Biden bows out from the Democratic frontlines

Joe Biden has given a speech at every single Democratic National Convention since 1976. Tonight was his last and he didn’t start speaking until 10:28 p.m., local time. Far past his bed time. 

Why so late? Poor planning? Or a cynical attempt to push the president’s appearance past “primetime” — in case he had another major meltdown? 

Convention officials were quick to say that Biden’s big finale had been delayed by the “raucous applause” and “electric atmosphere” in the convention center, which had interrupted speakers in the build-up. Hmmm. Perhaps we’ll never know. Whatever the case, it seemed to add insult to injury for a commander-in-chief who, as everyone knows, has been forced to stand down from the 2024 election.

As it turned out, the speech wasn’t too bad, albeit underwhelming. After his daughter, Ashley, had introduced him as “the OG girldad,” Biden appeared on stage, dabbed his eyes with his handkerchief, expressed some gratitude, and shouted: “America I love you!”

In the crowd, the former House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, the woman widely understood to have forced Biden out of the 2024 election, looked only slightly guilty as she joined in the chant: “We love Joe! We love Joe!” Yeah, Nancy, of course you do.  

Biden had couple of minor malfunctions but nothing too serious. He was quite shouty, as he often is, and his voice slurred at moments, but he got his key words out. “Are you ready to vote for freedom?” he asked. “Are you ready to vote for democracy and for America? Let me ask you, are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz?” Harris, sat in a box, smiled gnomically. 

Biden condemned white supremacy and extremism as the driving force of Trumpism, as he always does. And he berated Trump as a “loser” for having called America a “failing nation.”

He then went through the “major bills” he had passed to help manufacturing jobs, infrastructure, schools, science, technology and the climate.  

“We’re growing our economy, we’re improving our quality of life, and we’re building a better America,” he said. The audience agreed rapturously, even if 65 percent of Americans tell pollsters they think their country is on “the wrong track.”

“The murder rate is falling faster than any time in history,” he claimed, even though he was speaking in Chicago, the homicide capital of America. 

He also addressed the Gaza issue, in reference to the pro-Palestine protests in Chicago earlier in the day. “Those protesters out in the street, they have a point,” he said. “A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.” That was a fudge. The angry left of the Democratic Party want their leaders to condemn Israel outright for committing “genocide.”

It was all boilerplate Biden. He only alluded in passing to his presidency being cut short. He pointed out that he had been “too young to be in the Senate because I wasn’t yet thirty yet” (not quite true) yet now he was “too old to stay on as president.”

He ended by quoting the song “American Anthem” by Norah Jones: “America, America, I gave my best to you.” The music system played a remix of the song “Higher Love” as he shuffled off. The convention will now go on without him. It’s easy to forget he’s still meant to be the leader of the free world.

This article was originally published on The Spectator’s UK website.