President Biden should seize the moment and announce that he will be a one-term president. In an instant, he would transform the political moment, create a profound opportunity to instigate a long overdue debate about the future of the United States, cripple the energy of the extremist cause and position himself to become a great president. The abandonment of politics, in favor of statecraft, straight talk and a message aimed at separating a growling and extremely diverse majority from a belligerent minority that is corrupt, maliced and politically ascendant is urgently needed.
Strategically this is a brilliant analysis of what our president can accomplish, once freed of all of the restraints that politics entangles him with. We have a good man for president, that much is obvious, at least to me; we saw a demonstration of the power of the presidency in the chaos the former looser in chief unleashed on our country, over a million dead from a virus due to his ineptitude is just one example. The power of the presidency can reset the conversation, take the hostility out of it, focus on what we need to do to benefit all of us, and not even just here in the US but everywhere on our planet. Every one of us are faced with existential challenges that need to be addressed with creative focus, the presidency unencumbered by politics has the ability to do just that, and we have a man that demonstratbly has a heart for the job. Freed of politics he will be able to focus the conversation like a laser, much to the consternation of those that are desperate to confuse and enslave us. The very last thing that the majority of elected republicans want, is a focus on the truth that they have done so much to conceal. The party of no, no freedom and equality for all, no need to offer any ideas that would benefit all, no plans for the good of the country other than tax cuts for the people that need them least, no real remedy’s to the problems all of us face, that party will be forced to account for how empty of solutions the word no is. We need leadership devoid of personal ambition, whose only goal is the freedom and prosperity of all, Joe Biden is uniquely positioned to accomplish that task.
I have been waiting for this EXACT sentiment concerning the presidency/Biden/America. It must be done now! Thank you!
btw- We need your voice Steve...on air. For those who know nothing of this new format they are missing the urgency and wisdom. In my group of friends and family, when one saw you on air there was a mass text chain letting all know that you were about to appear. Please tell me you will be on the airwaves again!
100% agree - and for one additional reason, he himself reportedly said this to help himself get elected. Would be good to see someone keep their word as well as renounce personal ambition for the country.
Some very good points, wonderfully written as always.
What about the “lame duck” argument - that once Biden steps out of the arena he will lose much power and influence?
And what about the Kamala Harris issue? She is, to my eye, not electable as President yet some (likely including her) will expect her to be anointed as next to lead. Biden would need to be noncommittal on her as successor. Can he DO that, being the loyal person he is?
Interesting idea and valid points. Not sure that this would not be more destabilizing than presented here. We have a lack of leadership at all levels. What, exactly will the political void be filled with?
Thank you for laying out the strategic plan President Biden can use to change how the future of our country proceeds. I agree he should put the immediate needs of our democracy before his political future. I hope he reads your advice and accepts it as the best way forward.
This makes a lot of sense! It is a little hard on Biden, which it is hoped does not prevent him from taking this very sound advice. It certainly captures the hunger of Americans for some real backbone and selfless leadership. How do we get this message to Biden?
Just as the photograph of Joe Biden speaks to me personally, I firmly believe that he met his moment in history with the leadership and the actions that have given me the security in a system of government like no other in the world, because it is so agreed upon by all those men and women who have been saved from the darkness ahead and have had the honesty to confirm it by recognition and action. Young America has historically made the world a better place. So has President Joe Biden, because he changed our country for the better and returned America to the world stage of democracy. This many in the world can not understand, because politics in the U.S. in so founded in participation. WE THE PEOPLE. But almost halfway into his presidency, we are at a crossroads and so is the world, where democracies are under attack. The attack is vicious and unrelenting, in America turning our very system of government upside down. I do agree that the President must cement his legacy now and not be drawn into a vicious campaign ahead. Precious consensus among elected politicians, the backbone of his political life, is non-existent. At this moment, he must reach it with the citizenry. Your writing above should have his ear. It is written for one of the grandest Presidents of America, with the respect and honesty that he deserves.
