questions. He’s also shown himself to be a family man with what one might call traditional values, with his marriage of six years and adoption of his two children. However, as experienced as Buttigieg may be, would the electorate support a black woman and a gay man on the ticket at the same time?
It all comes back around to one thing, who will the donor class support? We all know, whether we like it or not, money talks, and those with the money, in our current system, holds the power. They have the power of the purse, the power of connections, and the power of ownership of most of the major press outlets. They have the power to market and say what they want for the candidate of their choosing. We see that already in how the press, not necessarily the voters, pounced on Biden’s performance to support what they had already been saying about Biden’s age (we won’t go into how they are ignoring all of the major flaws of the Trumplican candidate today).
Voter’s matter, as we have the final say. But we are last in the decision-making process. We have to be vigilant in our own research and learning about candidates because the donor class will do all they can to move us in the direction they want via the traditional media, social media, advertisements, and radio waves.
The question remains, should he or shouldn’t he? Should Biden step aside and allow the next generation to make the rules finally for a generation yearning to be heard? Or will he stay in out of a sense of ego, a sense that he truly is the only person who can still beat Trump to save democracy, or because he trusts no one to be able to carry on what he has begun.
There is no easy answer to the question. Immense risk is present no matter the decision, which is why this is not a question with only one clear cut response.
What I do know is regardless of the Democratic nominee at the top, I will vote for them because my vote is for democracy. Democrats aren’t perfect by any means, but I do trust them not to deport millions of American citizens. I trust them to allow my daughter and other female relatives to make their own decisions about their bodies. I trust them to not to put me and my husband in jail just because of who we love. I trust them to not take away overtime pay, social security, and other basic human rights. Can anyone say with any confidence the Trumplicans will not enact Project 2025?
That is the choice we face, democracy or autocracy, a free country or Project 2025?
I know what I want and will vote blue up and down the ticket, no matter what! I invite you to do the same.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 