By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times
Call it a lucky guess or an example of great minds being in tune, but the original version of today’s commentary was a prediction that President Joe Biden would drop out of the race for the White House.
But I was still tinkering with the final wording when the news flashed Sunday afternoon that he, indeed, had announced to the world that he was withdrawing his candidacy for reelection to the highest office in our land.
At 81, this man from Delaware already had given more than half of his life to serving America, including 36 years as a U. S. senator and eight years as vice president under Barack Obama.
My first inclination, as a lifelong Democrat and a veteran, is to applaud him for his patriotism because making this personal sacrifice means a greater chance of survival for our democracy.
Being the same age as President Biden gives me special insight into the undeniable truth that catastrophic medical issues are among the major consequences of aging and that we can do little, if anything, to reverse them or to slow their course.
Also, the recent attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life and the revelation of a master plan for turning America into a totalitarian state – originally called Project 2025 – are frightening indicators that political extremists here and elsewhere in this troubled world will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Elected leaders, convention delegates and major donors in the Democratic Party now have the historic challenge of picking a replacement candidate who – in about 100 days – can unify the party and, hopefully, convince a majority of American voters to make the right choices on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
If it were my choice, I would nominate Vice President Kamala Harris to become America’s first female president in our 248 years as the freest nation on earth.
Most of all, I will keep praying for God to continue blessing America. (Contact Keith at keithkappes@gmail.com).
