In his inaugural address, President Joe Biden declared memorably that hope, unity and the American ideal of a more equal and perfect union had kept the nation’s fragile democracy ascendant over the “racism, nativism, fear and demonization” tearing it apart.
“Our ‘better angels’ have always prevailed,” he insisted, ticking off divisive challenges and struggles from the Civil War and the Great Depression to World War II and 9/11. “In each of these moments, enough of us came together to carry all of us forward.”
That is the vision of America that Biden has championed in his more than 50 years of public service, and history will treat this president well for it — not just because of that optimistic assessment of the past, but for his characteristic hope for the promise and possibilities of this nation’s future. Even as he bows out of the race, he is still lighting the path again for the country to follow.
Biden saved democracy by stepping into the fray in January 2021 to right the ship of state that was teetering from a once-in-a-century pandemic, the worst economic crisis in generations and the unprecedented spectacle of a mob of insurrectionists — loyal to a lawless, sore-loser president — who stormed the Capitol to try to overturn a free and fair election.
As much as some Americans wanted to distract the public from the horror, deceit and betrayal of that Jan. 6 attack on U.S. democracy, it fell to Biden to set things right. Many other Americans believe he may have saved the democracy again by selflessly stepping down to endorse his vice president, Kamala Harris. The voters will decide in November.
Biden proved with his Oval Office address Wednesday that his legacy is so much more than just standing up to Donald Trump. It’s about character, decency, public service and the modeling of an example of self-sacrifice for the greater good that is quintessentially American, but rare among its presidents. “I revere this office,” he declared, “but I love my country more.”
Sadly, Biden, 81, is more frail, but his vision is strong. He has shown he is a patriot with selfless love for the people and country over party and personal power. Doubtless, he will lead bravely for the next six months, finish the job and defend democracy. His call to arms was spot on.
“The great thing about America is, here kings and dictators do not rule — the people do,” he said from behind the Resolute Desk. “History is in your hands. The power’s in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. You just have to keep the faith — and remember who we are.”
Yes, the future depends on what Americans decide Nov. 5, but whichever way it goes, Biden will be remembered for fighting for the best of our national character and values at a time of national peril, extolling the freedoms that people all over the world admire, confronting autocrats and teaching the country that democracy is more important than any president’s title.
Editorial: President Joe Biden finally bows to the inevitable and leaves race
GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance got it mostly right when he said that America is not just an idea, but people bound together by “shared history and a common future.” Of course it is, and Biden, whatever his flaws, has embodied the best of it.
To be sure, the president left his own party in chaos for weeks as he hung on to the notion of running and winning a second term, amid significant pushback from Democratic Party leaders worried about his disastrous debate performance and growing signs of age. His dithering was Shakespearean, and Republicans were gleeful about the chaos.
But the truth is, Biden’s record as a one-term president was already among the most accomplished and consequential in history. Of course, it was going to be hard to give up the reins. He has said again and again he wants to finish the job. But he did the right thing.
Beyond just stabilizing the country and cleaning up the messes he inherited, Biden has presided over an economic recovery that produced about 15 million jobs and beat back inflation, and he won a series of legislative victories, many with bipartisan votes, when his party held one of the slimmest margins in congressional history. From the infrastructure bill that Trump promised and couldn’t deliver, to the largest investment ever in funding to combat climate change, Biden signed laws that helped veterans, promoted gun safety, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, and boosted clean energy jobs and manufacturing of computer chips back on American soil. That’s only a partial list.
Abroad, Biden battled unfair Chinese trade practices and cemented alliances in the Pacific. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Biden demonstrated his years of foreign policy experience and led NATO allies to support Ukraine, presiding over a resurgence in NATO’s mission and unity, even helping it expand with two new members, Finland and Sweden.
More than that, he restored America’s leadership and reputation abroad as a reliable ally following his predecessor’s courting of dictators, abrogation of agreements on climate change and Iranian nuclear weapons, and denigration of NATO. In the volatile Middle East, Biden continues to push for a deal that would not only end the war in Gaza but also could put the region on a path toward eventual peace and a two-state solution. No easy task.
By endorsing Harris, he also squelched much of the Democratic infighting and helped set her on a steady course to the party’s nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. If that plays out as he hopes, Harris can continue to expand the Biden-Harris legacy and make it her own.
The campaign will be turbulent. All this comes as America approaches majority-minority status, when white citizens are expected to dip below 50% of the population in 2045. Despite a backlash and outright racism from some quarters against that trend, more and more Americans see that evolution as the true promise of this country becoming the multicultural and multiracial democracy of a more perfect union.
Historian Jon Meacham wrote that Biden “has conducted a presidency worthy of the greatest of his predecessors.” The president is now calling on the American people, once more, to come together to carry all of us forward. Harris has promised to earn the trust of voters. The challenge now for Americans is to be worthy of Biden’s faith in them and this nation’s promise.
Storer H. Rowley, a former national editor and foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, teaches journalism and communication at Northwestern University.
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