Last night my wife and I walked out of comedy show smiling the way you do when you’ve just spent a couple of hours laughing your ass off. We left the venue, had a smoke, and checked our phones. I was bombarded with messages about the news that President Joe Biden was leaving the race for re-election. The smiles left our faces.
We had a romantic dinner at the first place we ever stayed as visitors in Paris. The Hôtel Providence is a beautiful little boutique hotel in the 10eme. We’d spent a couple of nights there in 2019 fantasizing about living here one day. We enjoyed a few meals in their gorgeous restaurant eating savory French food, listening to a pianist play one day, or their literal turntable spinning music of every era in every language another, and… so going back is a fairly regular occurence for us now that living here is no longer a fantasy.
I tell you that because we sat there in this romantic setting just kind of numb. Not because it was a surprise necessarily, but because it felt, to me at least, like Joe had been hounded by his own party into finally bowing out. Honestly, these last few weeks felt like the DNC was going to make damn sure he lost if didn’t bow out just to prove a fucking point.
I first learned who Joe Biden was when I was stationed at Dover, AFB. I was a Repiblican at the time, but I didn’t think he was bad. I didn’t think anything beyond the fact that he was the Senator in the state where I happened to be a resident.
Then 2008 happened. It was supposed to be his turn. That seemed to be the way the DNC always ran things (to embarrassing results it seemed to me). He lost the primary and ended up chosen to be President Obama’s running mate. I remember thinking, wow, he is brave. To be willing to fall in line and be the first Black President’s number two was to potentially relegate himself to nothing more than a footnote in history. But he served not only Obama, but this country, with what humility and joy. That’s what struck me about him during the Obama administration – he seemed happy to be of service to the American people.
And when it was Hillary’s turn, he was gracious. Then she lost, and well, we all know how that turned out.
So when Joe ran and won in 2020 I was relieved and elated. An adult was in the White House. But more than that; a good man was at the helm. He took over a broken house and tuned it back into a home. And then he was evicted by the people that had asked him to save us from ourselves (we the people elected Trump, after all).
As I sat there talking to Sam I told her it just feels personal. This is a man, even when I have disagreed with him, whose love for my country has never been in doubt. This is a man who has a servant’s heart. Just like I was taught in Sunday School all those years. A man who deserves better from his party and we the people.
I doubt very seriously that President Biden will ever see this, but if he happens to I would just like to say: thanks, Joe. I wish there more like you because you really do make America great.
