FROM THE LEFT: On debate’s aftermath and President Biden’s fitness

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By Lance Simmens

As the smoke slowly clears above the disaster that was the initial 2024 presidential race, I am left relatively speechless.I have known Joe Biden for nearly 50 years, from the days when I worked on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee in the early 1980s, through his years as 

vice president, to his run for president. Growing up in Philadelphia, it was said often that he was the third senator from the state of Pennsylvania. He would affectionally refer to me as the Altar Boy from Philly, even though I was staff to a senator from Tennessee.

The debate was a disaster, for both sides. One candidate spent 90 minutes spewing forth nothing but unchecked lies, while the other found difficulty in forming coherent sentences. While age plays a role in measuring the abilities and capabilities of the candidates, by itself it does not offer the sine qua non of how we should vote for an individual, particularly between two individuals only several years apart.

There is much talk in the days following the debate about the prospects of Joe Biden forgoing the presidential nomination in favor of a more youthful candidate. I would offer that such a drastic move should be discussed within the confines of the Biden family. As of this writing there is little indication as to whether this option is in play. If it is decided that for the good of the country, such a maneuver is warranted it would represent the highest nobility and sense of honor that an individual could possess. If the decision is to continue to operate under the existing regimen, then so be it. But either way, this is not a politically motivated decision; it is one built on the foundation of a man who has spent more than a half-century seeking to make this world and this country a better place. 

Far more important are the relatively diametrically opposed approaches to how each would govern. Trump views himself with dictatorial power, even if only for one day, he demands strict loyalty that emanates from agreement with whatever position he takes on particular issues, regardless of whether they comport with rhyme or reason. There is very little room, if any, for spirited debate based upon evidence, facts, or common sense.  Biden, with a half-century of experience and commitment to navigating the legislative, judicial, and political juggernaut that governs how democracy actually works, prides his accomplishments upon the metric of actually getting things done.

Trump sees things as they either are or were in his contorted views. Biden sees things as they either should or could be. Trump sees things that used to be and wants to revert to a time when America, at least in his jumbled mind, was great.Well, in the long term, we continue to attempt to build upon a succession of greater things, the definition of progress. While focusing on the rear-view mirror we run the risk of running off the road.

Biden, on the other hand, in a Kennedy-esque way adjusts to a future that builds upon the past. Robert F. Kennedy once said, “Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.” Focusing uponthe future represents progress and dedication to our children and their children. Moving forward is hard and carries risks, but we need to do things because they are hard not because they are easy, to borrow from JFK explaining why we chose to go to the moon. We either choose to advance or retreat, it is as simple as that.

As one who spent 22 years in Washington, D.C., in various senior political and public policy positions, in several presidential administrations, it is important to seek the advice and counsel of intelligent and experienced staff to help lead the charge. Without the benefit of expertise, experience, and dedication, short-term solutions may appear useful in the immediate term yet seriously lacking in the long term and saddle future generations with unnecessary burdens, weowe our future generations the best we can offer.

While the president is charged with making ultimate decisions, the more input he or she derives from professionals who are experts in the various fields that are covered on a normal day will dictate largely upon whether the administration is successful or not.

As a plethora of political pundits and ordinary voters spend time questioning whether President Biden is capable of handling another term, I would offer the following: First and foremost, the decision is one that he and his family must agree upon, and I am confident that they will make the best decision for both the president and the country.

Regardless of what decision is made, the most important thing for the nation is to move forward not backwards.