OPINION:
President Biden says he’s not going anywhere, but the man famous for taking every position on every issue has demonstrated he can certainly change his mind. The polls aren’t keeping him in the race, nor is any respect for the institution of the presidency. It’s ego, and someone with an ego like Mr. Biden’s needs to be treated carefully, strategically and patiently.
Ego, while often necessary for strong leadership, in excess is a vice. It is a close cousin to the cardinal sins of pride, greed and gluttony. Should the time come for him to decide to bow out of the campaign, it will not be for the good of his party or the country that drives him to that conclusion. It will be ego that will get him out.
It’s important to remember that this is the same person who, back in the 1980s as a rising star in the Democratic Party, thought he could get away with plagiarizing some of the party’s most notable names. This is the same guy who has repeatedly fabricated his personal narrative so boldly and so callously that he could credibly be accused of being a sociopath.
In his first year at Syracuse University Law School, in 1965, Mr. Biden failed a course because he wrote a paper that used five pages from an already published law review article. Then there was the politically deadly video of him attacking a New Hampshire voter, telling him he would be “delighted to sit down and compare my IQ to yours.”
“I went to law school on a full academic scholarship, the only one in my class who had a full academic scholarship,” Mr. Biden told the crowd. He then claimed he graduated in the top half of his class and held three undergraduate degrees. All of those claims were lies.
It may seem like it’s been months since the left-wing media got the memo it was permissible to go on the attack against President Biden, but it’s been only two weeks. The breaks within the usually Pavlovian Democratic establishment, including the typically fawning press, are so rare in our politics that it’s easy to forget that pushing a sitting president aside will take time.
After all, this is an agonizing decision, as it was for President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 and President Richard Nixon in 1974. The ego looms large.
Should the time come for a more direct and forceful approach to dealing with the Biden problem, former President Barack Obama, major donors and congressional leaders won’t appeal to Mr. Biden’s sense of decency or patriotism. They will appeal to the ego that is keeping him hanging on by a thread.
They will promise a Hollywood-style recast of Mr. Biden from faltering leader to America’s own Cincinnatus, the legendary Roman dictator who, in old age, was drafted back into service to put down an invasion and, having done so in just 16 days, gave up his power to return to tending his fields.
Mr. Biden will be transformed into the paragon of the selfless leader and defender of democracy, giving up his position for the sake of the nation.
The ego boost would be massive. The coming months would surely be a lovefest to cap off more than half a century in politics and government. The marketing blitz will also help Mr. Biden and the party form a stark contrast with the caricature of former President Donald Trump they will drive in the general election as the selfish, power-hungry dictator.
There will be “Thank you, President Biden” signs lining the streets, a slick convention video retrospective of his life and career that will bring tears to the eyes of the same network anchors who are now part of the pressure campaign to get him off the ticket. Union members will wear matching shirts that say “Thanks, ‘Lunch Bucket’ Joe.” Amtrak will name the route between Washington and Wilmington, Delaware, after him. There will even be a star-studded tribute concert in prime time sometime in the fall.
Those on the left will do what they’re best at doing: They’ll transform reality into a highly believable fantasy.
For Mr. Biden, the choice isn’t about running or stepping aside. It’s about discerning which option provides less risk for his legacy and that of the Biden name. It’s about how good the sale is to him, his wife, Jill, and his son Hunter.
He can dig in his heels and lose or choose to believe the illusion and be a legend — at least in his own mind.
• Tom Basile is the host of “America Right Now” on Newsmax TV and a columnist with The Washington Times.
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