Politics
Dear Jill, Dear Barack
An open letter following the first presidential debate
I think you know that you have a vital role that is hugely important to the public and the institution of Democracy. Yet your larger role is even more important as a personal and trusted confidant of one of the best presidents and career public servants US history will document.
It is time for Joe to be a grandpa. It is time for Joe to be an esteemed former president working on legacy and his post presidency impact as a citizen. An excellent driver his entire adult life … it is time to take away the keys.
You know this to be true. You know this to be the best path forward. And, you know the manner in which you can reason and support the President in this difficult life decision and intersection.
The gravity of this change and also the handling of the steps that follow must be carefully architected. Joe has spent his entire adult life and career supporting his ideals and the truth of his party. His party now requires his retirement — with your help — to bring clarity, pride and resolve to this decision. Joe can and will go down in history as a “country first” old guard public servant, true to his conviction and with a career of legislation, policy making, cross-the-aisle relationship building and results brokering.
We witnessed the unfair and unreasonable, yet historic outcome of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s decision in her early ‘80’s to stay the course rather than retire and continue as a leading figure for progressive interpretation of the laws of the land. This, only to succumb to a SCOTUS scramble by the majority Senate party throwing the highest court into imbalance for possibly a generation or longer.
It is a grave error to expect November voting to follow reason, common sense or to separate saints from sinners. Such miscalculation can forfeit Democracy as we know it.
Further, those who would rally in support of Joe and dismiss his performance as a bad night, grossly miscalculate the dynamics and variables of today’s voters, Republican party and the rabid + blind following of Trumps’ well-honed mob-boss charisma. It is a grave error to expect November voting to follow reason, common sense or to separate saints from sinners. Such miscalculation can forfeit Democracy as we know it.
Consider this election amid the ever-reinforced mis-information, the echo chamber of social media, the reach of the Fox Network, 3rd party candidates. Ask yourself who was the more qualified, experienced choice for President in 2016? Ask yourself next, after 4 years of the most dysfunctional and corrupt administration, with a shattered record of resignations and terminations of team from cabinet to agency brain drain exodus … Ask yourself next, after dozens of indictments and conviction of rape and felony, how is Trump the one of two candidates with a higher approval rating? If you’re expecting common sense to lead to the rise of Biden and the fall of Trump, we could be under a dramatically different government set of rules beginning in 2025.
There can be zero reliance on good sense. What is needed is knockout charisma, command, experience, rebuttal and confidence. My shortlist is Gavin Newsome, and a distant second pick, JB Pritzker. The last time a governor from our most populous state ran for president, the Republican party was very happy.
Now is the moment to get this right, because there is no second guessing the peril if the democratic party does not field a unified party behind a strong and high profile middle aged candidate. A key covenant of a change now is party agreement for total unity behind a single strong candidate. A candidate up to the task of running the presidency and putting Trump in his place with energy, oratory, charisma, credibility, instant recognition, command of facts … all helping to bring the country back to a center of truth and decency.
The country and the democracies of the world are counting on your next step.
John Bringenberg, Author, Dad, GP, concerned citizen and worker bee. John works in new energy + conservation. Also Presides a Colorado NGO focused on sustainable living.
