The Biden Announcement: On the Other Side of PTSD
Editorial by Alexandra Lally Peters
Editor’s Note: It’s been just a few days since Biden withdrew his candidacy. And, less than a day since he addressed the nation about the reasons why. Less than a week. A thoughtful musing about where we are in this moment, from Alexandra Lally Peters. And, at the bottom, calling all women, for something you can do TODAY.
I wasn’t in the group that was pushing for Joe Biden to step down. I think he’s great and what he has accomplished is remarkable. And I don’t worry about his verbal slips and stutters, especially when he’s tired. I have been far more concerned with how he performs as President. And what he has accomplished in 3 1/2 years has been stellar. But a lot of other people could only seeing an ageing man. We are not a country that respects wisdom from our elders. We are too used to having a youth dominated culture. I was mad that people weren’t recognizing the skills and accomplishments of a president who may rival Roosevelt in the changes he has made.
So I was surprised at my own reaction when Joe Biden, in his humble but reassuring way, told us he was stepping down as the candidate, and that he was endorsing his Vice President Kamala Harris for President. Kamala! President Harris! A woman! And a half Indian half Jamaican woman at that! Suddenly this seemed to change the pace of this election, to lift the spirit of doom. I saw it everywhere. My phone rang all day and I was texting back-and-forth with different friends and we were saying the same thing. Isn’t this exciting? Isn’t she fabulous? And suddenly Kamala seemed like a great hope for change, in her pantsuit and high heels and her prosecutor’s determination. That laugh that people had mocked earlier sounded like a lot of fun to me now. I listened to the clip about her mother asking her if she’d fallen out of the coconut tree, and thought both she and her mother were women I wanted to know.
It’s all about emotions, these elections. Hope, despair, apathy, fear. That’s what we’re mostly reacting to. We want to be part of a group that feels the same way we do, believe the same stuff, follow the same stories. We want our leaders to be people we can admire and trust. We want them to be like us, but smarter, stronger, more exceptional. I’m looking at old clips of Kamala, and she’s looking the part. She sounds right.
Suddenly everyone I know is so upbeat and sending money to Kamala. I sent some myself. That PTSD that has been hanging over us, waiting to pounce, like it did on the night Trump was elected, has ended. We’re not letting that happen again. She’s got 100 days to keep us all enthusiastic, and I’m so sure she can win that I already went on Etsy and got yard signs that say Harris 2024. (The official ones aren’t out yet.) Enough to give out to my neighbors too because in the last election I made sure everyone on my street had Biden Harris signs and the sheer number of them got a lot of attention from neighbors driving by. So, yes, I’m going all in for Kamala. I might even wear coconut shirts.
Today’s Action Item .. Women .. Huddle Up
FROM ANSWER THE CALL 2024
Sunday night, 44,000 women gathered with Win with Black Women to support Kamala Harris, and they raised over $1 million.
White women, it's our turn to show up.
JOIN US!!! All are welcome, please share with your people.