I play pickleball twice a week. Almost all the players in my games are five to eight years younger than my 75 years. I’m a good player but my physical deteriorations—I’ve lost more than a few steps and speed from earlier times—mean I don’t always get to well placed shots. On dinks just over the net I often don’t bother trying to reach them. I’m amazed at the derring-do of fellow players who dive and sprawl out to keep a volley going. I’ve come to accept my limitations, especially compared to younger, more lithe players.
All that by way of wondering what went through Joe Biden’s mind when he saw, if he did, the bravura, over the top performances by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as the Democratic Party ticket for president and vice president during their first campaign rally Tuesday in Philadelphia?
Was Biden envious of the enthusiasm they generated? Of the joy they exhibited and instilled in the crowd of 12,000? Was he able to recognize that even though he had championed many of the very same themes, Harris and Walz, both two decades his junior, were able to convey energy that his 81 years no longer could muster?
The election is 90 days away. Will Harris-Walz maintain their momentum? Their stamina? Will the honeymoon with the party faithful last through November 5?
I sure hope so.
I am grateful for Biden’s imprint on American democracy, progressive programs and international relations. But if he needed further reinforcement that his decision to abandon his reelection bid was necessary to defeat Donald Trump, Tuesday’s rally was emphatic affirmation that he made the best decision for America.
