Joe Biden and the better angels of our nature
The president made me proud to have voted for him, but mostly, proud to be an American.
Something happened to me on January 6. I’ve never written about it, not that I remember, but I’ve often wondered if it happened to other Americans, too.
Before January 6, I took for granted the peaceful transfer of power. It was all I ever knew. Watching insurrectionists attack our Capitol, and with it the very foundations of American democracy, awakened a level of patriotism, a depth of democratic conviction, that before I knew not dwells within me.
I love this Republic. I cherish our democracy. I admire the rule-of-law. Seeing all three attacked by a vicious crowd sent by a vindictive man intent on denying and destroying all three lit within me flames of righteous anger which set my soul aflame. No singular moment in my life made me prouder, more instinctively defensive, of the American experiment than watching it attacked by a braying mob at the behest of a would-be dictator.
Memories of January 6 came flooding back as I read President Biden’s statement announcing his intention not to seek a second term. The President did what his predecessor would not, could not do: He willingly ceded his own personal power for the good of the nation.
Put another way, Joe Biden willingly gave up power when he did not have to because it was the right thing for these United States. Donald Trump tried to overthrow democracy to retain his personal power. The distinction between these two men draws itself.
Joe Biden will be remembered as one of the most consequential presidents in our history. He defeated the authoritarianism of Donald Trump, yes, but he also invested in upgrading our infrastructure, fighting climate change, and returning America to prestige on the international stage. He is a good and decent man who more than met the moment. History will be kind to him.
Such a selfless act of putting the good of the nation above personal ambition, is what we teach our kids public servants should do. It is what we hope, but rarely expect, politicians – let alone the president – to do. In a cynical age where we believe those who seek public office do so to enrich themselves or advance their own interests, America was reminded that it does not have to be that way. That the character of the citizens we elect to lead us matters. That integrity matters.
There is something pure in what Biden did. His decision to stand aside for the good of the country reminds us of what we as Americans can be when, as President Lincoln put it, the better angels of our nature prevail. There is a nobility in self-sacrifice for the greater good, yet it is a nobility lacking in much of our politics.
Our leaders are not meant to be kings and lords, but servants of we, the people. Their needs and desires should be second to ours. Too often that isn’t the case.
Yesterday, it was. Joe Biden made me proud: Proud to have voted for him, proud to be a Democrat, but mostly, proud to be an American.
In standing aside, he reminded us all of what America is really all about. America is not about one man, or one movement. America is most certainly not about vengeance and retribution. America is not about Donald Trump or Joe Biden.
America is about about us. It is about you, and me, and our neighbors – the ones we like, the ones we don’t, the ones we never think about. The Preamble of our Constitution says it all: America is about providing for the common defence, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty not only for ourselves, but for our posterity.
America is about all of us. We, the people of the United States, are who matters. Not our leaders, who serve at our pleasure. Us. We, the people.
Joe Biden demonstrated that by standing aside. In doing so, he proved the better angels of our nature can still prevail, that a fundamental respect for the sanctity of democracy and an understanding that the country must always come before the self still exist. He demonstrated how our Republic is meant to function, with good citizens elected by their fellow citizens to serve, not reign.
Thank you, Mr. President, for reminding us of the promise of America. Your term may soon be over, but your legacy will stand as a beacon of decency and patriotism for generations to come.