Biden Needs to Give the Democratic Party An Advantage: Announce You Will Not Run For Re-election

Let Younger Democrats Get Into the Presidential Nomination Race

Joe Biden has done much for America and the Democratic Party. But he needs to do something now terribly important for the Democratic Party to gain electoral advantage and win the presidency in 2024 and defeat the radical reactionaries of the Republican Party (don’t call them conservatives, as they are not). He needs to announce he will not be a candidate for re-election, and he needs to do it now so that up and coming and younger Democrats can assess, plan, survey, poll, write, organize and announce they are candidates for the Democratic nomination. We need the back benchers, aspiring candidates, including Governors, to step forward and seek center stage in the race for the nomination.

There are many reasons for my plea to President Biden. I will summarize some of them:

He is 80 years old now and will be 86 at the end of another four year term in 2028. I am a young 75 going on 76, and the mental faculties, recall and mental dexterity are not what they were; I cannot imagine how mine will be in 10 years at 86, but I do not think I could then handle the complexity of the U.S. Presidency, a World Leader of high importance.

Biden has been in the Senate, the Vice Presidency and the Presidency: an impressive and substantial resume of achievement and success. Few have or will be able to compete with his positive record of legislative, executive and administrative achievement. The second Presidential term can be a downer, cite Reagan, Clinton and George W. Bush. Presidents usually get more done in the first term than the second when they are a Constitutional lame duck.

The ongoing and expanding disclosures of Classified documents discovered in Biden’s house and garage, former private offices in Washington, and who knows where else are a serious problem particularly after we saw the problem of Trump withholding classified documents from the National Archives, where they clearly should be stored under appropriate security. Everyone thought Jack Smith, the Special Prosecutor, was ready to indict Trump, after getting clearance from Garland, but that does not look likely. There are major differences between the Trump and Biden Classified documents cases, particularly since Trump has worked hard to build a case of obstruction of justice against himself. The amazing thing about Trump is that he works hard to stick his neck in the noose, but some deus ex machina comes down, sometimes, to save him. And who would have thought last month that this time Biden would save Trump.

But the Biden Classified documents case has bad vibes, like the claim that there was no violation, probably stated by a Biden lawyer, saying Classified documents were stored in his garage along with Biden’s prized Corvette. Who would ever think of breaking into a garage to steal a shiny and well maintained Corvette? Answer: very many. And perhaps they would find other items besides the Corvette, like Classified papers going back to the time Biden was in the Senate. They might actually have market value for thieves. Would the National Archives buy Classified documents from the Biden Garage Thieves? How much are they worth when they discuss national security and who supplies arms and weapons to other countries. The Russian FSB (former KGB), or the Chinese Ministry of State Security, or even MI5 in Britain might all be bidders. And how about those Saudis who funded LIV Golf, they might outbid the others? A private auction if there ever was one.

Finally, the current Republican Party with its adoption of radical reactionary positions (I would not call them policies, as policies need to be thought out), House Rules known only to Speaker McCarthy (it is hard to write with a straight face), known only to him and the new Power Broker in the House, Matt Gaetz, the leader of the far, far right wing of the GOP. The Speaker is lining up his troops to refuse any debt ceiling increase until there is agreement that Social Security and Medicare will be cut. So, Senator Rick Scott’s action plan in the 2022 elections was not just his creature and far-out idea, but it was the de facto real Republican Agenda, despite comments from Senator McConnell, that Scott speaks only for himself. Sure. Believe that and ….

And Rick Scott has done much for Senior Citizens like the years in the 1980s and 1990s when he was CEO of HCA, the large hospital and health care company that stole billions in Medicare and Medicaid funds resulting in the largest settlement for fraudulent claims negotiated by the Justice Department, where HCA had to pay a settlement of about $1.4 billion for overcharging Medicare and Medicaid by $1.8 billion dollars or more, and CEO Rick Scott wanted to fight, but instead the HCA Board fired Scott but paid him $300 million in stock options and $30 million in cash to leave.

So that is the scene and the dramatis personae of Our Tragedy. But we need real, solid strength in the Presidency to fight the forces who want to pay the rich to live here, who support Russia against Ukraine, who want to cut Social Security and Medicare with the assistance of Senator Manchin, the guy who principally looks after himself and his sometime partner Kyrsten Sinema who works hard to secure benefits for Wall Street, contrary to what she told the people of Arizona when she ran for and was elected to the Senate, making her a miniature version of everyone’s favorite new House member, George Santos, the GOP’s own Brazilian Drag Queen.

We need strength going forward, and we need new leadership as the old saying goes, but we really do. Biden needs to suppress his ego, something hard for politicians, but he should focus on his achievements and tell us he will not seek the Democratic nomination in 2024. If he goes forward as a candidate for re-election, it is his ego operating to the detriment of the Democratic Party. Joe, say it isn’t so.