I don’t have in depth knowledge and perception like you, and I also really like Biden. I do see and agree with the stagnation and failure of the Democratic Party which was a long time coming. You are a diagnostician and a surgeon, bringing out the really bad and rotten to the fore. It is a lot of work and political commitment to save our future. Your ability to see and willingness to go where others will not forces us to confront the phenomenon larger than Biden. By using his presidency, he can definitely transform and relaunch a new younger Democratic Party. My reservation is the fact that it is a road that has never been taken at all before, at least not in recent history. You are right we will not survive unless we have the courage to forge a new path.
THIS is what our country needs. You have once again nailed it. Dems are worried about a lame duck president, but is there anyone who truly thinks Joe Biden is actually running again anyway? Taking it off the table now is brilliant.
I’m sorry, but how will this help us get back a woman’s right to choose? Or save voting rights? Or give us back a SCOTUS that believes the right to privacy is Constitutionally granted? There is so much chaos already in the country with everyone wondering whether the leader of an attempted overthrow of the government will be held accountable or go on to succeed in the next election. Biden will most likely not run for a second term. He as much as said so previously. Dem politicians who are not great at keeping their eyes on the ball in the best of situations would, perhaps, feel an immediate need to focus on their future aspirations and push their agendas. I just see Nancy Pelosi trying to herd a bunch of cats in Steve’s scenario.
Joe is a man of character and hopefully he and his folks will read this. We need a knight (or knightess) in shining armor to save the day. Otherwise my family is looking for property in Patagonia.
I hate to tell you this, Steve, but this is the Third Dumbest Idea In Politics, after Term Limits and the Balanced Budget Amendment.
What you are proposing is Biden kneecap himself and become a "lame duck" nobody on either side has to pay any attention to.
Your lack of sleep last night and failure to ingest sufficient caffeine to activate the "little grey cells" as Poirot calls them, is evident here and should be used as your excuse. :-)
And I will finish by saying I am amazed that people whose names I know and identify them as intelligent commenters here at Substack are doing a good job on this post of disabusing me of my mistaken impression.
I think the damage of Sanders taking Republican talking points in the 2016 election to chisel away at Hillary would pale in comparison to an open field of AOC and Yang and God knows who else running.
It would be a Real Housewives reunion with no host.
Strategically this is a brilliant analysis of what our president can accomplish, once freed of all of the restraints that politics entangles him with. We have a good man for president, that much is obvious, at least to me; we saw a demonstration of the power of the presidency in the chaos the former looser in chief unleashed on our country, over a million dead from a virus due to his ineptitude is just one example. The power of the presidency can reset the conversation, take the hostility out of it, focus on what we need to do to benefit all of us, and not even just here in the US but everywhere on our planet. Every one of us are faced with existential challenges that need to be addressed with creative focus, the presidency unencumbered by politics has the ability to do just that, and we have a man that demonstratbly has a heart for the job. Freed of politics he will be able to focus the conversation like a laser, much to the consternation of those that are desperate to confuse and enslave us. The very last thing that the majority of elected republicans want, is a focus on the truth that they have done so much to conceal. The party of no, no freedom and equality for all, no need to offer any ideas that would benefit all, no plans for the good of the country other than tax cuts for the people that need them least, no real remedy’s to the problems all of us face, that party will be forced to account for how empty of solutions the word no is. We need leadership devoid of personal ambition, whose only goal is the freedom and prosperity of all, Joe Biden is uniquely positioned to accomplish that task.
I have been waiting for this EXACT sentiment concerning the presidency/Biden/America. It must be done now! Thank you!
btw- We need your voice Steve...on air. For those who know nothing of this new format they are missing the urgency and wisdom. In my group of friends and family, when one saw you on air there was a mass text chain letting all know that you were about to appear. Please tell me you will be on the airwaves again!
100% agree - and for one additional reason, he himself reportedly said this to help himself get elected. Would be good to see someone keep their word as well as renounce personal ambition for the country.
https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2019-12-11/joe-biden-suggests-he-would-only-serve-one-term-if-elected-president
Some very good points, wonderfully written as always.
What about the “lame duck” argument - that once Biden steps out of the arena he will lose much power and influence?
