Once again, President Joe Biden warns us that our democracy is in jeopardy and that ridding our system of Donald Trump is JOB ONE.
Over the last few weeks, I've had more than a few conversations with friends about what a mensch Joe Biden is. I have not been so fortunate in my lifetime to have seen another politician selfless enough to step away for the good of the country. Biden isn't singing his praises but reminding us that our democracy is under direct assault, and his move, while awesome and masterful, was done to get that orange monster out of the national discussion.
Ultimately, Biden said, it was a combination of circumstances that led him to make his momentous decision not to seek re-election, which subsequently saw Vice-President Kamala Harris taking over the Democratic ticket and catching or surpassing Trump in several battleground states, according to new polling data.
"Although I have the great honor to be president, I think I have an obligation to the country to do the most important thing you can do, and that is we must, we must, we must defeat Trump," he said.
Biden said he did not take the decision lightly, and made it in consultation with his family at home in Delaware. At the time, he said, he still believed he could win in November, but events had "moved quickly" after weeks of pressure and growing unease inside his party that, at 81, he was too old for the rigors of a second term.
Guardian
Previously:
• NY Times editor says Trump's danger to democracy is not a top concern
• Wake up and smell the autocracy — Trump is serious about dismantling American democracy
• White Americans abandoned democracy and embraced authoritarianism when they realized brown people would soon outvote them
