Biden's latest mammoth success

What a difference a day makes.

All day Sunday and well into Monday I remained fretful. Afraid of the chaos and catastrophe that would result from a free-for-all at the Democratic Convention, wary of the media shitstorm that would drive and promote said chaos leading up to the convention, bracing for the Republican exploitation of all that chaos. It had the potential for unparalleled disaster considering the stakes of this year's election.

But by late yesterday most of my agitation was gone. My anxiety receded to a normal, healthy level of "WTF??!!!" regarding national politics in this time of Republicans becoming full-on fascists.

All thanks to Joe Biden.

Not because the president stepped aside and ended his reelection campaign, but because of how he did it. In a masterstroke of irony, President Biden did what few if any other leaders could do, successfully herded cats throughout the Democratic party and turned what he undoubtedly felt was an unfair, outsized, irrational betrayal by, if not party leadership then the American electorate, into a feat of political deftness that once again may have saved the country from fascism and a failing press corps.

I realize this is largely based in suppositions, but I have to believe this or something very close to this is true: Perhaps a week ago, likely just after he did the interview with Lester Holt on NBC, the president met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer somehow convinced him that key states were so greatly at risk, and that downballot races were so greatly at risk, that we'd be balancing on a knife's edge all the way through election day and that even if the president prevailed, the Senate would be lost to the fascists. Over the next few days, President Biden considered this information, consulted with the vice-president and his inner circle, and proceeded to work on a deal with the Democratic Party leaders. He would drop out of the race for renomination if and only if everyone got behind Vice President Harris right away. There was to be no open convention, no more infighting, no more of the crap that fed the irresponsible reportage that we've been swimming in. If the people who were allegedly considering getting into the race agreed not to run, if everyone in leadership would endorse Kamala Harris, and do it with time to spare before the pre-convention official nomination that needs to happen to counter Republican legal fuckery in Ohio and maybe a couple of other states, then he would agree to step aside. If not, he was in it to the end, because chaos would help Trump win way more than Biden being the nominee would.

The agreement was reached, and the president kept his final decision to himself from probably Tuesday or Wednesday of last week. Then he kept quiet until the Republican convention of autocratic fanboys and fangirls and cultists concluded, finally informing everyone at once on Sunday afternoon. Allowing a brief interval to pass while people reacted to the bombshell, he then released the statement throwing his full unequivocal support to Vice President Harris.

And what do you know, as the hours passed, Harris was endorsed by more and more Democratic leaders. Biden delegates in state after state pledged themselves to the VP. By the end of yesterday, Harris had the enthusiastic support of a healthy majority of the delegates needed to win the nomination.

Democrats are a so-called "big tent" party. We welcome all sorts, pretty much anyone who's supportive of the U.S. Constitution, which means there's lots of disagreement within. It's always a mess to get through a primary season when there's no incumbent running and there is always a faction that won't support the eventual nominee because reasons. I have to think that, without Joe Biden's skills and experience in politics, this transition to Vice President Harris would have been a clusterfrak.

Joe came through for us. Again. Despite (and because of!) the way he was treated by the press, by some of his own party, and by voters who claimed—without backing the claim up—he had zero chance to win reelection even though his has been the single most accomplished administration in a generation or more. (And, as was pointed out by Lawrence O'Donnell last night, done with a degree of difficulty neither LBJ or FDR had to face given the makeup of Congress then and now.)

I still believe Biden would have won in November, but now we'll never know. I also think Kamala Harris is fantastic, that she is a formidable candidate that can and will win by a much larger margin.

I didn't want Joe to drop out. He deserves better. But I'm pleased with how things have turned out so far and anticipate a very fine Harris presidency.