The Right Thing

I don't know how many people will remember what they were doing when they heard about President Biden's decision to not seek re-election. I believe it was as momentous an event as any in our lifetime. More importantly, it was the right thing to do and for the all the right reasons. It was refreshing to see a career politician set personal ambition and ego aside for the common good. And it was just what a nation pervaded by cynicism and distrust of everything about itself needed at this crucial juncture in our history. I can only hope the majority of people will see this for the selfless and far-sighted act of a patriot and not succumb to the inevitable naysaying that will surely emerge from certain quarters. In my last post I was not optimistic that the President would do the right thing and bow out of the race. But I was also clear that it had to be his decision, made free of manipulation by Party bigwigs. While there is no doubt that there were growing calls from influential Democrats urging him to exit the race, most people would agree that Biden is not one to let himself be bullied into doing something he did not agree with. I'm happy with the way things have turned out and will not look this gift horse in the mouth - no disrespect to Joe Biden intended:)!

The President has set the bar high with his selfless decision to bow out of the race. So far, it appears Democrats have chosen to do the right thing as well by closing ranks behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Not only has there been no challenge to her nomination, but the delegates to the upcoming Democratic National Convention have already given her the majority of votes needed to secure the nomination. The Harris campaign has collected over $ 100 million in small donations in just a couple of days since Biden made his decision. For once, Democrats appear to have overcome their natural propensity for discord and disarray and have instead chosen to present a united front. The initial response of former President Trump and his newly chosen running mate Senator J D Vance shows how much they were hoping Biden would stay in the race. Based on what we know about Trump by now, the right thing is the last thing I expect him to do. He will not disappoint. We should be prepared for a barrage of the worst negative campaigning ever seen including personal attacks based on blatant falsehoods, racial dog-whistles and misogyny. Faced with an opponent with a solid background in law enforcement, four years in the US Senate and four years as vice-president, I expect Trump to unleash his worst instincts. The contrast between two off-spring of immigrants to this country whose life choices were so vastly different yet led to this epic confrontation could not be greater. On the one hand we have Donald Trump, born to every possible privilege choosing to abuse that privilege in the pursuit of wealth and power and ending up exposed as a convicted criminal, shamelessly trying to hold on to his ill-gotten gains. On the other, we have Kamala Harris, a woman of color, the embodiment of the under-privileged in this country, working her way up in a life of public service. If you thought the birther controversy about Barack Obama was an outrage, wait till you see what the Trump campaign comes up with against Harris. Her Caribbean and South Asian parentage are an easy target for the xenophobes among us. The irony of Trump railing against immigrants for their criminal tendencies is laughable and too obvious to be missed. And DO NOT let them get away with telling you that "It's just Trump being Trump"; that mud-slinging is to be expected in politics; that if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. What we are about to see and hear in this election campaign is not acceptable and we must make that very clear. The politics of fear, divisiveness, xenophobia etc. must be firmly rejected. I can only hope that Kamala Harris will call Trump out during a nationally televised debate as Joe Biden should have done. If she does, Trump will fade away like Dracula exposed to the sunshine. When it comes to doing the right thing, there is no alternate fact. We all know what the right thing is and we must be ready to do it this November.