108 Comments

Joe Biden and I are both members of the Silent Generation. I think he will go down as one of our greatest presidents, one who saved our democracy.

Expand full comment
Aug 19·edited Aug 19

The expression "go down" is interesting. Does it imply conflict and death, imperial language of the patriarchy, a gift of Rome? I am dry mind in a dry season, my ripe shrub writhing. And the "Silent Generation"? Is that Nixon's thing? Anyway, yes, Biden has accomplished some good things for the nation and humanity. But saving our democracy, such as it is will be up to us. If you have any voice in reserve, you and the silent folks better start speaking up!

Expand full comment

The generation before the Baby Boomers is referred to as the Silent Generation. "Go down" is another way of saying I think Biden will be regarded as a great president. Biden certainly saved democracy by running and winning the 2020 election so I stand by what I said.

Expand full comment

"Go down in history" is simply a figure of speech connoting the longevity or endurance of something. It is similar to "passing down" a legacy or an inheritance from one generation of people to the next. Not everything needs to be subjected to critical-theory analysis.

Expand full comment

The "Silent Generation" is the cohort in between the Greatest Generation (who fought WWII) and the Baby Boomers.

Because they're born during the Depression and WWII, they're much smaller than the generational cohorts on either side of them.

Joe Biden is the only US president who belongs to that generation.

Expand full comment

I’ve generally thought of the phrase “go down” as the act of recording, of history arriving at a consensus as to the meaning of something and “writing it down.” Mind you, many historians or pundits may write wildly different assessment of an event before that consensus arrives but only then does the person “go down” for their achievement

Expand full comment

Nixon's thing was silent majority. Not sure it's the same thing as silent generation. But a Tim Walz talks about preaching to the choir yet admonishing that it's time for the choir (that'd be us) to sing.

Expand full comment

The term "Silent Generation" arose as #1: there weren't many of us (compared to the Baby Boomers); and #2: we didn't make much noise in the 1950s, a time when many of us grew up. The 1960s saw the rebellion started by the Baby Boomers although we certainly did take part in those upheavals.

Expand full comment

Thanks for clarifying, Kit.

Expand full comment

I was thrilled when finally my generation produced a president in Joe Biden. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, and Trump are all Baby Boomers.

Expand full comment

I’m six mos. older than Joe and in-between him and Bernie Sanders. I’m glad one of them made it. Also, Biden with help from Jim Clyburn was the link between Obama and Harris on our pathway to multiracial democracy.

Expand full comment

Belated congratulations, Kit! I firmly believe that Biden will be remembered as one of the top presidents the U.S. has ever had.

Expand full comment

This generation, mine, produced a helluva lot more that did not achieve the presidency; it was too "far out" until it was not so far out.. The "Boomers" actually followed the lead, the protesting, the marching.

Expand full comment

"Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land / Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go."

"Go down" has a history and it's not about Rome -- not the literal Rome, anyway.

Expand full comment

“Go down” is a phrase describing the recording . . . the putting down, or writing down, as on paper . . . of some event(s) in time.

Expand full comment

May you be correct, Kit. I personally endorse this view.

Expand full comment

I will always be grateful to Joe Biden for beating Trump the first time around. He was what we desparately needed then. And his Administration has been terrific.

Expand full comment

I know some Afghans, who trusted promises that this country made to them, who would disagree with you about his administration.

Expand full comment

Please keep in mind that DJT in his self-serving negotiations with the Taliban without the involvement of the Afghan Gov. Leaders, set the stage for disaster. The deal included the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for 1000 Afghan prisoners. DJT sought protection from political fallout for the upcoming 2020 Pres. Election.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/30/us-generals-say-afghanistan-collapse-rooted-in-trump-taliban-deal

Expand full comment

Joe Biden didn't sign the surrender agreement with the Taliban.

Joe Biden didn't slow approval of Afghani visas to a trickle from the moment he got elected. (Thank you, Stephen Miller.)

Joe Biden didn't reduce troop levels to 2,500.

Joe Biden's administration got 140k people out in six weeks.

