(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Joe Biden: A Bridge to the Future [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-08-28 I have observed Joe Biden's career since before he went bald the first time. He always struck me as a good guy and an honest politician (if there is such a thing). The fact that he was consistently ranked as one of the poorest members of Congress is a testimony to his honesty and his priorities. Biden always acted like a public servant rather than an aspiring millionaire--like too many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Biden didn't go into politics to get rich, but he did have big ambitions. He first ran for President in 1988, and he kept running* until he won in 2020. Since then, he has done a remarkable job--considering Trump & Co attempted to overthrow our government before leaving the Biden Administration to face an economic disaster in the midst of a pandemic. Despite having to deal with an increasingly insane Republican Party, bent on obstruction, and a Supreme Court stacked against him; Biden and his administration somehow managed to bring inflation down for a soft landing-rather than crashing into the Great Recession predicted by Trump & Chumps. During Biden's term, we've enjoyed low unemployment, high job creation, a soaring stock market and a record number of people with health insurance. Biden and the Democrats even had a bi-partisan immigration bill ready to pass until Trump ordered House Republicans to kill it because it would be seen as a success on Biden's watch. That is how much Republicans actually care about the problems at the border. The more problems--the better. It was no secret that voters were not happy with either Biden or Trump. They were both too old. Republican primary candidate, Nikki Haley, predicted that the first party that dropped their old-man candidate would win the election. I think she nailed it. It was a safe bet that Trump was not going to step down for the good of the Party or anything else--but Biden didn't want to step down either and felt he had earned the right to run for a second term. He had worked toward being President for most of his adult life, and he had big things he still wanted to accomplish. …and he honestly believed he could win. I believe Biden could have won too. How could he not? He beat Trump in 2020, and that was before Trump pissed off millions of women voters with his abortion bans-not to mention all the blacks, browns, veterans, young people, gays, trans and disabled people Trump has managed to insult in the past few months. The proverbial ham sandwich ought to be able to beat Trump in November. In spite of that, pollsters kept calling the Biden/Trump race a dead heat. I find that hard to believe, but we can be sure about one thing--it will get ugly after Trump loses--especially if he manages to round up enough Boogaloo and Proud Boys to try another insurrection. To them I say, "Stand back, stand down, and get lost. You are losers backing the biggest loser of all." **** Then on June 27th, 2024 Biden had that terrible debate performance, and pressure intensified on him to drop out. After a couple of weeks of wailing and gnashing of teeth-Biden dropped out. Trump was dumbfounded. He couldn't understand why someone would do something so selfless. Trump continued to claim that Biden would rise from his ashes to reclaim his nomination at the Convention-until he didn't. What did Biden do? He didn't sulk. He didn't take his nuclear football and go home. He stayed on the job and did everything he could to help his Party transition to Kamala Harris as its candidate. When he chose Kamala Harris as his running mate in 2020, Biden promised to be a "bridge" to the Democratic leaders of the future. It just turned out that the bridge was shorter than he had planned. The future is now. The Democratic National Convention didn't turn into the Biden lovefest that I feared it might. That was good. We need to keep focused on November 5th. After Democrats win The White House and Congress in a landslide, there will be plenty of time to honor President Biden properly. At first, I thought Biden should get a Presidential Medal of Freedom, but changed my mind after Trump reminded us that those medals were for sale during his administration. We could rename Reagan Airport for Biden, or a highway or aircraft carrier or something. Are there any Trump towers left that we could rename? No… that's a bad idea. What kind of weirdo has towers named after themself? As far as I'm concerned, President and Commander-in-Chief Joe Biden deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor for his historic act of selflessness in the face of the very real threat that Trump & Company poses to democracy in American. Biden's selfless act of stepping down flipped the script on the election. Instead of just choosing between two old farts running for President, voters will now have their best opportunity in decades to break the stranglehold the conservative elite has on our government. The Fat Cats have bet it all on Republicans, and Republicans have bet it all on Trump. They deserve to lose it all with him. With Harris/Walz in the White House and enough Democrats in Congress to overcome Republican obstruction for a change, our government can start acting like a government for all the people-not just the richest 2%. We can pass that immigration bill that Trump killed. We can transition to universal healthcare and put an end to medical-related bankruptcies. We can seriously start to address man-made climate change instead of pretending it doesn't exist. We have a chance to bring normality back to America--to cast aside the hate and division that has powered the Trump train for the past eight years. Check your voter registration status at vote.org. Republicans have made a science of voter suppression, and purging likely Democratic voters from the rolls is their first easiest way to cheat. So, make sure you are still registered, or register now. Make your plan to vote on November 5th or before--vote early, if possible. Join the big blue wave, and help flush the stink of Trump & Company out of our government forever. Amen! [*] Biden didn't run in 2016 mainly because of the illness and death of his son, Beau. With Hillary Clinton headed for the White House, I think Biden was ready to retire; but after Clinton's surprising loss, Biden felt a patriotic obligation to come back and stop Donald Trump from having another term. That is exactly what he did. You can thank him in November. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/8/28/2266453/-Joe-Biden-A-Bridge-to-the-Future?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/