I’m a jaded old man of 70, a lifelong liberal who has voted in 11 presidential election cycles.
As this go-round picked up steam, I felt a buzz of excitement, seeing such an impressive field of appealing and highly qualified contenders vying to become our nominee. For me, the smartest way forward had the Dems nominating the candidate who offered the most vivid contrast to an inept, racist, criminal, narcissistic septuagenarian… in age, background, competence, and demeanor. And, in the throes of the Me-Too movement and the shameful Kids-in-Cages debacle, it seemed perfectly reasonable to picture that candidate as female, possibly not white, and ideally from modest, immigrant heritage. And, with 23 aspirants vying for the nod, I felt assured that the last one standing would check off at least a box or two on my check list. But, no…
The person Democrats are in the process of selecting to carry the party flame bears no resemblance to the candidate I imagined. Joe Biden, white, male, closing in on 80, looks to be a shoe-in for the Democratic nomination.
I’ve been feeling deeply disillusioned, heartbroken, and enervated over what appeared to be a worst-case-scenario. On Monday, the Joe Biden who showed up for a one-on-one interview with Lawrence O’Donnell only amplified my despair, appearing several years past his sell-by date, slow on the draw, and completely missing the target time and time again.
But amazingly, as Big Tuesday wound down, with its results further electrifyng the former VP’s astounding Frankenstein-monster reanimation, Joe spoke to a room full of staffers and volunteers. And, as he delivered that brief address, I heard our future president through fresh ears and saw him with new eyes. He was calm, yet commanding, fluent and coherent, humble, yet self-assured. As he spoke spontaneously from the heart, every single word hit home with precision. Joe nailed the policy bullet points, then called for party unity and reconciliation, as we prepare to lock arms and take our holy march forward to defeat our common nemesis, Donald J. Trump. I hope this doesn’t sound hyperbolic . But, to me, Biden’s speech tonight was reminiscent of Bobby Kennedy. And it left this sardonic old fellow with tears in his eyes.
Perhaps it’s because my expectations of Joe Biden have been so low that I found myself so emotionally effected. Maybe I was simply relieved to hear him string together a series of coherent sentences. But, I don’t think so. I would rather believe that Joe overcame my skepticism by demonstrating the kind of leadership we so desperately need to heal this troubled nation and move us forward into a brighter future. Now, I understand why so many of Biden’s Senate colleagues have rallied to endorse his candidacy.
I truly never thought I’d ever say this, but…
Holy crap! I just fell in love with Joe Biden. And, it’s a mighty fine feeling indeed!
Rand Bishop (Gimpy Ol’ Norman) is the author of the memoir, TREK: My Peace Pilgrimage in Search of a Kinder America. Part One of Bishop’s new serialized satirical e-book novella Option (D): Dosing Donald is now available in Kindle edition.