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 campaign 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.
President Biden said something hugely significant this week. Speaking at an NAACP event, Biden slammed Donald Trump for claiming that immigrants were "taking Black jobs." "I know what a Black job is," Biden told the crowd. "It's the vice president of the United States."
But he didn't stop there. "Folks, because of you, I am president and Kamala Harris is vice president," he continued. And then he added the real kicker: "And, by the way, she's not only a great vice president, she could be president of the United States."
Biden's right! Kamala Harris could be the 47th president of the United States. She could be elected president this year. If only Biden would do the right thing - for the country, for the Democratic Party, and for his own legacy - and step aside.
Last Saturday's attempted assassination of Donald Trump was a traumatic event for the nation. We're all grateful he escaped with only a minor wound, but the aftermath of that shooting has already had a major impact on the 2024 campaign: positive for Republicans; negative for Democrats.
For Republicans, the positive provides a new burst of enthusiasm for Trump, despite his multiple felony convictions; more excuses for portraying him as a victim; and one more opportunity to blame Democrats for gun violence (even though they're the ones who block any gun safety legislation). For Democrats, the negative is two-fold: a strong feeling among some Democrats that the failed assassination attempt changes everything; and a belief among many that it's time to bury any attempts to convince Joe Biden to step down. Both conclusions are dead wrong.
As I wrote in The Hill newspaper, earlier this week: "What happened last Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, changes nothing - except, hopefully, to encourage people, starting with Donald Trump, to tone down the hate-filled rhetoric. Otherwise the choice remains the same: between a convicted felon and failed former president and an honorable public servant and effective current president, who's achieved more in four years than most presidents do in eight."
Nothing has changed. The issues are the same. The stakes are the same. The threat to democracy is the same. And the need to convince Joe Biden to bow out of the race is the same.
And let me make one thing perfectly clear. I've come to this conclusion, not out of any dislike of or disappointment in Biden. Au contraire! I'm a longtime fan of Biden's. Always underrated, he's the ultimate comeback kid. And he's turned out to be one of the best and most effective presidents of our lifetime.
But, as he might say, "here's the deal." I want him to go out in a blaze of glory. I want him to be remembered, as he once promised, as a great "bridge" president. The man who saved this country from Donald Trump in 2020, who got this economy back on track, who restored our leadership in the free world, who proved that bipartisanship can still work, and - here's the only missing element so far: who had the wisdom to know when it was time to pass the torch to the next generation.
Do I think Joe Biden could do the job for another four years? Yes! The problem is, Biden has to convince most Americans that he's up to the job, not just yellow-dog Democrats like me. And he simply hasn't done that. Not in the debate. Not in the George Stephanopoulos interview. Not in the solo news conference. Not in the Lester Holt interview. And it's not going to get any better.
It's in Joe Biden's own best interest to step aside. And there's no reason other than stubborn ego that he hasn't yet done so. Especially when there are so many dynamic, younger, more energetic candidates available, including Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker, Wes Moore, Josh Shapiro, Roy Moore, Gretchen Whitmer and others.
But the strongest of them all, I believe, is vice president Kamala Harris. She has more experience than all the others. The transition from Biden to Harris would be the easiest for Biden and the smoothest for the party. And, after a rocky start, she's proven to be a powerful campaigner, especially on the key issues of reproductive freedom, voting rights, and civil rights. She'd destroy Donald Trump in any presidential debate.
Biden made history by bringing us the first female vice president. He should now solidify his place in history by opening the door to the first female, African-American president. That would be the capstone of Biden's career.
(C)2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Time for democratic leaders to deliver message to Biden
There was a time, not so long ago, when Congress was full of heroes. John F. Kennedy even wrote a book about a few of them, which he unapologetically called "Profiles in Courage."
But that was then, and this is now. Even Diogenes with his proverbial lamp would have a hard time finding profiles of courage in today's Congress. It's filled with men and women with little or no backbone - as proven by leaders of both parties refusing to stand up and save the nation at a time when we needed them the most.
