Joe Biden Should Pass the Baton
It’s the blank stare. It’s the lack of emotion or response on his face. It wasn’t the entire debate, but it was plastered across our television screens for most of it. It was worse than a deer in the headlights. An inability to process and respond to information would have been bad enough, but it was worse than that. This may be more than a stutter. If that is the case, then voters need to know, Biden must step down, and the Democratic National Convention must prepare to pass the baton.
My mother, a registered nurse and licensed psychiatric nurse practitioner, and I watched the debate together. Soon after Biden wrapped the end of a garbled sentence with the proclamation that we had just “beat Medicare,” Mom leaned in, studied Biden intently, and uttered words that I have not heard considered out loud anywhere else.
“He looks like he has Parkinson’s Disease.”
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disease that causes damage to brain cells that control movement. It causes stiffness of movement and deteriorating brain function. It is most common in people over 60 and gets worse with time.
Biden pulled it together a little in the latter half of Thursday’s debate, but he went down like one of his 2000-pound bombs as he delivered his final meandering and anemic closing statement.
Democrats everywhere went into a full-blown panic. Pundits’ raw responses tracked the spectrum from “But, he had a cold” and “The debate structure was not in his favor” to “He must step down.”
Biden delivered a powerful speech the next morning. Full of the passion and power we expect from him on the campaign trail, he read from a teleprompter as he balled his fist and bellowed: “When you get knocked down, you get back up!” The crowd roared.
By midday Friday, Biden campaign surrogates had successfully turned around the media’s doomsday buzz with a steady barrage repeating Biden’s mantra. Representative Jim Clyburn, the South Carolina representative who turned Biden’s 2020 Primary bid around by convincing southern voters to bet on Joe, also came to his defense saying Biden should “stay the course.”
Clyburn added, “If this were a ball game he’s got two more swings.”
But this is not a ball game. This is life—embodied human life—in the context of the most consequential election year in recent U.S. history.
Biden is human—not superhuman. He is organic matter. Bodily degeneration is something none of us can escape. Biden is 81 years old and will turn 82 two weeks after election day.
I met President Biden ten years ago in 2014. Standing outside of the Oval Office in his Vice-Presidential years, he talked with our group of immigration reform advocates; greeting us with his signature smile, firm handshake, and jovial, welcoming open spirit.
Considering his domestic policy alone, one could argue he has been among the most effective presidents in American history. His policies have brought the American economy from the brink of disaster under the previous administration to record-breaking low unemployment and high jobs numbers. His work on infrastructure and climate have been transformative. And he has delivered on his promise to reach across the aisle and pass monumental bipartisan legislation in an era of profound division.
Yet, since 2021, we have also witnessed a stiffening in the President’s gait. His doctors have attributed this to falls sustained that year. And in February 2024, the President’s medical team ruled out any neurological disorder, including Parkinson’s. But then, Biden froze in place during a concert at the recent White House Juneteenth Celebration and he slurred his words while giving a speech at the same event. One cannot attribute that to a fall. Nor does a fall explain his expressionless gaped-mouthed stare and inability to complete sentences during the debate, there is reason for serious medical concern.
Of course, no one can diagnose what’s going on with Biden except his doctors. That is why the Democratic National Committee should demand a full neurological work-up to diagnose this worsening issue and confirm the viability of a second four-year presidential term before moving forward with Biden’s candidacy.
Listen, I would vote for Biden if he was a tuna sandwich next to the other guy. But here’s the problem: not everyone would—not even all of Biden’s base. With a combination of complicity in Gaza war crimes and physical incapacity the young people just are not buying it. And many folks on my social media feed are considering third party candidates. All of this is a recipe for disaster.
What if this is not simply about one poor performance? What if this is not a ball game where you get the chance to step up to the plate and hit it out of the park later in the cycle?
What if this is Parkinson’s or some other form of neurological disorder setting in? What if it gets worse with time?
What if we do nothing? We “stay the course”? We nominate Joseph R. Biden to be the Democratic nominee at the Democratic Convention in late August and by then his condition is even worse? What then? There will be no recourse.
What if we can do better? Much better? But, only if we act now?
In relay races the baton pass is the most critical element of the race. The pass happens within a timed window. Both runners must move in sync; one reaching forward while the other reaches back, both connecting at exactly the right moment so that forward movement lacks impediment. We have one month to pass this baton. And the only one who can pass it is Joseph R. Biden, himself.
Here’s how it could work: Those closest to Biden must see the real him; not the story they tell themselves about him. They must talk with him human to human and ask him to do the greatest possible service for our nation: Pass the baton.
Now is the time. Right now.
In Biden’s eloquent pass he should reach forward to the next generations of leadership; championing the deep bench of leaders he believes could continue the work of healing the soul of our nation. And he should do what he does best; sit with us like a grandfather sits with the rising generations and teach us about something higher than political frames. He should talk to the nation about honor, integrity and the power of faith in successive generations to carry the baton forward; forging an ever more perfect union. Then Biden should release his delegates to choose the next runners in this grand democratic relay race we call the United States of America.
The debate gave us a gift—the gift of time to respond.
We must not squander it.
President and founder of FreedomRoad.us, Lisa Sharon Harper is a writer, podcaster and public theologian. Lisa is author of critically acclaimed book, Fortune: How Race Broke My Family And The World—And How To Repair It All.
Connect
Connect with Lisa: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | Linked In
Connect with Freedom Road: Institute Courses | Patreon | Podcast | Instagram | Threads