And what about the Kamala Harris issue? She is, to my eye, not electable as President yet some (likely including her) will expect her to be anointed as next to lead. Biden would need to be noncommittal on her as successor. Can he DO that, being the loyal person he is?
He ran to “save the soul of the country.” I wouldn’t be the least surprised if he bowed out for the same reason.
Interesting idea and valid points. Not sure that this would not be more destabilizing than presented here. We have a lack of leadership at all levels. What, exactly will the political void be filled with?
Thank you for laying out the strategic plan President Biden can use to change how the future of our country proceeds. I agree he should put the immediate needs of our democracy before his political future. I hope he reads your advice and accepts it as the best way forward.
This makes a lot of sense! It is a little hard on Biden, which it is hoped does not prevent him from taking this very sound advice. It certainly captures the hunger of Americans for some real backbone and selfless leadership. How do we get this message to Biden?
Just as the photograph of Joe Biden speaks to me personally, I firmly believe that he met his moment in history with the leadership and the actions that have given me the security in a system of government like no other in the world, because it is so agreed upon by all those men and women who have been saved from the darkness ahead and have had the honesty to confirm it by recognition and action. Young America has historically made the world a better place. So has President Joe Biden, because he changed our country for the better and returned America to the world stage of democracy. This many in the world can not understand, because politics in the U.S. in so founded in participation. WE THE PEOPLE. But almost halfway into his presidency, we are at a crossroads and so is the world, where democracies are under attack. The attack is vicious and unrelenting, in America turning our very system of government upside down. I do agree that the President must cement his legacy now and not be drawn into a vicious campaign ahead. Precious consensus among elected politicians, the backbone of his political life, is non-existent. At this moment, he must reach it with the citizenry. Your writing above should have his ear. It is written for one of the grandest Presidents of America, with the respect and honesty that he deserves.
Thank you, Steve.
I don’t have in depth knowledge and perception like you, and I also really like Biden. I do see and agree with the stagnation and failure of the Democratic Party which was a long time coming. You are a diagnostician and a surgeon, bringing out the really bad and rotten to the fore. It is a lot of work and political commitment to save our future. Your ability to see and willingness to go where others will not forces us to confront the phenomenon larger than Biden. By using his presidency, he can definitely transform and relaunch a new younger Democratic Party. My reservation is the fact that it is a road that has never been taken at all before, at least not in recent history. You are right we will not survive unless we have the courage to forge a new path.
THIS is what our country needs. You have once again nailed it. Dems are worried about a lame duck president, but is there anyone who truly thinks Joe Biden is actually running again anyway? Taking it off the table now is brilliant.
I’m sorry, but how will this help us get back a woman’s right to choose? Or save voting rights? Or give us back a SCOTUS that believes the right to privacy is Constitutionally granted? There is so much chaos already in the country with everyone wondering whether the leader of an attempted overthrow of the government will be held accountable or go on to succeed in the next election. Biden will most likely not run for a second term. He as much as said so previously. Dem politicians who are not great at keeping their eyes on the ball in the best of situations would, perhaps, feel an immediate need to focus on their future aspirations and push their agendas. I just see Nancy Pelosi trying to herd a bunch of cats in Steve’s scenario.
Joe is a man of character and hopefully he and his folks will read this. We need a knight (or knightess) in shining armor to save the day. Otherwise my family is looking for property in Patagonia.
I hate to tell you this, Steve, but this is the Third Dumbest Idea In Politics, after Term Limits and the Balanced Budget Amendment.
What you are proposing is Biden kneecap himself and become a "lame duck" nobody on either side has to pay any attention to.
Your lack of sleep last night and failure to ingest sufficient caffeine to activate the "little grey cells" as Poirot calls them, is evident here and should be used as your excuse. :-)
And I will finish by saying I am amazed that people whose names I know and identify them as intelligent commenters here at Substack are doing a good job on this post of disabusing me of my mistaken impression.
I think the damage of Sanders taking Republican talking points in the 2016 election to chisel away at Hillary would pale in comparison to an open field of AOC and Yang and God knows who else running.
It would be a Real Housewives reunion with no host.
Republicans would be thrilled.
Respectfully, I disagree. I am one thousand percent for President Biden to run for president!!