Joe Biden Passes the Torch
Letting Freedom Ring
Previously published on July 25th in Brussels Morning Newspaper.
Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.
In response to the Democrats’ charge that the Republican Party is the standard bearer for authoritarianism and fascism, Republicans retort that the Democrats are illiberally coronating Kamala Harris by not democratically holding an open convention.
Marianne Williamson, long a presidential contender in 2020 and 2024, advocates for an open convention and that Kamala should not be anointed. Yesterday, Marianne wrote, “While some would say it’s “party rules” to handle the situation the way it’s unfolding — the party is so far refusing to send the list of delegates necessary to make our case for an open convention — democracy has its own inherent rule: that power lies with the people.”
As soon as Biden stepped aside on Sunday, it's been a foregone conclusion that Kamala would ascend the ranks to be the Democratic party’s nominee for president. It has been noted that not having Kamala on the ticket would be a challenge legally and otherwise.
What a split screen Americans have migrated from: the Republicans had framed the race as old (Biden) versus, laughably, youth and vigor on the Trump side. Further solidifying that the Republicans are a Fascist party, fascists have always heralded youth, vigor, and masculinity as the apogee of good governance.
Absent this framing with Biden dropping out, the Republicans are scrambling to reinvigorate their flagging campaign. Since Kamala appears to be the de facto nominee for the Democratic Party, the Democrats are quickly closing the gap between their ticket and Trump, 44% for Kamala and 42% for Trump.
As I continue to write about narcissism in politics (and culture), it’s become clear to me that in the reckoning and/or fight against narcissism’s ascent in society, it thematically comes down to authoritarianism versus freedom.
With this in mind, I’m an advocate of an open convention that would reinvigorate democracy in all of its glory. The convention would be exciting and old school in the best sense of the word, i.e., resistant to corruption, thereby restoring earnestness, which would inspire trust in the electorate. This trust is the societal glue that holds us together. In an age of paranoia-inspired conspiracism, trust is in short supply.
In my view, everyone needs to be supported and to support others. When two people consistently support each other, they develop a relationship of common trust and respect. Then, they rely on each other and share their emotions. In my world, this is what I call love.
One of the saddest aspects of narcissism is the lack of trust. Relationships dissolve from envy, competition, and adversariness.
Our narcissistically fueled society reflects this lack of trust, and as such, our institutions are at the breaking point, which lends itself to the onslaught of fascism. No more can we have nice things like law and order; fascists take to the streets with Stormtroopers (SA Nazi Germany) or, in America’s case, paramilitaries like The Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters. These street thugs will literally hit you over the head with batons to “restore law and order.” Violence begets more violence. Hitler's Third Reich was meant to last 1,000 years and merely eked out six years. Tyranny cannot stand. Like any gang of thugs, the Nazi SS deteriorated under the weight of diminishing trust and ensuing betrayal.
Without trust, you can't have love. It's been said that love makes the world go round. There is nothing rosy or harmonious about a hate-filled, narcissistic world. It's the kind of thing that can make the world come to an abrupt halt in a nuclear Armageddon.
Any good story pits good versus evil, betrayal versus redemption. Our dichotomous, bifurcated landscape pits Republicans as evil versus Democrats as good and, depending on your vantage point, vice versa. Collectively, we are suffering from a primitive defense mechanism endemic to narcissism called splitting, which is black-and-white thinking, a morality play of good versus evil. Nothing is truly this binary.
I have developed many strategies over the years to cope with narcissistic abuse of which I have unrelentingly endured time and time again. I’ve never succumbed to full-blown hatred for the narcissist who wants me to join them in a pit of despair, who wants to drag me down into embittered hatred. To give in would mean that the narcissist wins. Instead, in my better moments, with groundedness, perseverance, and resiliency, I draw down deep into a vast reservoir of stability, steadiness, and even some degree of love. I have compassion for the narcissist, who doesn't want to be mentally ill, who doesn't want to be a human defect incapable of love, compassion, and empathy.
Barack Obama ran on a platform of hope and change. As the Republicans descend into their righteous narcissistic snake pit, it is their venom that will do them in.
It's just a matter of time.
President Joe Biden: An Anti-Narcissism Role Model
In his powerful speech, Biden reminds us to remember who we are as Americans. The mandate for healing from political narcissistic abuse as perpetrated by Trump and the Republican Party is to recover one’s lost, buried-over identity. Trump, as a narcissist, wants us to take on his identity and forget who we are.
This speech is really real about the stakes of this upcoming election in November. Biden embodies the values of the United States of America with his humility as a kid with a stutter from modest Scranton, Pennsylvania, who rose through the ranks to become president of the United States and dedicated his life to service for 50 years for this country.
He tells us it’s about we, the people, not about him, that it's a matter of faith in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice, and democracy.
Biden doesn’t let us forget that we are more powerful than any dictator or tyrant; we are a great nation because we are good people.
Excerpts from Biden's “Passing the Torch” Speech, July 24th
“It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it's more important than any title. I draw strength, and I find joy in working for the American people.
But this sacred task of perfecting our union, it's not about me. It's about you, your families, your futures. It's about we, the people. We can never forget that, and I never have. I've made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point. One of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come. America's going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division. We have to decide do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice, and democracy? In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies but as fellow Americans. Can we do that? Does character and public life still matter? I believe I know the answer to these questions because I know you, the American people. And I know this: we are a great nation because we are good people. When you elected me to this office, I promised to always level with you, to tell you the truth and the truth is, the sacred cause of this country is larger than any one of us.
Those of us who cherish that cause so much—a cause of American democracy itself—must unite to protect it. In recent weeks, it's become clear to me that I need to unite my party in this critical endeavor. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, and my vision for America's future all merited a second term, but nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy.
That includes personal ambition. So I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. It's the best way to unite our nation. There is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There's also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices, and that time and place is now.
…I ran for president four years ago. Because I believed and still do that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake. And that's still the case. America is an idea, an idea stronger than any army. Bigger than any ocean. More powerful than any dictator or tyrant.
It's the most powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident. We're all created equal and endowed with inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We've never fully lived up to this sacred idea, but we've never walked away from it, either. And I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now…
When Ben Franklin was asked, as he emerged from a convention, whether the founders had given America a monarchy or republic, Franklin's response was, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Whether we keep our republic is now in your hands. My fellow Americans, it's been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years. Nowhere else on earth could a kid with a stutter, from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania to Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States.
But here I am. That's what's so special about America. We are a nation of promise and possibilities, of dreamers and doers. Of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things, I've given my heart and my soul to our nation, like so many others. I've been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people.
I hope you have some idea how grateful I am to all of you. The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators do not rule. The people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. You just have to keep faith. Keep the faith. And remember who we are.”