With a nation divided and at loggerheads, Joe Biden stepped aside from the presidential race last night with grace and dignity but with a warning. Here are some highlights from his speech:
“I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point. On those rare moments in history, when the decisions we make now determine our fate of our nation and the world for decades to come, America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.”
“When Ben Franklin was asked, as he emerged from the (constitutional) convention…whether the founders have given America a monarchy or a republic, Franklin’s response was: ‘A republic, if you can keep it.’ A republic, if you can keep it. Whether we keep our republic is now in your hands.”
With three-and-a-half months left before the election, the rhetoric on both sides is not going to get more conciliatory or less heated. Democrats and Republicans are locked in what feels like a political death spiral, with each side predicting disaster should the other prevail.
But it’s worth remembering at this juncture that we’ve been through this kind of thing before — many times. Yet it feels in the moment that the stakes are unprecedented. And maybe they are.
Because we only have a republic if we can keep it.
HEADLINES:
Full Transcript of Biden’s Speech on Ending His Run for Re-election (NYT)
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