simply ignored. He understood that not every
concern of advisors or staff members needs to
be addressed no matter how well intentioned, as they have not walked in his shoes or
possessed the experience he has. He
understood that the opinions of pundits and
elected officials – even former presidents – come with history, with intention, with posturing for their own interests and legacies. He understood that he was and is the only one who has his best interests in mind, and he used
time to constrain the agenda of others.
In other words, Biden knew his resignation was not a fait accompli, written by others. He would decide his own fate and write his own history. He would, of course, listen to family and a few trusted advisors. And he would keep an eye on the polls and stories produced by the media. He necessarily would keep his options open, and it is therefore not surprising that he would buy time with members owing him for past appointments and support as well as with donors who could have well backed him if circumstances changed. But he would not let them drive his decision to remain in the race.
This understanding allowed Biden the time to constrain options of challengers. Pushing out his decision, if one needed to be made, allowed Biden and his surrogates time to regain their footing, rewrite the prevailing narrative that had him appearing diminished, and strike fear into the hearts and minds of the voters about the
threat Trump poses – something Biden started by tying Trump to Project 2025. It also made it harder for the party to establish a process through which to select a nominee to
replace Biden, as each day that passed offered up less time for any drawn-out process for vetting any significant number of candidates.
Moreover, the time used would generate questions and create divisions within the party that Biden and his surrogates could exploit: was Harris qualified and ready; would giving the
nod to a man such as Newsom or Pritzker over Harris raise claims of sexism and cause women to withhold their support in protest; would giving the nod to a white woman such as Whitmer raise claims of racism and cause
minorities to withhold their support in protest; would having a series of debates amongst potential replacements accomplish anything other than to create more confusion and/or more division; would an open convention accomplish anything other than to create opportunities for fringe groups to disrupt internal proceedings as happened in ’68? More importantly, what would be the effect upon
state laws that had already placed Biden on the ballot: could they quickly be changed, would it be legal, and what court challenges might be brought?
Buying time by raising questions, continuing to do the job he was hired to do and putting challengers off balance, Biden was able to secure the power and agency to write his own history and determine his own destiny.
Removing Himself from Consideration
After enough time had passed and he had his ducks in a row, Biden repositioned himself as
was said earlier: a man of character, temperament, and practice. He would become ever more so and go down in history as one of America’s great presidents, by using what
Biden knew his resignation was not a fait accompli, written by others. He would decide his own fate and write his own history.
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