Please, Joe, Don’t Run

Posted by | September 4, 2015 20:00 | Filed under: Contributors Politics Ramona Grigg

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For years now I’ve been pushing for a Joe Biden run for the presidency.  Whenever I say Joe would make a better president than any candidate running, even people I like a lot have laughed at the idea.  They scoffed.  I kept pushing.

I’ve written before about how much I love Joe Biden, even when he’s at his most cringe-worthy.  I’ve inserted him into pieces that aren’t about him, making them much longer than they need to be or should be, simply because I wanted him there.  He fits.

He is as flawed as any of us, but the presidency doesn’t require perfection.  It’s not an application for sainthood.  It requires a big heart–a HUGE heart–along with enough political savvy to never lose sight of goals or of enemies.  Joe has that.

But yesterday, during a speech at an Atlanta synagogue, he was asked about a possible run for president.  He said this:

“Unless I can go to my party and the American people and say that I’m able to devote my whole heart and my whole soul to this endeavor, it would not be appropriate,” Biden said. “And everybody talks about a lot of other factors: The other people in the race and whether I can raise the money and whether I can get an organization. That’s not the factor. The factor is can I do it? Can my family?

“…I will be straightforward with you. The most relevant factor in my decision is whether my family and I have the emotional energy to run,” Biden told the crowd. “The honest to God answer is I just don’t know.”

It was as much how he said it as what he said. (I’m fogging up again, just writing about it.) Joe Biden’s family means everything to him.  He lost his first wife and baby daughter in a terrible car crash in 1972, a little more than a month after he was elected senator in Delaware.  His two sons, Beau and Hunter, spent weeks in the hospital, Joe by their side every day.
On May 30 of this year, Joe’s son Beau died at just 46 after a heroic battle with brain cancer.  Beau, Delaware’s Attorney General before his illness took him out of public life, showed signs of following in his father’s footsteps.   His reputation as a “good guy” pleased Joe no end.  There might have been a Biden dynasty and the people would have benefited.  But it wasn’t to be, and now Joe the family man is tired and grieving.

 A presidential run is grueling, it’s exhausting, it’s rife with cruelty. The presidency itself is a thankless job, made even more so by factions intent on not just weakening it but destroying it altogether.  The perks–a long-term stay in the nation’s mansion, limousines and a veritable airliner as modes of transportation, aides and servants at your beck and call–can’t make up for the endless demands for Solomon-like decisions, the gnawing, nightmarish responsibilities as a world leader, the constant opposition to the obligations of serving the peoples’ needs.  A person like Joe would take the office of the presidency seriously.  Those decisions would haunt him.  I need to stop asking him to do it.

So give it up, Joe.  Please.  You don’t need to be president to be one of the great ones.  You can step into Jimmy Carter’s shoes and become our favorite uncle.  The one who speaks to us in quiet tones, reminding us that we have to work at doing the right thing–it doesn’t always come naturally.The one who shows us, even if our hearts are breaking, how it can be done.
(Cross-posted at Ramona’s Voices)

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Copyright 2015 Liberaland
By: Ramona Grigg

Ramona Grigg is a freelance columnist and blogger living in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.. She owns the liberal-leaning blog, Ramona's Voices, and is a contributor to Liberaland and on the masthead at Dagblog.

15 responses to Please, Joe, Don’t Run

  1. robert September 4th, 2015 at 20:09

    8 years in the whitehouse is enough stress on one person but the gop will shred him anywhere from dunkin donuts gaf to his personal family. Joe is too nice of a guy to go through all that & i agree Don’t run joe

    • The Original Just Me September 4th, 2015 at 23:38

      He is one of the last Decent men. Let him have his well earned peace in life. He will not leave us just as President Carter has never left us.

  2. NW10 September 4th, 2015 at 20:20

    I’ve been a Joe Biden fan. He’s been an excellent public servant, an excellent Vice President for President Obama, and I believe he’d make an excellent President. But at the end of the day, he doesn’t seem to want it, and he shouldn’t be forced to do something he can’t pour his heart and soul into. There is absolutely NO shame in retiring as Obama’s wingman, as he will have more of a positive legacy as Vice President than Darth Cheney. God bless Joe Biden and his family!

    • The Original Just Me September 4th, 2015 at 23:35

      Absolutely !

  3. The Original Just Me September 4th, 2015 at 23:35

    That is one of the BEST News Articles I have ever read in my entire life. True, Honest, and REAL Journalism is NOT DEAD. Also I agree whole Heartedly.

    • Ramona Grigg September 5th, 2015 at 08:31

      Thanks so much. I’m not really a journalist, but I sincerely hope journalism is not dead. Thanks again.

      • tracey marie September 5th, 2015 at 11:35

        you are a wonderful writer.

      • The Original Just Me September 5th, 2015 at 13:28

        The writing was clear and precise. The usage of words was in depth and knowledgeable. The flow and timing of thoughts progressed on a smooth and advancing plane. This article kept the readers interest by continuing and adding to the thought. It did not meander and wander aimlessly. It started out with a thought and progressed through a series of ideas and references to a conclusion. The reader never lost interest and would be looking for further information with anticipation. It held my interest all the way through. You are a very Good writer.

  4. Tommie September 5th, 2015 at 00:08

    it would not bother me if he ran and if he does, good luck!

  5. StoneyCurtisll September 5th, 2015 at 00:33

    Agree with me or not…
    Hillary Clinton’s chances of being elected seem to be fading away….
    She will get my vote if she is the only alternative to a republican…

    I wish someone could tell me why I should be enthusiastic and an energetic supporter of Mrs. Clinton.. (other than she is not a republican)..
    I just do not see her appealing..
    I wish there was a viable alternative.

    • The Original Just Me September 5th, 2015 at 11:17

      Okay, try this one reason. Maybe it might work for you.
      The Democrat party is the Liberal, Progressive Party. As such, they have lead the way on many innovative and enlightening things. It started with Thomas Jefferson and the Bill of Rights to protect the citizens from the government. Also many other things such as the first in environment, Segregation, education, and having elected the first Black President. All of these have worked out really Good for the people. Now, the next step is to elect the first woman President. They do have a candidate that is extremely qualified to be President. So, if it works out, it will just be another step in a long line of successes.
      At least it is a thoughtful reason and different.

      • StoneyCurtisll September 5th, 2015 at 12:33

        Very well said…:)

        • The Original Just Me September 5th, 2015 at 13:16

          I am not saying you need to or you have to vote for her. I am just giving you a viable reason to consider her. You have to justify your own decision in your own mind. That is why we live in America, because we CAN.

    • Kick Frenzy September 5th, 2015 at 13:59

      You don’t think Bernie Sanders is a viable alternative?

      Or better yet, I feel that Hillary is the alternative to Bernie.
      Viable, but not preferable.

  6. fahvel September 5th, 2015 at 03:36

    why would a kind man want to impose that on himself?

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