First was the Republican Party's failure to break with Donald Trump after January 6. Our memory's short, so let's remember the facts. After two months of unsuccessful attempts to overturn results of the 2020 election, Trump resorted to violence against the government. He summoned an armed mob of supporters to Washington and unleashed them in an attack on the U.S. Capitol, where they overran, killed, and wounded police officers, trashed the citadel of democracy, and threatened the lives of every member of Congress and the Vice President of the United States.
If there were ever a compelling case for impeachment, that was it. Indeed, within a week, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for "incitement of insurrection." Yet Senate Republicans, led by spineless Mitch McConnell, refused to convict him. Yes, refused to hold Trump responsible, even for attempting to overthrow the government.
We've never seen such an astounding display of political cowardice, nor one with such disastrous results. Because, had Republican senators only found the courage to do the right thing at that time, a disgraced Donald Trump would not be a factor today. He'd be in the dustbin of history, where he belongs. Instead, Republicans not only defended Trump's treasonous behavior on January 6, they're now championing this serial liar, wannabe dictator, and convicted felon as their presidential nominee.
In 2021, by sticking with Donald Trump, Republican members of Congress put party loyalty above saving the country. And now, sadly, by sticking with Joe Biden, Democratic members of Congress are doing the same thing. At least so far.
Of course, the parallel's not perfect. Joe Biden's no Donald Trump. He's everything Trump is not: honest, patriotic, hard-working, loyal, compassionate, and effective. He's accomplished more in four years than most presidents do in eight. He should be automatically given another four years.
The problem is he has to win them first. And, fairly or unfairly, the focus in this campaign is not on all the good things Joe Biden's done or could accomplish in a second term, nor on how bad things were for four years under Trump and how much worse they'd be were he given another four.
The entire focus is on whether or not Joe Biden is mentally and physically fit to serve another four years. Polls indicate a majority of Americans believe he's not up to it. And, unfortunately, starting with his dismal debate performance against Donald Trump, Biden's given them no evidence that he is.
Democrats are right, including longtime Biden fans like me, to believe there is too much at stake in this election to take a chance with a weak candidate against Donald Trump. So now's the time for Democrats to show some courage. It's time for Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, James Clyburn, and Chuck Schumer to head to the White House and convince President Biden that he must step aside and let the party rally behind a younger, more energetic candidate.
Biden must step down for the good of the party, lest Democrats not only lose the White House, but the House and Senate as well. Biden must step down for the good of the country, to save our democracy and prevent the prospect of a madman president who has promised to trash the Constitution, prosecute his political opponents, sic the Justice Department on his critics in the media, pardon the January 6 criminals, undertake mass deportations, and roll back all the freedoms we've won and expanded over the last 50 years.
And Joe Biden must also step down for his own good: to save his own reputation as a great, one-term president. As a hero who saved our country once in 2020, and again in 2024. Not as a confused old man who didn't know when it was time to pass the torch.
But time is running out. Jeffries, Pelosi, Clyburn, and Schumer need to deliver that message to Biden now. Before it's too late.
Credit: Tribune Content Agency
It's time for Biden to do the right thing
This is the column I never wanted to write.
Let me start by admitting that I was one of those who complained most loudly when CNN scheduled this year's first presidential debate at the end of June. It didn't make any sense to put Donald Trump and Joe Biden on stage that early in the season, I insisted. By June 27, neither would have been officially nominated as their party's presidential nominee. Wasn't this a case of premature nominization?
But it soon occurred to me how wrong I was. I realized there was actually a good reason for staging the first debate before either Trump or Biden were the official nominee. Why? Because that way, in case either one of them performed badly, his party would have an opportunity to dump him and come up with a better choice before the nominating convention.
And that, in fact, is where we are today. That's what happened in the first debate. Unfortunately, the party that needs to come up with a better nominee is not, as I had hoped, the Republican Party. But the Democratic Party.
There's no way to sugarcoat it. Biden put on a painful, embarrassing, cringe-worthy performance on Thursday night. As former Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill summed it up on MSNBC: "Joe Biden had one thing he had to do tonight and he didn't do it. He had one thing he had to accomplish, and that was to reassure America that he was up to the job at his age. And he failed at that tonight."
