Biden has dropped out of the presidential election contest and endorsed Vice President Harris. If Speaker Johnson’s previous statements are to be believed, the GOP will likely challenge this move in court. So, the drama of the 2024 campaign is probably far from done. In the wake of this momentous change, I thought I would share a few thoughts.
As an evangelical and a Democrat, my perspectives are sometimes different than we see in the broader culture. The thoughts below are political, not theological, but I strive to have all my perspectives shaped by my faith.
Thought #1
Biden was not my guy last time around. I felt that he was essentially a corporate Democrat. But I have been pleasantly surprised. He has been far more progressive and effective than I expected. Despite complaints about the economy, he has handled it masterfully. There were universal predictions of a recession, and he skillfully kept them from occurring. I was initially bothered that he did not quickly address the corporate greed that was the primary instigator of inflation; however, in retrospect, I believe he was right to wait on addressing it and avoid the recession. He has also had a great focus on things like anti-trust violations and infrastructure. Both these issues greatly affect average Americans and have been largely ignored by both sides of the aisle for the last forty years. From my perspective, Biden has been an excellent president who has successfully navigated hard times.
Thought #2
I’ve never been a Harris fan. She gets a lot of attacks for being a “social climber,” but if she were a man, that would probably just be called “ambition.” My criticism has been that she traditionally has also been very tied to the Democratic power structures. I have been told of attacks she did on Bernie Sanders behind the scenes in 2016 that showed a different perspective than I wanted. But I am hoping that working with Biden these last few years has shown her how a more progressive approach can work positively for the people of our nation.
Thought #3
Biden should always have been a one-term president. Age is certainly a concern. Changes can happen quickly in your 80s even if you are retired, and even more so while holding the world’s most difficult job. He and the Democratic party may have felt he was in a good place mentally when he declared he would seek a second term. But being in good health in 2022 is very different than staying in good health for the next six years. I believe Biden has done very well as president, but I have always been concerned that he could not keep it up through a second term.
Thought #4
I have a feeling that this whole situation is yet another DNC blunder. The DNC has been terrible at messaging for years, and it has made a series of bad decisions in recent history. My feeling is that the DNC likely encouraged, if not pressured, Biden to seek a second term.
There is solace in that it seems that the transition from Biden to Harris was well-timed to happen after the Republicans spent all of the RNC convention targeting Bidon and settled on a Vice-presidential candidate that may be problematic in a campaign against Harris in a way that he wasn’t against Biden. Also, it seems that Biden and Harris did the groundwork before the announcement to make the transition smooth. Raising $50 million on the first day does not hurt either.
Thought #5
I am concerned that history does not bode well for a move like this. I think part of why the DNC so desperately wanted Biden to run for a second term is that history indicates that a change could very well lead to a political loss. The idea of putting a campaign infrastructure in place on such short notice concerns me. This is a big plus for Biden tagging in Harris rather than bringing in someone completely new or going through the mess of a contested convention.
Thought #6
Considering politically hot issues that are igniting the electorate’s passions, such as the Dobb’s decision and Project 2025, a campaign with Harris at the top of the ticket could ignite some engagement in a way that Biden never could. Harris leading the ticket could also draw important constituencies where Biden has been lagging. At the very least, it makes the age issue one for the Republicans now rather than the Democrats. Over 60% of Americans feel that Trump is too old. That did not get much play since Biden is older. That could change now.
Thought #7
Trump is still an existential threat to our nation. He and those supporting him are looking to take us back 100 years and completely undermine our democratic republic. I may still have questions about Harris, but she is not dangerous.
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ANYONE WHO IS ABLE TO SUPPOSEDLY SEPARATE HIS POLITICS FROM HIS FAITH IS A DOULE MINDED MAN AS ST. JAMES SAYS. WE ARE INTEGRATED HUMAN BEINGS: COMPARMENTALIZATION IS WHAT LED ADAM AND EVE INTO TRECHEROUS TERRITORY. THIS MAN HAS NO IDEA WHAT THE PROGRESSIVE AGENDA INCLUDES GOING BACK TO PRESIDENT T.R. (AND MARX). IT IS SO CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH MARXISM WHICH HAS DECLARED OUR SACRED RELIGON TO BE THE “OPIATE OF THE PEOPLE. ” IT IS BECASUE OF PERSONS LIKE THIS WHO DO NOT KNOW HISTORY THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO ENTER INTO A DARK AGE OF PAGANISM. THAT IS IF THE CHRISTIAN GOD DOES NOT INTEVENE. RECALL THE CONTROVERSY OF 2012 WHEN THE DEMOCRAT PLATFORM WAS SET TO ELIMNIANTE GOD FROM ITS PLATFORM AND OBAMA, OF ALL PEOPLE, INTERVENED TO KEEP THE WINDOW DRESSING IN PLACE? PRGRESSIVES HAVE CLEVERLY DISGUISED THE SOCIALIST AGENDA: REMOVE GOD, KILL THE NUCLEAR (GOD-ORDAINED) FAMILY, AND REMOVE NATIONAL BORDERS. ANYONE ADHERING TO OR LEANING IN THIS DIRECTION MIGHT WANT TO ASK THEMSELVES, “WHAT god DO I REALLY SERVE?” it DIFFERS SIGNIFICANTLY FROM MINE.
David,
I hope that you accidentally hit caps lock and did not mean to yell.
I fully agree that we should not separate our faith from our politics. Our faith should inform everything. Unfortunately, more and more people’s theology is being formed by their politics.
I am not ignorant of the history you reference and distort. The hackneyed cry of “But Marxism” is a boogieman that thoughtful Christians should avoid. Certainly, Marx was not a believer, and I disagree with his metaphysical conclusions. However, it is a logical fallacy to believe that because he was wrong in this area, he is wrong in all areas. Even worse, it is bad reasoning to treat Marx’s call for the proletariat to control the means of production as the same as the progressive idea that capitalism benefits from governmental controls and market regulations. If that were true, Adam Smith would be a Marxist, which is, of course, absurd. For example, contrary to contemporary supply-side ideologies, Smith would likely have supported anti-trust laws and opposed the current manipulation of markets oligopolies. He specifically warned against such when he wrote cautioning about “People of the same trade…[committing] a conspiracy against the public . . . to raise prices.” Further, as much as so many like the stock market and view it as a sign of economic health, Adams was leery of people who made their living this way because their “interest is never exactly the same with that of the public, who have generally an interest to deceive and even to oppress the public, and who accordingly have.”
A more honest characterization of progressive economic theories would be to consider them Keynesian rather than Marxist. But I am getting too into the weeds of economic theory here.
You also attribute malice to the Democratic party for removing the word “God” from the 2012 platform. They have been clear that there was never any discussion of the omission but procedural. I can see that bothering some people, but it does not bother me. People may want to remember that God is never mentioned in the Book of Esther, but his character is clearly evident. I would rather a platform that does not explicitly say the word “God” but strives to serve the least of these over a platform, or a candidate that performatively uses the name of God while embracing the sin of Sodom, ” This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease but did not aid the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49)
I know what God I serve. I serve the God who is love. The God who commanded His nation to treat the foreigners as if they were citizens, who praised meekness, generosity, caring for the poor, the God who reminded us that we cannot serve both him and wealth, the God who said we would be known by our love not our might, the God he became man to sacrifice not to dominate.
I do not know if you and I serve different gods, but I serve the God revealed through scripture. If you serve a different God, I pray you repent.