Today, we celebrate not just the birth of our nation but the life it has lived.
How have we lasted this long? How have we endured, grown, prospered? Our extraordinary framers were steered by a revolutionary premise: Our union would never be perfect. We would not be governed by an all-powerful king or sovereign. We would always be a work in progress as a nation and as individuals. Each generation would build on the efforts of its predecessors. This was essential for an enduring republic.
The framers were shaped by hardship — they carried out a revolution at the edge of a wild frontier. They knew there are seasons to a life — and seasons of service. They knew, too, that relying on a single individual, a king, might create the illusion of strength but would be at its core fragile.
Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on all this. My season of service is nearing its close. This was a hard truth to face. But it is the natural course of things — as evident as the progression from spring to summer, from fall to winter. This is why I have decided to withdraw from the campaign for president of the United States.
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This moment echoes one George Washington faced as he approached the end of his second term. Fear of instability and of the unknown, of who would come next, counseled against risking a premature departure. John Adams was pugnacious. Thomas Jefferson was radical. But Washington stood aside, though the Constitution at the time did not require it. He looked past ambition and self-regard to what the nation needed most at that moment, declaring through his actions that the United States would not depend on one indispensable man. Power would be transferred regularly and peacefully.
A large part of me still wants to stay in the fight. But, at this moment, the nation needs something I cannot provide: a leader with the energy to run a vigorous campaign and then to work for America, at all hours, for the next four years.
I’ve often spoken about how I began my career in public service as a senator at age 30. During this time, I have seen the end of the Cold War, the invention of the internet and more; in so many ways, unimaginable scientific and social breakthroughs have become real. I have also witnessed the sharpening of partisan divisions and the coarsening of our nation’s politics.
These regrettable trends did not start with Donald Trump. But the former president has exploited and exacerbated them, encouraging Americans to diminish their fellow Americans, even to rise against our democracy, as they did on Jan. 6, 2021. Mr. Trump’s unique danger lies in his claim that only he can lead the nation. I will not make the same mistake. Nor will I do anything that would ease his return to power. Staying in the race could do just that.
The question on American minds when Washington stepped aside was: What now? I owe Americans an answer to that question, too. The Democratic National Committee, senior Democratic leaders and I have agreed on an orderly process to select our next nominee, which will include debates between now and our convention in August. My vice president, Kamala Harris, has graciously and courageously agreed to participate. Though Democratic primary voters cannot be included at this late date, their delegates will make the final choice.
Between now and November, I will do all I can to support the next Democratic nominee — and to encourage Americans to rediscover the optimism and energetic spirit that built this nation. Last week, Mr. Trump described a country in deep and unprecedented crisis. His story of America was fiction. This is not the country I see.
Four years ago, the pandemic was raging. More than 10 million Americans were out of work. Many businesses and schools were closed. People were exhausted by Mr. Trump’s chaos. Today, our economy is the envy of the world, thanks to 15 million new jobs, extraordinarily low unemployment and a start-up boom. Record numbers of Americans have health insurance, and we have made historic investments in our infrastructure and in the fight against climate change. Our allies respect us again, as we have rallied the free world against Russian aggression.
Americans, I invite you to search your soul as I have. Are we so unsure of ourselves that we will empower a would-be king, one who has been given expansive powers by an activist Supreme Court? Or will we look back on Washington’s example, in the spring of American life, and recognize that our independence is built on service, sacrifice, a willingness to assume the best in one another and the belief there will be better seasons to come?
Source link : https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/03/biden-speech-july-fourth-election-withdraw/
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Publish date : 2024-07-03 22:22:46
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