Expand full comment

Nobody is or can be perfect, especially politicians, we we must acknowledge US failure in achieving and honourable ending in Afghanistan, in Gaza and -- although the final words remain unwritten -- in Ukraine. Of course, how one properly feels about it will depend on one's expectations about results from an experiment that cannot be run, i.e., what would have happened if all three of these events had been managed exclusively by the other side. At least part, if not a good bit of each failure has resulted from right-wing intervention, and insofar as I can see, it would have been worse had they been in charge. On that topic, who can understand the palestinian protests re the H-W ticket while there has been relative silence from them re the other side, from whom they'd very clearly have gotten and will get much worse?

Expand full comment

I am very happy at how well Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are doing.

But Joe Biden is forced to make this decision because of polls no one finds accurate. And a chattering class who think middle school drama is acceptable in grown adults.

His team wasn't just loyal -- they knew the kind of work he was doing. The boring work that gets hostages freed and bridges rebuilt.

And if it were up to the chattering class, we wouldn't have Harris triumphant rolling into Chicago -- we'd have food fights and hurt feelings. Because no one -- NO ONE -- except Kamala and Joe thought this was possible.

Kamala Harris is going to be a great president but let's not forget we dodged a bullet because Joe Biden is a great man.

Expand full comment

I have words for almost everything, but I don't have words for the fury I still feel for the pundits, the Democratic Party hacks, and especially the press for their *weeks* of anonymously sourced stories screaming for President Biden to step aside and often implying that he was non compos or seriously ill. He proved instead that, unlike many of them, he really does have the future of the country in mind. True, the polls aren't predictive, especially this far out from an election, but a Trump victory would be so catastrophic for the country that the Dems *had* to put up the strongest ticket they possibly could. Biden realized that Biden-Harris wasn't it -- and it's looking very much as though Harris-Walz is.

Expand full comment

I disbelieved the polls but they were all pretty consistent snd showing Biden would lose. Biden was losing support in other ways and not showing he was campaigning well at all no less was fit to serve another term. If he could not defeat Trump and this should have been easy he was going to lose his legacy, the good work he’s done and be the one who brought us Trump instead. Panic and despair was setting in. Goodness sake, look at the difference on e he was pressured or convinced of reality. I really dislike this blame game resentment mythology. History should tell the whole story about Biden, good and bad.

Expand full comment

"blame game resentment mythology" ???

Expand full comment

The myth that Biden always had the best interests of the country in his assessment. At some point he lost a realistic sense of himself and those around him protected him. Pundits and polls, increasingly reflective of the slide that was happening. Biden was stubborn all along to the last. The myth skips this. There is much resentment still about Biden being forced out. Biden was resentful it seems but relented and seems to have come around. Comments, some, are not there yet.

Expand full comment

I agree with most of what is written here, but I encourage folks to look forward, not backward. Polls are indeed inaccurate until the final one, but they are our only window into the political landscape. Without them, we are blind and, I believe, the population at large is more subject to the nasty play of propaganda. The shift in the polls, not just the numbers, is what tells me that Biden did the right thing. The "chatter" that you disdain, is part of legitimate political discourse in a democracy, unfortunately one that can be undermined by all sorts of malevolence. The trick is to work with it to achieve the policy and governance goals that are wanted. Biden, better than any politician of my lifetime, understood that it was not about him and so, yet again, he may have allowed escape from a most undesirable outcome. Many, even among those who would have voted for JB, believe that this could not have been otherwise achieved. I always say that elections are like a trip to the optometrist: better than, worse than decisions. Clearly many probable voters have been able to see the decision more clearly in the way that favours Joe Biden's view as a result of his decision. Isn't that a wonderful outcome? May the spread in the polls continue to grow. If played well we should see movement as the result of the DNC. In the normal chain of events, next opportunity will be the debates. Those are things within D control and influence. Dirty tricks that are likely forthcoming from the right are not, and one thinks/hopes that the left is not into that sort of game (these days). Gotta win this one for Joe!

Expand full comment

How is the chatter useful?

Think about it.