Which is not to say Donald Trump had a good night. He unleashed a string of outright lies, most of which we've heard before: that he created the strongest economy in history, that his tax cuts helped the middle class; that thousands of terrorists, murderers and rapists are flowing over the border every day; and that America is no longer respected in the world. To which he added a couple of breathtaking whoppers: that Democrats were executing babies after they were born; that he had nothing to do with January 6; and that the Founding Fathers would actually applaud the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
And yet, given many opportunities, Biden did nothing to repudiate those lies. When Trump accused Biden of doing nothing for Blacks, for example, Biden didn't mention that he'd appointed the first Black female vice president, the first Black female j ustice of the Supreme Court, an African-American secretary of defense and had given more money to historic Black universities and colleges than any other president.
Even on the signature issue of abortion, Biden failed to make the case that Trump owns the Dobbs decision, that turning the issue over to the states is denying millions of American women the right to control their own bodies, and that the Republican Party will not stop until it passes a national ban on abortion.
Though Biden occasionally scored a good point - "The only man on this stage who's a criminal felon is the man I'm looking at right now" - most of his answers were so muddled, so disjointed, such word-salad, it was hard to follow him - even for those of us who follow this stuff closely, let alone for first-time voters tuning in.
It is true, as I have often argued, that Joe Biden doesn't get half the credit he deserves. He rescued this country. He's accomplished more in four years than most presidents do in eight. He's restored America's leadership in the world. He's stood strong with Ukraine and Israel. He's a champion for climate change, women's rights, jobs, gay rights, public education, and all the other issues we care about. He's been a very good and effective president.
The problem is that today, fairly or unfairly, people care about only one issue: Is Joe Biden still up to the job? He had his best chance to prove that on Thursday night - and he failed.
Now there's only one way forward. As painful as it is for me to say it: For the good of the party, and for the good of the nation, Joe Biden should step aside. He should release his pledged delegates, declare an open convention, and let the party choose another younger, more energetic nominee. Make Donald Trump the addled old guy in this race.
There's still time, and there's no lack of talent. Think Gretchen Whitmer, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Josh Shapiro, J.B. Pritzker, Wes Moore. Anyone of them can beat Donald Trump.Credit: Tribune Content Agency
"My fellow Americans." I've always been impressed when the President of the United States, began a speech from the Oval Office with that phrase. Because it meant that he was talking to all of us, regardless of party, about an issue that was so important all of us needed to take it seriously.
Think of John F. Kennedy, warning the nation about the Cuban Missile Crisis; George W. Bush, after Sept. 11; Barack Obama, on the BP oil spill. Well, now it's my turn.
"My fellow Americans:" We need to have a serious conversation about what's at stake in this presidential election. That's been true, ever since Donald Trump announced he was running for re-election. But it's especially important now that he's been convicted of 34 felonies and the Republican Party seems determined to make this convicted felon their standard-bearer in 2024.
That's why this election is so critical. Because, unlike any other presidential campaign we've ever experienced, it's not about a choice between two parties, two candidates, and two different sets of opinions on tax policy, climate change, affirmative action, or any other issue.
This time, the stakes are much, much higher. And they compel us to reflect on who we are as Americans, what we believe in, what we stand for, and what we're willing to fight for: questions that go to the very essence of what this great nation is all about.
Do we believe in the Constitution? Do we believe in the rule of law? Do we believe that the law must apply equally to every American, regardless of sex, race, gender, wealth, job, or social class? Do we believe in the most fundamental tenet of the American justice system: that no one person is above the law? Do we love this country?
It doesn't matter whether you're a Republican, Democrat, or Independent. If you answer "yes" to any one of those questions, there's no way you can vote for Donald Trump. Period. He is the anti-law and order, anti-Constitution, anti-democracy, anti-American candidate.
Consider that Trump has already promised: to suspend the Constitution; to weaponize the Justice Department against his political opponents and critics in the media; to defund the FBI; and to pardon more than 1, 265 persons charged and 420 incarcerated for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Consider that Trump has already lost two court cases this year in New York state: along with other officers of the Trump organization, found guilty of financial fraud and fined $464 million; and found liable for sexual abuse and defamation against journalist E. Jean Carroll and fined $88.3 million.
