Vantage Point Vignettes Comments and Commentary by Dr.  Ron Daniels

Photo of President Joe Biden in the Oval Office taken by Adam Schultz, 2023. The White House, Flickr, Public Domain.

More than a week ago I released an article outlining why I believe Black Voters and the Democratic Party should rally around Vice-President Kamala Harris as the best way to achieve the strategic objective of decisively defeating Donald J. Trump and the MAGA movement and end the existential threat to democracy and Black America. Most Black leaders disagreed with my position and rose up to vigorously rally around President Biden; a position which I will accept and respect in the spirit of operational unity if Biden remains in the race.  

However, as I predicted the walls are rapidly crumbling around Biden, but he is understandably having a difficult time making the decision to gracefully exit the race and pass the baton to Vice-President Kamala Harris.  As I stated in my article, the issue is not whether we like, love, admire or adore Joe Biden, it’s who is best suited to win the White House, help to hold the Senate and recapture the House. The passionate support of Black leaders notwithstanding, as of today, 65% of Democratic voters say Biden should step aside.

Clearly, it’s time for Biden to decide to exit the stage. And, precisely because of the loving, passionate support coming from the Black community, clearly it is Black leaders who are best positioned to persuade Biden to graciously (not grudgingly) pass the baton to Vice-President Kamala Harris.  In the 2020 campaign it was Black voters that came to the rescue of a faltering Biden campaign at the behest of the venerable Congressman James Clyburn. Biden subsequently acknowledged this reality when he told Black voters, “I’ve got your back” when he became President.  It was not surprising that at the NAACP Annual National Convention the delegates were shouting, “we got you back” and “run Biden run.” In a recent interview on BET,  when Ed Gordon asked Biden why he believes Black voters will support his campaign for the White House again, Biden smiled and said, “Black voters know my heart.”

Having achieved an amazing legislative record, Joe Biden is posed to be heralded as one of the greatest Presidents in U.S. history; a record that can and will be dramatically enhanced when he is persuaded to announce that he is stepping aside and gratefully, graciously and magnanimously endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic Party to victory over Donald J. Trump and MAGISM in November.  In my view, Black leaders must seize the moment and act boldly to save Joe Biden from himself. #RallyAroundKamala