A Virtual Church

Passing the torch

July 25, 2024

Doing the noble thing takes courage. It takes self-examination and polishing the moral compass to do something for a reason higher than one’s own ambition. Getting old is not easy. It is especially not easy when the eyes of the world are upon you.
 
The weeks since the Presidential Debate must have been torturous to Joe Biden. An electorate who already had begun to question his ability to finish an election, much less to win, was watching like a hawk to see how he would handle himself against an opponent who was clearly less fit to be president and more ready to be rabid against his competition. 
 
President Biden has always been prone to gaffes and stumbles in his speech. Nobody faults him for that. But whatever was happening with his health on debate night did little but give fodder to his detractors and sow doubt in his supporters. 
 
The pressure and the truth finally got to the President. On Sunday afternoon at 1:46 pm he did the most Presidential thing of his presidency; he withdrew from the election. His endorsement of Kamala Harris set off a shock of electricity that stirred a worried Democratic Party and opened the pocketbooks of donors in record numbers. 
 
Now the ball is in Kamala’s court. I can’t wait to see her be herself, full bore, all systems go. One thing I know about being second in a chain of command. If you are number two, you learn to stay in your lane. It’s not smart to outshine number one; it will come back to bite you. In her three and a half years as Vice President, Harris has been a good soldier, not a glory hog or celebrity seeker. But Kamala Harris is smart, well educated, moral. Those three things alone should get her elected. 
 
Kamala Harris’s career has been about protecting the law, upholding order, taking on the bad guys. She is uniquely made for this moment. There are people saying the tee shirt should read, “The Prosecutor versus the Felon.” She is unbridled now to make her case, both for her election and against Donald Trump and his threat to democracy. 
 
We who love constitutional order and the rule of law are cheering the endorsements Kamala Harris is getting. When entire state delegations, like the North Carolina delegation to the national convention, endorse her within hours of the announcement, her formidability grows. Excitement in North Carolina is fun to watch, especially since Governor Roy Cooper is frequently mentioned as a Vice Presidential candidate.
 
We will get to know her better in the next few weeks. Her moves are being strategically orchestrated. And while Trump implodes on social media, the Harris Campaign is just getting started. Opposition research is surely going on in the Trump camp. But it will take a lot of dirt to cover what many of us see as the greatest hope we have had in over a year. 
 
President Biden is being honored for his patriotism in making this un-selfish decision. Resting on laurels when fire still burns in the belly is a tough slug. When the historians have been on television, they talk about the great legacy and importance of Joe Biden’s years of service to his country would be hard to equal. 
 
No, you won’t see it on Fox or Breitbart or even Real Clear Politics, but time will prove Joe Biden was on the right side of history. His commitment to bi-partisan governing has held him in high esteem for over fifty years. He is a decent person, faithful to his wife. He is an honest broker in a time when crude, loud and obnoxious candidates try to out-insult and degrade one another. Biden’s character, and Harris’s character are a real contrast to the rank-and-file bombast of the MAGA cult. 
 
Democrats will rally and give money. The problems that dogged Joe Biden are non-existent in this passing of the torch. Harris is almost 20 years younger than Trump, so criticism of age is off the table. And if people begin to play the Black-woman card, they have no idea how loud women can be. The birtherism conspiracy has already begun. That one’s tired folks.
 
It is time to envision a future with hope. A new generation is leading the ticket. How refreshing to see a lively candidate who is articulate and accomplished get her turn to top the ticket and topple Donald Trump. 
 
We are in for a wild ride. Hang on. You ain’t seen nothing yet. 
 
Lib Campbell is a retired Methodist pastor, retreat leader, columnist and host of the blogsite www.avirtualchurch.com. She can be contacted at libcam05@gmail.com