Jerry Davich
Say it ain’t so, Joe.
Please tell me you’re not going to seek reelection as president of the United States, as you’ve been hinting. Here’s my public plea and the reasoning behind it.
Why don’t you call it a career and move on to the next phase of your remarkable life? Go fishing. Spend time with your family. Do public appearances as a former U.S. president. It’s quite a lucrative post-career position. Not many people in their 80s could pull this off.
You can. And you should.
Thank you for your decades of public service to our country. You served as president, vice president, U.S. senator and chairman of countless committees. You’ve traveled the world, met with global leaders, lived a privileged life for many years. Wow, what a career.
Nonetheless, call it quits and write a memoir or something. I’m sure I speak for millions of Americans regardless of their political affiliation, not to mention your critics or the supporters of former President Donald Trump. They hate you. Seriously. I don’t.
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This isn’t about presidential politics and the twisted arguments of reason that come with it. This is about your age and your ability to competently lead our nation for the next several years.
It’s not personal. I honestly don’t want anyone in their mid-80s serving as president of the U.S.
I know people in their 80s who are brilliant, kind, energetic and full of wisdom. Still, I don’t want them in the Oval Office. I don’t want them to be on call 24/7 to every world crisis, war, domestic issue and threat to our national security.
This has nothing to do with alleged Chinese spy balloons drifting across our nation. This has everything to do with the aging process drifting across your mental and physical faculties. I've felt this way for months.
Call it ageism or age-related discrimination. You may be right. I may be wrong. But this isn’t about being president of a school board or a small company or a corporate enterprise. It’s about being the most powerful person in the world with hourly decisions and daily responsibilities affecting hundreds of millions of people.
It’s about the safety of our nation.
It’s about America, plain and simple.
I’m writing this open letter to you with the hope that you realize it’s coming from a place of respect for your office and for your esteemed career.
Your official White House biography shows a photo of you with Barack Obama, stating: “In a ceremony at the White House, President Barack Obama awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction — the nation’s highest civilian honor.”
Congrats, Mr. President. Well done. The nation’s highest civilian honor. What an honor.
Now please consider leaving the White House after your term ends and returning to a civilian life without the demands of your current role. It’s time. Someone without a political agenda — me — needs to tell you. Most Democratic Party leaders won’t say it, at least publicly.
They know you are likely the best candidate to beat Trump, again, despite your age and baggage and reputation. They also know that another potential Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, has a lesser chance of winning in 2024. Politics is all about winning, and your party will likely support you if it can stay in power.
Look at how the Republican Party backed Trump’s presidency despite his age and baggage and reputation. Oh, and despite his involvement in the U.S. Capitol attacks on Jan. 6, 2021. When it comes to politics, it’s not about what’s best for our country. It’s about what’s best for the power of our country. And who wields that power. Sad, but true.
Mr. President, when you announced your candidacy for president on April 25, 2019, I instantly knew you had a chance of winning. And I voted for you. Then again, I would have voted for a ham sandwich in that situation.
When that campaign launched, you said your candidacy was built on three pillars: the need to rebuild our middle class, a call for unity to act as one America, and the battle for “the soul of our nation.”
If you truly care about the soul of our nation, keep in mind that this proverbial soul is kept eternal by younger generations of Americans who care just as much about our future. It’s time to move on and let another candidate make his or her mark in the history books.
Say it’s so, Joe.
