When ABC News' George Stephanopoulos asked President Joe Biden on July 7 if he'd be willing to end his reelection campaign, the president replied, "If the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me that, I might do that."
On July 15, amid further calls to drop out of the race, Biden told NBC News' Lester Holt, "Look, I've been doing this a long time … my mental acuity's been pretty damn good. I've gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time in three and a half years. So, I'm willing to be judged on that."
While everyone was focused on the president's words as his defense of remaining in office, I heard something different. I heard an elderly person insist, despite their children's concerns about their physical and mental incapacity, that they can still drive a car.
"I've been driving ever since I was a teenager!"
"I haven't had a ticket, or an accident, or an incident in decades. So what's the problem? I just had a bad night. Look at my record."
Joe Biden's insistence that he will be able to perform as well over the next four years as he has over past the half-century is a classic attitude among seniors who can no longer be trusted to safely operate a motor vehicle.
So how did Joe finally decide to exit the race — to quit driving? We can thank the persistent, carefully worded and often delicately phrased encouragement that he was given by others — commentary that helped the president reach the decision to quit. In the end, his decision was for his sake, his health, his legacy.
Yes, his past has been admirable. Yes, his track record is strong. But that's not what this has been about. Joe Biden's situation had nothing to do with the fact that he's been a good driver, that he paid his auto insurance bills timely, that he hadn't been involved in many accidents.