Now add last week's verdict: Trump found guilty on 34 counts of knowingly and deliberately falsifying records of hush money paid to a porn star in order to tilt the outcome of a federal election. He's the first president accused of a federal crime and the first president convicted of a crime. And he still has three criminal trials ahead of him: in Georgia, for election fraud; in Miami, for stealing top-secret presidential documents and refusing to return them; and in Washington, for inciting an attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Donald Trump is no ordinary candidate. He's a walking crime spree.
There was a time, not so long ago, when neither political party would consider nominating a convicted felon for dogcatcher, let alone for president of the United States. Which makes the rush of spineless Republican leaders to embrace a convicted felon so disgusting. One by one, they lined up to assert that 34 felonies is no big deal.
Ah, but breaking the law is a big deal. A "BFD," as Joe Biden would say. Again, if we love our country, if we have any respect for the office of president, if we want other nations to respect us, if we want our kids to honor the law and have any faith in our government, we should not even consider having a convicted felon serve in the Oval Office.
My fellow Americans: this election is no longer about Donald Trump. It's about us. It's up to us - Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all - to step up to save our democracy.
The challenge we face is the challenge President Biden issued in Normandy this week on the 80th anniversary of D-Day: "Their generation, in their hour of trial - the allied forces of D-Day did their duty. Now the question for us is, in our hour of trial, will we do ours?"
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The media: Donald Trump's best friend
Breaking News! Last week, Donald Trump urged Vladimir Putin not to free Wall Street reporter and American citizen Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested by Russia on bogus charges of espionage in March 2023 and has been held in prison ever since.
I repeat. An American reporter, just doing his job in Moscow, has been in prison for over a year, accused by Russia of being a spy - and a former president of the United States, the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, has asked the leader of Russia to keep him in prison. At least, until after the election.
Unbelievable? Outrageous? Of course! But you probably never heard about it. Even if you did, you didn't hear much about it. Why? Because Donald Trump said it. And even when one of their own, a top reporter and colleague, is the victim of Trump's venom, the media gives him a pass.
Imagine if Joe Biden had made the same suggestion. Every newspaper in the country would be demanding his resignation and Congress would already be holding impeachment hearings.
You may recall another outrageous example of playing politics with imprisoned Americans: in 1980, when candidate Ronald Reagan sent emissaries to Iran, urging them not to release American hostages until after the November election.
Here's the big difference. We didn't know about that deal until years later, because the Reagan campaign kept it secret, knowing they'd be crucified in the media if it became public. But Trump doesn't have to worry about that. He knows that, no matter how outrageous what he says or does, the media will shrug it off as just "Trump being Trump."
The case of Evan Gershkovich is all the proof you need of the media's bias for Trump. I consider it the most serious threat of 2024. It's not just that Donald Trump could win. It's that the media doesn't care. In fact, I think it's worse than that. I believe the media is on his side. And I don't mean just the obvious Trump media outlets: Fox News, Newsmax, or One American News (OAN). I include the mainstream media.
Look at mainstream media coverage of the 2024 election. They give Donald Trump unlimited airtime to repeat his lies. They make a huge deal about any occasional verbal slip Joe Biden makes, while ignoring the racist insults, slurring of words, and crazy verbal salads we hear from Donald Trump every day.
And, worst of all, all they focus on is the horse race- who's up and who's down in the latest poll - without talking about the disastrous consequences to this country, to journalism, and to democracy were Donald Trump ever to win a second term.
Here's the problem. In this election, the media's using the same set of tools they've always used to cover elections. As if this campaign were like any other: two parties, two candidates, each qualified, some differences on the issues, but both sides accept the results and move on.
But this campaign is different. Donald Trump's not just any candidate, he's a dangerous demagogue, a twice-impeached former president who has promised to suspend the Constitution, pardon the January 6 criminals, and weaponize the Justice Department against his critics and the media, while demanding total immunity for anything he does as president - even assassinating his political opponents.
Trump's the first president ever impeached and indicted for trying to overturn an election; the first president ever to refuse to accept the results of an election; and the first president ever to be indicted on 88 felony counts. So the media can't cover Trump as one of two candidates who just happen to differ on policy. They have to talk about how dangerous Donald Trump is in every sentence. As ABC's George Stephanopolous said this week, "We have to make sure we don't equate trying to overturn an election with tax policy."
