Athanasios Ellis
After an extended period of criticism and pressure, not from opponents but from friends and supporters, which made it particularly painful, came self-awareness and, finally, the difficult decision.
US President Joe Biden, now 81, will not seek re-election. His age, but mainly his visibly concerning health condition, led him to withdraw from the race.
It was an obvious decision and should have been made a long time ago, not after the painful debate with Donald Trump in June, but at least by January, before the primaries.
It would have been the right and dignified stance and would have been respected even by opponents.
Everything indicates that his entourage resisted the loss of power, trapping him in a situation that ultimately harmed both him and his party, bringing Trump even closer to the presidency.
If Biden had announced early, at the beginning of the year, that he would not seek re-election, he would today be in the role of guarantor of unity and continuity, facilitating the smooth institutional process within the Democratic Party for selecting the presidential candidate, ensuring the full legitimacy of the winner in the eyes of both party voters and the American society at large.
In any case, the Democrats are called to highlight a strong candidate capable of standing “toe to toe” with Trump, while simultaneously ensuring rallying around this person and, by extension, party unity.
The frontrunner to take the baton is Vice President Kamala Harris, who has both institutional advantage and Biden’s support, while also in the spotlight are the governor of California, the country’s largest state, Gavin Newsom, and the governors of three crucial swing states for securing the presidency: Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois. The latter two are also potential vice-presidential candidates if Harris ultimately becomes the presidential candidate.
Harris has the advantage of having direct access to the funds raised for the Biden-Harris campaign.
At the same time, another goal is for the chosen candidate to have appeal beyond the Democrats. They need to have a moderate profile to attract many Republicans who are allergic to Trump and feel alienated from their party, which it is not an exaggeration to say has essentially transformed into a Trump party.
It will not be an easy task as, simultaneously, the left wing of the Democrats is pushing for an agenda moving in the opposite direction, emphasizing social issues from immigration management to the rights of various social groups, which do not seem to be accepted by the majority of society, thus reducing the chances of prevailing in November.
