Dear President Biden...
my letter to Joe
Have you written a note to President Biden recently? I try to do it regularly. Most often it is a letter of thanks and support. Because we all need a pat on the back, don’t we? Today, my letter was a pat on the back and a request - no, a plea.
BTW, writing to the White House is easy. Here is the link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Dear President Biden,
Based on what you have accomplished in your first two years in office, you will be viewed as one of our most important and consequential Presidents. You have literally had to rebuild the government and our international relationships. Kudos. You have my deepest admiration. You are the President we needed in 2020. You are a President that still makes us proud.
But PLEASE do not run for re-election. While I believe that your judgement is clear and that your experience is epic, you should not run again. Not because you couldn't perform well at your age. But because two whole generations of voters may not support you. Gen Y and Gen Z may just stay at home. Please do the research.
If younger Democrats and Independents don't turn out to vote, we lose battles up and down the ticket. We lose at the Federal, State and Local levels. If Democrats don't prevail in 2024, the planet is doomed. Democracy will collapse.
This message is not about your qualifications or your sincere efforts at making America a better place for all of us. This is a reality check. This is a message about our relatability from one generation to another. Read the surveys your advisors may be afraid to show you.
Please don't let your ego overtake what is best for the country. We can't rely on boomers (like me) to carry us forward. We need the youth vote.
It is time to pass the torch.
Thank you for all that you have done and will do. But the Democratic bench is deep. In your heart, you know this isn't about anything other than the fact that time passes and younger people need to take the reins. If they aren't given the chance, the GQP nutcases will prevail. The nation and the planet can't afford such a thing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/14/us/politics/youth-voters-midterms-polling.html
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/01/1095466871/biden-polls-democrats-gen-z-midterms
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-biden-lost-the-support-of-young-americans/
https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-politics-pennsylvania-state-government-a42e61b5a9fa590dabd1e61762fac31b
I have refrained from moving to the next step in this thinking. But the fun part of politics is speculation, right? So if Joe decides to not run, some of the questions that follow are:
1. When should he make that announcement? Not running is supposed to create a "lame duck" whose political power is diminished. But it's not like he has a Congress that he can send legislation to. The House is a Clown Show on good days and a stage for traitorous insurrectionists on the bad ones.
2. There will be a slew of eager candidates, should Joe endorse early?
3. How important is it to support anyone but an "old white guy"?
4. Who would attract the youth vote?
5. Who would women support?
6. How to prioritize #4 and #5 without losing key groups like African Americans and Latinos (who are hardly monolithic in their politics)?
7. How closely should this candidate associate with Biden?
8. The young voters will demand a central focus on Climate and the Environment. Will that alienate some independents?
9. Just how "progressive" should this new candidate be on social issues like universal health care and the nightmare of child care?
10. Should this candidate demand a new tax structure that stops the freight train of money to the top 1% of Americans? Should he/she call out the Oligarchs for their election meddling?
11. Can this candidate be "pro labor" (most people) and still foster business innovation and American competitiveness?
12. Is it time to demand that our next President be a woman - finally? Men have a generally terrible record when it comes to waging peace.
Thank you for articulating what I have been thinking. I am so grateful for all that Biden has done the past two years. He was the right President for the right time. And I think it’s time to make sure our younger population is motivated to engage in our democracy