On my podcast, Jay Rosen, professor of journalism at NYU, challenged the media to treat this election differently. In 2024, he said, it's important for reporters to focus on: "Not the odds, but the stakes." As if channeling Rosen, President Biden made the same point at this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner: "I'm not asking of you to take sides, but asking you to rise up to the seriousness of the moment: move past the horse-race numbers ... and focus on what's really at stake."
Unfortunately, I haven't seen any signs that most members of the media are listening. They helped elect Donald Trump in 2016, and I'm convinced they're trying to do it again.
(C)2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Disorder in the court!
Everybody knows the government's a total mess today: hopelessly divided and unable to get anything done. At least, that's what they believe, because that's all they read and hear about in the news. But that's actually not the case.
Granted, political rhetoric is uglier than it's ever been. Democrats and Republicans are in open warfare. But the truth is that, despite the political divisions, Congress and the White House have racked up an incredible record over the last three years: major, bipartisan legislation on Covid relief, infrastructure, gun control, same-sex marriage, veterans' health, semi-conductor chips, and anti-Asian hate crimes, among others. All of which President Biden signed into law. In just the last month, the President and Congress passed bipartisan legislation to extend help to Ukraine and Israel and force the sale of TikTok.
So the reality is not what you might believe, reading the morning news. It may not be pretty, but the Congress and White House are doing just fine, thank you. There's only one branch of government that's totally out of control. It's not the Executive or the Legislative branch. It's the Supreme Court.
No wonder the public has so little confidence in the court. Last week, FiveThirtyEight.com reported only 34.5 percent of Americans approve of the court, a record low. But that number will probably sink even lower after the latest political scandal involving Justice Samuel Alito and January 6.
As first reported by the New York Times, complete with photographs and eyewitness accounts, for several days in January 2021, just before President Biden's inauguration, an upside-down American flag - symbol of the "Stop the Steal" movement, which alleged that Biden stole the 2020 election - flew over Justice Alito's Virginia home.
That was bad enough. But it just got worse. Now the Times also reports that a second flag adopted as a symbol of the "Stop the Steal" movement and prominently carried by those who attacked the Capitol on January 6 - the so-called "Appeal to Heaven" flag - flew over Alito's New Jersey beach house in July-September 2023.
It's no secret that Alito's one of the most conservative members of the court. But openly flying the colors of those who stormed the Capitol on January 6 is way, way over the line for any judge, let alone a member of the nation's highest court. For two reasons.
First, because of the disrespect shown for the American flag. According to the U.S. Flag Code, the American flag must never be flown upside down, except as "a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property." Second, because the Code of Conduct in place for United States judges (including the Supreme Court) states (1) "A Judge Should Refrain From Political Activity;" and (2) "A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All Activities."
As soon as the first flag story broke, Alito rushed onto Fox News to blame his wife, proving he not only has no common sense, but no backbone, either. Which is nonsense. Alito knows that the legitimacy of the court, as shown above, depends on its members preserving at least the appearance of being above politics. As former White House Counsel Gregory Craig told me: "That flag was a symbol of those who, with violence, tried to reverse the outcome of a presidential election. If he disagreed with it, he would have taken it down on day one. He didn't."
Now comes the real test. Having already shown his bias by flying two flags of the "Stop the Steal" movement, there's no way Samuel Alito should be allowed to rule on two January 6 cases now before the court: whether as former president, Donald Trump has total immunity for any official acts; and the scope of the obstruction of justice statute under which Trump is charged. Alito knows the words of the Federal Recusal Law: "Any justice, judge or magistrate of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned."
Note carefully: "any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned." Under that rubric, Samuel Alito does not qualify. And neither does Clarence Thomas, whose wife was openly involved in efforts to overturn the election.
To save any reputation the Supreme Court has left, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas must recuse themselves from any January 6 cases. If they refuse, Chief Justice John Roberts should publicly call on them to do so. If they still refuse, Congress should move to impeach them both.
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