These are pundits who read the same sources, dine in the same restaurants, summer in the same places. They know each other, they interview each other, they compete against each other.

During election years, they find the "common man" or the "suburban housewife" in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or possibly Georgia.

More importantly, no one holds them to their columns. If they're wrong, they don't get fired. They still get invited to CNN or MSNBC.

They're still pulling out Carville and the last general election he won was 1996. Karl Rove is on Fox and his last win in the general is 2004.

I don't know about your job but if I had told my COO certain predictions and I was wrong 75% of the time, I would have been fired. And when the sales teams missed estimates as badly as pollsters, they were fired.

At this moment, I feel about polling the way I feel about tea leaves. Respondents may be lying and the people who answer are not a good subset.

I am also not sure that our massive reliance on polls isn't skewing turnout.

So we do need to move forward. If I wasn't afraid AI had a huge GIGO problem, that might be a solution.

Expand full comment
Aug 24·edited Aug 24

There are/were too many polls done in many different ways for long enough about this election to be unable come to a general idea of where the population is at. That set off the panic near the end about Biden who we were relying on to beat the Trump monster.. Many were relying on the advice that the polls do not mean anything beyond the point where they should have. That does not mean the there is no interaction between the polling and the turnout; it can increase or decrease turnout. As well the interaction of the commentariat, the MSM, and folks in politics, also have an effect. That's the way it is.

Carville, by the way is terrific, right or wrong. He has been right enough though and he has something to say that is right and worth hearing. .

Expand full comment

Potter!

Do you remember Carville in March?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4552950-carville-too-many-preachy-females-are-dominating-the-culture-of-the-democratic-party/amp/

🙄

Long past his sell by date.

(How have you been?)

Expand full comment

Carville was right. The Democrat's worries now is about young white male voters.

Expand full comment

Really?

And do you remember women vote in higher percentages than men?

Expand full comment

Thank you for this account! Biden has a quality not often attributed to politicians: Nobility.

Unlike some of his 'friends' who turned on him so callously...I would have thought that would make him bitter, but he has not said a word. He's a remarkable man.

(loved your book 'Bloodlands', BTW - eye-opener. Thank you.)

Expand full comment

Agree on all accounts, Barry. Bloodlands was a stunner for me too. Clearly one cannot understand the world impact of WWII simply by having mastered the detail of the western front.

Expand full comment

The moment he stepped down I thought, “I hope the Democratic Party has plans to celebrate him and compare him to the second coming of George Washington.” Not only did he make a selfless decision that none of us have seen in our lifetimes, he has been able to pass more legislation in one term, bringing our country back from a worldwide pandemic, and perhaps forging a path to a brighter future. Thank you President Biden for all your years of service to this country.

Expand full comment
founding

Biden put himself in the pantheon of greats with Washington when he willingly walked away from power. He has also presided over a deeply divided nation, much like Lincoln. He has taken actions to undo the previous decades of misguided neoliberal policy that are at the root of that division. I find it amazing that I have been alive during his tenure.

Expand full comment

I too, am so grateful to Biden and in awe of him. What a president and what a human being.

Expand full comment

Amen, Steve. What job he has done. If up to me, I'd get the sculptors working at Mt Rushmore when the win is in the bag. The trick now is to keep things rolling in the way wanted by like-minded people.

Expand full comment

We only need to contrast Biden's humanity and generosity - better, insight into the need to act in this way - and the DTs' reaction, which is rather like that of a small child who feels cheated and screams "It's not fair!" American moms used to respond to such cries calmly: "Who said life is fair?"

Expand full comment

I'm going to guess that while Joe Biden stepped down for all the right reasons, he's got to be ecstatic about how badly Trump is taking this.

Mango baby sounds so discombobulated that he's not running against Biden. And it's so so unfair!

Expand full comment

The Fruit Antidefamation League strenuously objects to the misattribution of mangos, oranges, et al, to the creature known by some as Defendant 45. :D

Expand full comment

Sure and mine said the same. Followed by 'learn it now, kid!' Miss you, mom ❤️ And dad ❤️

Expand full comment

Just compare what he did, granted under pressure, to step aside with what Trump tried to do in 2020. The comparison, in all respects, says everything there is to say about the two men. Joe Biden has cemented his place in the American presidential pantheon. Trump has cemented his place in infamy.

