They say that in politics, a month is a very long time. Well, this month seems to have begun a thousand years ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away and a whole different political reality.

My last article evaluated the disastrous debate performance of President Biden, a performance from which I believed there could be no recovery. I wrote, “11 minutes in, I said to my family that the election was over.” I was half right. Biden’s chances of leading the Democrats to victory were over, but not the election—not with a new candidate.
This month, Biden was nudged, noodged, pushed, pressured, and coerced to step aside. It seemed as if he were going to resist until he, his party, and his legacy came to a tragic end.

I saw his resistance and denial as tragic in the classic sense. I thought of King Lear, a once wise leader who, in his old age, arrogance, and hubris, made tragic decisions in giving way to flattery. Nearly everyone suffered: Lear, his family, and his kingdom. I saw Biden tempted by that path.

I felt the deep sadness for him as I did for Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman.” Willy, a once moderately successful traveling salesman, loses his gift of gab as he ages. His once immaculate suits, ties and snappy hat get worn, used, frayed, and ultimately become both cause and metaphor for his decline and suicide.

As I reviewed the film of Biden from years ago, the decline was clear, obvious, and hard to watch. It wasn’t just an “off night.” Never a gifted orator, he was reduced to bouts of incoherence. Obviously, I can’t diagnose the cause, but neither can I deny the decline. I hoped that he could hear and take in the feedback from people who cared for him and were courageous enough to convey the difficult message. They did—Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jefferies, and Chuck Schumer, with whispers and some leaks, made it clear that it was time to step aside. Still, he resisted.

Then, the money slowed to a trickle, and Hollywood closed the spigot. Neither hubris nor pathos could overcome this. He had to capitulate. Promising to be “in it to win it” meant that he was in it if he could win it. When it became clear that he couldn’t, he stepped aside.

Almost no one with power knows when it’s time to hang it up. Nureyev danced well past his prime. My memory of Willie Mays’ last days with the Mets, stumbling in the outfield still fills me with pain. Few people of privilege gracefully surrender their power. No ruling class happily gives up ruling. It’s always a struggle.
This could have gone so terribly wrong. For a couple of weeks, it looked like the President might have been self-seduced by denial and hubris—his version of Trump’s “Only I.” “Only I can beat Trump…Only I can finish my work.”
Yet Biden eventually stepped away and did the right thing. It was hard for him to choose the party over his ambition and the nation over his party. Most normal people do not cede power willingly or gracefully.
His stepping down was inevitable, but his gracefulness and expressions of gratitude were special and valuable gifts to the American people.

So, the torch has been passed to a new generation—and it’s about time. Kamala may win or lose, but she does have a chance, and Americans have a choice. The model is clear: The Prosecutor vs. the Perpetrator.
What a month! Of course, a few other events took place.

There was the assassination attempt on Trump. A horrifying event. Violence and violent imagery are not the answer. They may be our tradition, but they are harmful to our nation. Conspiracy theories instantly sprang to life. From the Right, “It was directed by the deep state.” From the Left, “It was a hoax perpetrated by the Right to win sympathy.” NO!
Most air crashes come not from a single failure but cascading failures. So, with the assassination attempt. I knew instantly that the shot came from outside the stands and from an elevated place. I wondered how that had not been secured. I correctly guessed that the shooter was a young, alienated male, and this would be a mental health issue and not political. More John Hinckley than John Wilkes Booth.

The cascading failures of the Secret Service were astonishing. Not clearing the elevated positions. Not stopping a drone that surveyed the field (It could have carried explosives!) Not meeting that morning with the local police. Not removing Trump directly without negotiating over shoes or his desire to stand up. There could have been another threat. Yes, the men and women were brave and prepared to die, but they did not follow protocol.

There was also the Republican convention. First, JD Vance was selected as Veep. He has a compelling resume: from near poverty to Marine Corps service to Ohio State to Yale Law. He wrote a best seller. He went from being a San Francisco liberal to acquiring mega bucks, from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism, and having very retro views on family, family planning, and the duty of women to stay in a violent and abusive marriage. Trump might regret this choice because it doesn’t add any voters, and he might need to add voters running against Kamala.
After his brush with death, Trump promised a new and moderated tone. That tone lasted about ten minutes into his speech. He returned to his “normal.”

Thirty days seem like a thousand years. I can’t imagine the next thirty.

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