New Orleans       I landed in Newark from Frankfurt and opened my computer to see messages popping up everywhere with breaking news that President Joe Biden had announced that he would not seek a second term as US president in the fall election.  World leaders applauded his decision.  Columnists and editorial writers hailed his courage and humility. Trump issued a statement on his social media site that was negative, bitter, and puerile, but as much as Biden’s announcement might have surprised, Trump’s reaction was totally predictable, since he has consistently proven himself to be one of the world’s worst losers ever.

I thought the odds of Biden taking a walk were low.  There was no other potential candidate, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who Biden endorsed as his successor, who had polled better in general or in the race against Trump.  It’s hard to change horses in the middle of the stream, and the clock has been ticking steadily against any other candidate being able to marshal an effective campaign against Trump.  The stick-stirrers will try to make the case that there will be an open convention for a new selection, and some of the behind the scenes folks who have been behind the drive to remove Biden, like former House Speaker Pelosi, former President Obama, House Minority Leader Jefferies, and Senate Majority Leader Schumer are still silent, trying to read the polls and tea leaves.  Many others, including donors and governors, are rallying around Harris, and she will be the nominee now.  Cutthroat ambition being the drug of choice for politicians, there will be some that will feint and weave to test their chances, though likely not for now, but for later, but most of the wannabes will instead focus on whether or not they might join Harris on the ticket as her vice-president.  It won’t be boring, but neither will it be consequential.  Most of the “don’t run, Joe” crowd will have enough grace and good sense to move towards more unity behind Harris as the clear and obvious alternative.

We’ll see if I’m right or wrong on this call, but let me clearly state one opinion which I feel is categorical and past debate:  Joe Biden, by many miles, has been the best president of my lifetime.  Not perfect, of course, but when it comes to workers and lower-income families, it’s no contest in terms of his overall record.  He had his negatives in the Afghanistan withdrawal and his slowness to do right on Gaza, but all of that pales when the next best in line on the metrics that I care about was Lyndon Johnson, who will always carry the stains of Vietnam ending any possible competition in my mind.  If Harris were half as good as Biden, I’d be happy for our members, especially knowing that Trump would be a disaster.

There’s an old saying that if “you helped break it, you better be ready to fix it.”  The crowd that pushed Biden out has a lot of fixing to do, and they better all come together and get stepping, because there will be a judgement in November that will be final.  For Biden, he can now expect the convention to be a love feast and can enjoy the plaudits of his legacy and accomplishments as a capstone for fifty years in politics and power.  He gets to attend his own funeral, but he deserves all the praise he has coming.  For the rest of us, we’re all left with hope and a prayer, which is hardly a plan, but here we go.