Expand full comment

One must hope that the infamy of tRump is not forgotten, but serves as a lesson for the people, including others coming along like him. We must also not forget that tRump has been mainly a tool used by a significant hidden mob of people who want a different kind of America where their is liberty and justice only for them and their kind. tRump must be publicly shamed, disgraced and dishonored to be sure, and it is my hope that he will also be punished. May the election speak TRUTH in the spades of landside proportions.

Expand full comment

I’m with you on all this, but it cannot be forgotten that although Trump is relatively new to the scene (I’m 79 and have taught American history for over 40 years), that mob who want a different kind of America have existed all along. It began with the divisions between the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans, and although the names have changed, and what the various parties have stood for have as well, the alternate view of what constitutes America and Americans is as old as the country itself.

Expand full comment

Beautiful words of consolation

Expand full comment

President Joe Biden did what George Washington did: affirmed that power must not reside in one person, but must come from the nation as a whole. He set aside personal power for the best interests of the nation. To refuse the crown, to insist that a democratic republic is a nation of many equals under law, is the highest achievement any public official can do.

To lead an insurrection against the government you've sworn to protect is the lowest form of treason. The contrast is obvious. Vote.

Expand full comment

VOTE VOTE VOTE 🌊🌊🌊

Expand full comment

I think one of your best. Short, sweet, to the point - and all true. An excellent piece with which to begin your 56th year. Thank you.

Expand full comment

Thank you, Joe 👏🏻

Age with grace is my motto 😎

Expand full comment

An affectionate, astute and fitting tribute to Joe Biden, democracy-loving American, president, patriot and man. Thanks.

Expand full comment

President Joe Biden is my hero. He has dedicated his life to the service of this country since he was 29 years old at the time his daughter and wife were killed in a tragic auto accident. He has lived a life of service in the best way he could; he is a man and therefore not perfect. None of us are. He selected the most opportune moment to step down among cat calls from people who did not appreciate or value him. The cacophony of mistrust and doubt must have been deafening to ears that knew he could not have been as bad as all that. As a country, we failed him. We hurt him. And for that after all he did for us, I will not forgive my fellow Americans. It was the perfect moment to step down and he was right to do so. In taking that step in that moment he may have saved this nation from itself. I can only hope that is so. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are bright, shiny and new. I believe they will turn the tide back to representative Democracy and freedom. That is the hope I have during this week of celebration in Chicago. The protestors against the Mideast situation will be heard and perhaps a vision to move forward in that most aggregious situation will present itself. Or perhaps our dear sleepy Joe has another ace up his sleeve that will bring peace 🕊️ after millenia of fighting by warring religious factions over a small and pummeled piece of ground over which too many feel entititled. Is it truly religion that kills 40,000 people in the name of sovereignty? I fully admit I do not understand it except to the extent that torture and suffering by so many are wrong no matter the stated reason. Let’s hope and pray an end to this slaughter of innocents and soldiers is on the horizon and that Nentanyahu and Hamas get their just outcomes. Thank you dear Joe Biden for your dedicated and thoughtful service over a lifetime cemented in a legacy none will soon forget.

Expand full comment

Thank you President Joe Biden - I spent Saturday canvassing in Wisconsin for the Harris-Walz ticket with other Illinois residents. I know I speak for the group when I say "you are our hero!" One canvasser is volunteering at the DNC this week. She is looking forward to thanking you tonight. LET'S WIN THIS BIG!

Expand full comment

We owe (President) Joe for the gift of strengthening our democracy by passing the baton.

Convicted fraudster, rapist & draft dodger disparages Medal Of Honor recipients, soldiers & teachers…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhXNL1Tr0xM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KZsW0fLu70 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZXxK-PAHCo

Weird, depraved or both? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V70ymSPxW_8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbKhsLJ9W4I

Then there's teacher, coach, vet...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBgbGH3VH9Y

Expand full comment