A Place in History for Joe Biden

Anthony Kila writes that history will be kind to President Joe Biden for what he’s succeeded in doing for the American people as well as his decision to quit the 2024 US presidential race when it mattered most

Dear President Biden,

The last time I wrote to you was to (allow me to say in unambiguous terms) ask for your withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. The epistle was directed at you at a time when many people, for different reasons ranging from the objective to the pedestrian to that of loyalty to you and appreciation of your person and politics, felt and said that you would not withdraw, cannot withdraw and should not withdraw. 

You, Mr President, after due consideration and consultations, however, decided to do what many (including those urging you not to) now consider the right thing. 

Today, I am writing you to express my deepest gratitude and to let you and others across the globe know that your place in history is guaranteed, or better still, you have guaranteed your place in history. And you did it, if I may say so, not in a shy way. Thank you, Mr President. 

A place in history, as a collective and verified memory of an era, people, or place, is reserved for those who have done simple or extraordinary things. These actions serve as inspiration, caution, and benchmarks for those who follow. 

Your decisions, Mr. President, will undoubtedly shape the future. There is a subtle but valuable lesson for all.

Being an American President is enough to guarantee your name is mentioned whenever and wherever the list of those who occupied the White House is made, but allow me to point out, and I am sure most readers will readily agree, that it is one thing to be an Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Harry S. Truman or even I dare say, Barrack Obama, whilst it is another thing to be John Tyler, Warren Harding, Martin Van Buren, Chester Arthur, Rutherford B. Hayes or even Hubert Humphry.

Contrary to the (mostly false) claims by your fact-challenged political opponents in the Republican Party, led by Donald Trump, evidence shows that history will note you as a good president who did his very best to serve his country in the interest of many. Many of today’s Americans and those who are yet to be born will see, feel, and enjoy your achievements. 

To the rest of the world, you have become a lesson and reference point for those who thoroughly love liberty, reason, democracy and appreciate decency. This is not by any account a mean feat. Those who tend to belittle your noble act of withdrawing from the race are wrong in the understanding of the context of how leaders are advised and reason. The instinct of most politicians, including the mediocre ones, is to think they are the best, the only one for the job, any job, anytime, and to think they can always pull it against any odds. Those in their immediate circle do not usually help as they tend to feed ego with illusions and wishful thinking rather than nurture leaders minds with facts and reason. 

It is, therefore, not surprising to learn and see that virtually all political careers end in tears. The hearty laugh you shared with Vice President Kamala Harris during the virtual meeting and the fact that you are getting this missive is proof that your career will not end in tears but glory. Whatever happens in November, of you, it will be said that he did all he could do. 

You have shown how to be lucky and able. You are lucky to have those who can tell you the truth around you, and you have shown you are capable of listening and acting accordingly for the love of country, party and democracy. Yes, it is true that the heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.

Indeed, your arrival at this great height to a place in history was neither sudden, unexpected or miraculous throughout your personal and political life; you have often been on the right side of history and have always shown commitment to decency and vision. When your story is told, I am sure that noble and inspiring terms like sacrifice, pain, dedication, loyalty, generosity, discipline and commitment will abound on the pages of the story. 

When I wrote to ask for your withdrawal, out of a sense of pudor and respect for your person and the democratic process, I did not ask you to nominate and endorse your vice president as your replacement, but you did it. And you did it with grace, transparency, and reason. Readers across the world can juxtapose the hypocrisy, vulgarity, and vileness with which some of their leaders have managed their succession process. 

It was truly heart-warming to read and hear you say you are not going anywhere and that you will be around and willing to help fight the impending battle of keeping the Whitehouse and the rest of the positions up for elections away from those who oppose what you stand for. 

Now that the line is drawn and many can clearly see and choose where to stand or sit, you, Mr President, must work as hard as you can to ensure that those who might genuinely nurture any doubt about your choice are convinced that you made the right choice. You need to work as hard as possible to ensure that those who might want to sow doubts about your choice mischievously are exposed as weak and wrong. You need to make sure that decent and reasonable Republicans see that democracy, decency, and liberty are at stake and that the only thing for decent people to do is to put aside partisan badges and rally around and support a leader who feels privileged to lead and that committed to listening like you. 

Let me, like many, wish you a very long and healthy life full of vigour and fulfilment. Now that you have a place in history, your next step is with your newfound vigour and peace of mind to help teach the world two further valuable lessons. One that is indeed good to be good, and secondly that the stealthy movement of the leopard isn’t out of cowardice…

Please join us if you can on Twitter, @anthonykila, to continue these crucial conversations. 

• Kila is an Institute Director at CIAPS Lagos. www.ciaps.org.