Thanks to Biden, America Finally Has Chance to Save Itself

Who says politics isn’t fun? We’ve seldom experienced the thrill of a political roller-coaster like we’ve taken in the last few weeks. For Democrats, especially, it’s been a wild ride.

Democrats went from worry, before the debate; to dismay, after the debate; to despair, after the Trump assassination attempt; to relief, after President Biden announced he was stepping aside; to euphoria, after he endorsed Kamala Harris. As Melanie Mason noted in Politico, Democrats have gone from “despondency to delirium.”

From coast to coast, Democrats suddenly have a big smile on their faces. And with good reason. Biden made the right decision: both in recognizing that the party had lost confidence in his ability to deny Donald Trump a second term, and in immediately embracing his vice president as his successor.

Just look at the rapid, rapturous response to Kamala Harris, almost overnight. She was immediately endorsed by Bill and Hillary Clinton and leaders of Congress. She raised $100 million in 24 hours. Not one Democrat rose to challenge her. She soon racked up enough delegates to secure the nomination on the first ballot. She became an immediate TikTok sensation among young voters. And she led Donald Trump in the first poll following Biden’s announcement. She’s generated the most excitement Democrats have seen since the nomination of Barack Obama.

In effect, American politics have been turned upside down. The Democratic Party is more united than ever. Swing states once given up by Democrats are suddenly in play again. Hollywood stars are falling all over themselves declaring their support for Kamala. And reluctant big donors from Big Tech and Wall Street are reopening their checkbooks.

Meanwhile, the Republican Party is in complete disarray. They can’t decide whether to sue Democrats for changing candidates, impeach Kamala for “ covering up” Biden’s problems, block the Biden campaign from transferring funds to the Harris campaig n or force Biden to resign now. All of which are non-starters. Republicans had the rug pulled out from under them and they simply don’t know how to respond.

Except for Donald Trump, of course. So much for last week’s“unity” talk. He’s resorted to invective, the only arrow in his quiver, calling Harris a “radically left lunatic.”

This race is now a clear choice between the past and the future. And, by still whining about the 2020 election and fielding the oldest candidate in the race, Republicans are stuck on the wrong side of that equation.

Of course, euphoria won’t last. Nobody’s kidding themselves. It’s still going to be a close race. But Democrats know that now, with Kamala Harris, they at least have a fighting chance. They have a winning candidate with a winning message: “the prosecutor vs. the felon.” They have a better than average chance of defeating Donald Trump, taking back the House, holding onto the Senate, and ending the MAGA movement once and for all.

We can’t celebrate the resurgence of Democrats’ hopes and the elevation of Kamala Harris, however, without giving credit to the man who made it possible.

Joe Biden’s got a lot to be proud of in his 51 years of public service: his record as c hair of the Senate Foreign Relations and Senate Judiciary Committees; his eight years as probably the most effective vice president in history; and his dizzying list of accomplishments in the White House. Where, as many historians have noted, he racked up more accomplishments in three and a half years than most presidents do in eight.

For a while, it looked like Biden was going to throw all that away in a stubborn bid to hang onto power where he’d be remembered, not as a successful “bridge” president, but as an old man who didn’t know when it was time to give up the car keys. Yet, once again, Biden rose to the occasion.

“I revere this office, but I love our country more,” Biden told the nation in his Oval Office address Wednesday night. He put country over party, and democracy over personal ambition. He knew what he had to do to give us a chance to save our democracy – and he did it, earning him the distinction of the most consequential one-term president in history.

Now, as Biden said, history is in our hands. He’s given us the opportunity. Now it’s up to us to take full advantage of it: to rally behind Kamala Harris, to defeat Donald Trump and to preserve our democracy. Biden delivered, now it’s up to us.

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(Bill Press is host of The BillPressPod, and author of 10 books, including: “From the Left: My Life in the Crossfire.” His email address is: bill@billpress.com. Readers may also follow him on Twitter @billpresspod.)