Image: That’s my jaw and my hand and wrist in the image.
A bystander — a doctor — took the picture and sent it to me.
In 2014 I met then-VP Joe Biden for scant moments, and in those moments I took the measure of the man.
He passed with flying colors.
What he said to me sealed the deal for all time.
I was wearing an Obama-Biden emblazoned t-shirt and several lapel pins, so he knew I was involved in some way (large or small) in the campaign when he saw me in the vast throng near the roped-off area where everyone was being closely watched by Secret Service agents as he moved along the ropes.
I reached out my hand; he reached back, smiling.
I quickly uttered, “Thank you for all you’re doing for America and the world!”
He said, “No. Thank YOU! If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, we couldn’t be doing ANY of it!”
WOW! Just WOW!
I certainly wasn’t expecting that!
And it bolstered my resolve. I knew that whatever I could do to advance people whose policies were great for the American people wouldn’t be wasted effort, and that those same people deeply appreciated and valued my efforts.
Before this encounter, I had read his first book PROMISES TO KEEP. Later I read his memoir PROMISE ME, DAD, written after the death of his son Beau Biden from brain cancer (the same cancer that had claimed my mother in 1998 and Senator Edward Kennedy before that). You will notice the two prominent words in both titles: PROMISE.
Joe Biden believes in delivering on his promises. He doesn’t always succeed because the anti-democratic forces that are arrayed against him hold immense power in D.C.. He can only sign and veto bills and create executive orders, and executive orders can be reversed by any succeeding Oval Office holder. So his power is limited, and he’s okay with that because he believes in our system of checks and balances. He isn’t a wannabe tyrant, in sharp contrast to the other contender for POTUS in 2024.
It grieves me to see mainstream media harp on his age
In many countries, the older someone is, the more they are respected for their decades of experience. I keep hearing he’s too old. Bernie Sanders is old, too. Do we want him stepping off the national stage at a crucial time like this, when our democratic republic is on the verge of collapse? These two men are statesmen, dedicated to advancing the ideals of this nation: equal rights and justice for all, equitable treatment, the rule of law, our Constitution. They don’t take their oaths of office to enhance their own lives and fortunes; they take it to enhance OUR lives.
We need to wake up and honor the adults in the Oval Office. We simply cannot return to the agonizing days of waking up every morning again, anxious about what new fool notion or shirking of crucial responsibilities has handicapped us as a country under a sociopathic malignant narcissist whose lust for vengeance and rapacity know no bounds.
Decency matters.
The other candidate is a convicted felon with 34 counts against him. He is a serial adulterer and womanizer who has been found guilty of a sexual attack on E Jean Carroll, to the tune of millions of dollars. His company has been found guilty of tax evasion fraud for overestimating the value of his properties when selling or touting them and underreporting their value at tax time so he could pay less taxes.
And that’s just the start.
Three additional state/federal felony cases are lined up like airplanes awaiting their takeoff dates in court.
And mainstream media is playing this as though both men are equal in some way, that the choice isn’t yet crystal clear.
Oh, yes, it is!
The choice is between democracy/decency and fascism/fanaticism.
For me, the choice is so clear, it gives me a headache to see why everyone of voting age can’t see it:
If you agree with me, please don’t remain silent. Joe and Kamala need you to stand up RIGHT NOW and proclaim your choice to your friends, family and associates. SHARE THIS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA. Here is a link to the BIDEN-HARRIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO FAR. Imagine what they could so with a united BLUE Congress in the next four years to keep America heading in the right direction for ALL of its citizens, not just for rich white male supremacists and their ilk.
America is an idea and an ideal. Get on the bus that’s taking it toward the direction you want it to go. Bernie is on that bus. AOC is. They know that, to reach their final destination, they have to be on the bus that’s headed in the general direction of where they want to end up. Joe, Kamala and the entire adminstration are driving the bus that can get them closer. Trump and his minions are driving the bus that is headed in the polar opposite direction.
As Joe told me, I’m telling you: They can’t do what they’re doing unless we’re out here doing what we can to help them win again.
It’s easy to help. Simply share this. Write your own “why” about why this election is so crucial.
Don’t sit idly by.
YOUR HELP, YOUR VOICE, YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS, YOUR ACTION ARE NEEDED, in whatever way(s) you CAN GIVE!
