Editor’s Note: A version of the following article first appeared on Judge Wendell Griffen’s blog, “Fierce Prophetic Hope.” Since it was first published, Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough delegates to win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
President Joe Biden made history that may change the world when he decided to end his re-election effort and pledged his support for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee for president during the 2024 election season.
Biden’s decision to end his re-election effort was difficult and heroic. He has worked since 1987 to be elected President. His 2020 presidential campaign succeeded despite the difficulties caused by the Covid pandemic, the forced seclusion Biden and his supporters had to endure. He was also successful despite the many lies told by then President/now former president Donald Trump about everything ranging from the Covid 19 pandemic to civil rights for women, people of color, people living with disabling conditions, workers, immigrants, seniors, and anyone else.
Whatever flaws Biden may have, his decision to end his re-election campaign and minutes later pledge his wholehearted support for Harris captured the attention of journalists and political pundits across the United States and throughout the world. Biden will now forever be remembered and respected as a patriot whose love of country and democracy rose above his desire to hold onto power after noon on January 20, 2025.
Now, Biden will forever be remembered as a statesman, not merely a politician. Donald Trump has never been considered statesmanlike and Biden’s decision highlights the huge difference between the two men.
Thanks to Biden, Donald Trump is about to face the most effective political opponent of his lifetime.
Kamala Harris should immediately go on the offensive to win support of the Democratic Party’s delegates during their national convention in Chicago in August. Biden’s support could not have been announced more effectively.
By announcing his support for Harris, Biden allowed his supporters to also choose to do so. That is happening with record speed for one clear reason. Like him, Biden’s supporters love democracy and the nation more than they crave power for its own sake.
Like him, Biden’s supporters are determined to save the United States from Donald Trump’s narcissistic neofascism. Those faithful Biden supporters believe in democracy and they are willing to trust Harris to fight as Biden did when he defeated Trump in 2020. Now, they will help Harris win the fight against Trump in 2024.
The hard work ahead is for Harris and all who believe in democracy. They must take the offensive and push hard against Trump’s clear record of deceit, dishonesty, incompetence, corruption, and mental unfitness to be chief executive of the United States. The issue has now shifted from Biden’s impairments due to aging to Trump’s unfitness because he is a corrupt, mentally unstable, sociopathic idiot.
At every turn, Harris should take the initiative to name Trump and MAGA as existential threats to democracy, freedom, justice, stability, truth, and peace. She must use the momentum and goodwill created by Biden’s endorsement to seize the initiative and forcefully prosecute that attack.
Her surrogates and supporters should flood social media, print media, and cable news channels to discuss Trump’s incompetence concerning COVID, his bigotry against working people, women, people of color, poor people, people who are LGBTQIA, veterans, seniors, students, civil rights, voting rights, and environmental justice.
The argument should be constant, coordinated, and nimble enough to define and control media attention and programming every day between now and election day. And Harris must be unrelenting to get young voting age support from the 18-40 age group.
Harris is a former prosecutor. The nation needs to see her go hard against the biggest crook in the country during campaign stops and on the debate stage, without restraint or hesitation. She should go hard because she is fighting for the country and its future against a sociopath, convicted felon, sex offender, commercial cheat, insurrectionist, and neo- fascist demagogue.
Aside from the sympathy he deserved after a gunman tried to murder him days ago, Trump has no untapped well of support. Harris has the character, competence, and charisma to appeal to a deep and wide bloc of current, former, and potential voters.
Harris is ready for a fight Trump has never wanted, despite his attempts at bravado. She should take that fight to him so well and hard that he will not be able to evade, escape, or stop it. And the rest of us who love democracy should help her wage that fight and win it.
When that happens, Joe Biden will be the happiest and most influential lame duck president in history. We will be forever grateful for his patriotism in helping save democracy and foreseeable generations from fascism and bigotry.
And when that happens, Donald Trump will be again and hopefully forever, what he has always feared most being called: a loser.
Pastor at New Millennium Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, a retired state court trial judge, a trustee of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, author of two books and three blogs, a consultant on cultural competency and inclusion, and a contributing correspondent at Good Faith Media.
