Biden's Selfless Sacrifice Cements Legacy & Paves Way For Historic Harris Candidacy
As Biden steps aside, Democrats unite around Kamala Harris, preparing for a historic, well-funded, and re-energized 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, the Trump Campaign is in panic mode.
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In a remarkable display of selflessness, President Joe Biden has dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the next Democratic nominee.
The stunning announcement came on Sunday afternoon:
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Regardless of whether you've opposed or supported President Biden over the years, you simply cannot deny that stepping away from the power of the presidency is an incredibly self-sacrificing act - and one that Donald Trump would never be capable of.
President Biden stepped away from the awesome power of the presidency when his party asked him to, and he determined it would be in the best interest of American democracy. Donald Trump tried to overturn American democracy to cling to power when he lost a free and fair election. The character contrast speaks for itself.
This move by President Biden just placed him in another echelon of historic presidents, with historians drawing comparisons to Presidents George Washington and Lyndon Johnson.
President Biden has already cemented his place in history, but if Kamala Harris beats Donald Trump, Biden’s legacy will have been defeating Trump the first time, running an objectively successful administration, selflessly stepping aside to safeguard democracy, and helping to bring America its first woman, first Black woman, and first AAPI president. Americans have the power to make that happen this November.
After President Biden dropped out, Vice President Kamala Harris officially announced her pursuit of the Democratic nomination. Her statement praised President Biden’s character, thanked him for his endorsement, and also pointed the focus back to Project 2025. This showcased messaging discipline right out of the gate.
President Biden’s swift endorsement of Kamala Harris led the Democratic party to quickly coalesce around her. Within minutes of Biden’s Sunday afternoon endorsement, Democratic Senators, House reps, and governors began lining up to endorse Harris to be the next Democratic nominee.
Governors that were previously being cited in the media as potential Democratic nominees - like Governors Gretchen Whitmer (MI), Josh Shapiro (PA), Gavin Newsom (CA), Andy Beshear (KY), and J.B Pritzker (IL) - all endorsed Kamala Harris within the first 24 hours of Biden dropping out.
Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, who was reportedly working behind the scenes to coordinate the pressure campaign on Biden to step aside, also endorsed Kamala Harris.
With clear unity around Harris and no indication anyone will challenge her for the nomination, there’s now hopeful speculation about a potential Vice Presidential running mate that can help her lock in key swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
The unity we’re seeing isn’t just among Democratic politicians - the base appears to be incredibly riled up. Of course, there is some sadness among those who wanted President Biden to remain in the race. But it’s clear now that Democratic voters are coming around to the new reality and assembling behind Kamala Harris.
Democratic fundraising platform Act Blue reported that Democrats have raised $100 million in the first 24 hours of her new candidacy, $81 million of which was directly to the Harris Campaign. Also, 44,000 Black women attended a Zoom event on Sunday night to organize for Harris. That’s an astonishing show of grassroots support for Harris.
There’s a reason for that.
Kamala Harris was the only alternative Democratic nominee who was literally elected specifically to become president if Joe Biden stepped aside. Her becoming the Democratic nominee is the best available option that honors the will of the voters.
Also, who better to make the case against a convicted felon Republican nominee than a former prosecutor?
Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee, has countless advantages. Suddenly, all the age-related attacks Republicans used against Biden now only apply to Trump. Harris can also strategically distance herself from the controversial parts of the Biden Administration’s record, like the handling of the Israel-Hamas war, while embracing their many accomplishments.
Another factor that I think people underestimate is how much Kamala Harris has been winning the meme wars. Over the past year, Harris has been getting memed, and not in a negative way. She’s seen as endearing, charming, and funny. The outpouring of support we’ve seen from Gen Z for her candidacy isn’t surprising if you’ve been tuned into the pulse of TikTok.
President Biden dropping out of the race appears to have revitalized Democratic Party enthusiasm. It’s also sent the Trump Campaign into a panic.
I wrote about this in my Sunday article in The Independent, predicting a Trump Campaign scramble:
When it comes to the Trump campaign, however, they might have the most panicked reaction out of everyone.
The most definitive depiction of this fear comes from The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta, who was embedded with the Trump campaign for six months. The “campaign is all but praying Joe Biden doesn’t drop out,” Alberta wrote, on July 10. Now their nightmares have come true.
In a conversation with Ezra Klein of The New York Times, Alberta said he saw firsthand the Trump campaign’s anxiety about Biden being replaced. “The Trump campaign, from day one, has been built not to run against a generic Democrat,” Alberta said. “It’s been built to run a very specific race against a very specific opponent in Joe Biden.”
Alberta detailed how Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, the advisers who have been co-managing Trump’s campaign, have tailored their operation — from their micro-targeting ad strategies to their broader messaging — to Biden. A change of the Democratic nominee throws that entire plan into disarray.
This panic was immediately evidenced in Donald Trump’s rambling posts on Truth Social. Tim Alberta also reports that Trump allies are now second-guessing the selection of the extremist J.D. Vance as Trump’s running mate.
The brilliance of President Biden dropping out after the RNC can’t be overstated. Republicans wasted all that messaging targeting Biden, and Trump arrogantly selected J.D. Vance - a move that could backfire with swing voters.
Republicans have been grasping for a new attack line on Kamala Harris. So far, the main right-wing argument I’m seeing against Harris is that she’s fun and likes to laugh. Needless to say, the Trump Campaign isn’t handling this well.
We’re in for a wild few months. The upcoming Democratic National Convention just became a wildly exciting spectacle. We’re going to get a legendary speech from President Joe Biden. Former President Obama and other Democratic leaders will speak. We’ll see a huge show of unity. Then, we’ll see the historic nomination of Kamala Harris.
As I’ve been saying for weeks and wrote in The Independent, history has taught us that authoritarians win when their opposition is divided. I have been hoping that Democrats would quickly unite so that they can shift the focus to Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 agenda.
It looks like the Democratic unity we need is finally here.
We now have hope💙🇱🇷💙