John MacDonald: The invisible VP for president? Don't think so

One headline I’ve read about President Joe Biden quitting the presidential race is describing it as “a shock decision”. 

It’s no shock to me. But it was, apparently, to some of his campaign staff. 

According to reports, some of them had no idea their man had made-up his mind and was pulling the plug. Which I think is too little, too late for the Democrats. They are toast - just as much as they were yesterday. Possibly more so.  

Because, at least they had a candidate that people know. Not only has Biden quit the race for the White House, he’s also endorsed his vice-president Kamala Harris to be the Democrats nominee for president. Someone who, from this side of the world anyway, seems to have been invisible since becoming VP four years ago. 

I’ve often wondered whether that’s because she got so much media attention when they won back in 2020, that Joe’s nose was out of joint and he told her to take more of a back seat. 

But back to the “shock announcement”. Here’s a quote from someone described as being a Biden state official: “I don’t think a soul in Delaware knew.” Which is where Biden has been, since testing positive for COVID last week. 

Apparently, his campaign staff had pretty much just got off phone calls to Democratic Party people making plans for the party’s convention in a few weeks time - as if everything was just rolling-on as usual - and then Joe goes and makes his big announcement. 

The question now, is whether Joe Biden has done the Democrats any favour pulling out. And I don’t think he has. The time for him to do his party a favour was way before now. 

And I’m not talking about the three weeks since that TV debate with Donald Trump when the world started to sit-up and pay attention to what people had been saying long before then. That he was declining - like we all do when we reach a certain age - and was struggling. 

If Joe Biden was serious about doing a favour for the party he has dedicated his adult life to, then he would have done it the favour he thinks he’s doing it, the day after the last election. 

Day One of his administration should have included succession planning on its to-do list for the four years it had up its sleeve. But he didn’t - and the party didn’t - and now we’ve had this situation over the past few weeks where criticism has flourished and Joe Biden has floundered. 

When all this noise started, I was of the view that a lot of the criticism was nothing short of age-ism. Because, if an 81-year-old is up to the job, why shouldn’t they keep doing it? 

“If you’re the best person for the job, fill your boots.” 

But, as someone once said, what good is a mind if you can’t change it?  

And, while I started thinking Joe Biden was being unfairly treated, I now think that his belligerence in denying the inevitable and saying he was still the best person for the job - in fact, the only person for the job - means he has reaped what he has sowed. 

In just a few weeks, my view has shifted from seeing him as someone being targetted just because of his age, to seeing him as someone who just didn't know or wasn't willing to accept that time was up. 

Which is professionally tragic for someone so obviously dedicated to doing his bit for society. You can’t argue with his commitment.  

He’s had a lot of personal tragedy in his life. And, the way things have played out for him, it’s a tragic way to end his career. 

Not surprisingly, Donald Trump hasn’t held back since the announcement and he’s been saying on social media that he thinks it will be easier to beat Kamala Harris than it would have been to beat Joe Biden. 

And, I agre

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
One headline I've read this morning about President Joe Biden
quitting the presidential race is describing it as quote a
shock decision. Well, no shock to me, might be to you,
but I tell you it was a shop too. Apparently
some of his campaign staff, according to the Politico News website,
which is pretty reliable, some of them had no idea

(00:34):
that their man had made up his mind was pulling
the plunk, which I think, by the ways, too little,
too late for the Democrats. They are toast today just
as much as they were this time yesterday, possibly more
so because at least they had a candidate that people
know with Biden. Because not only has Biden quit the
race for the White House, He's also endorsed his Vice president,

(00:55):
Kamala Harris, to be the Democrats nominee for president, someone
who from this side of the world anyway, as I've
seen it, seems to have been invisible since becoming vice
president four years ago. And I've often wondered, you know,
whether that's because she got so much media attention when
they won that election four years ago that Joe's knows
was about out to joint and he told her to

(01:17):
take more of a back seat. That's how I've seen it.
But back to the shock announcement. Here's a quote from
someone described as being a Biden's state official quote. I
don't think a soul in Delaware, new which is where
Biden of course, has been since testing positive for COVID
last week. Apparently this is fascinating is campaign staff. They
pretty much just got off phone calls to Democratic Party

(01:38):
people making plans for the big convention than a few
weeks time, you know, as if everything was just rolling
on as usual. Ah Ye, Joe's recovering all g and
they put the phone down. Then Joe goes and makes
this big announcement. The question now is whether Joe Biden
has actually done the Democrats any favor pulling it. And
I don't think he has the time for him to

(01:59):
do his party. This big favor was way before now.
And I'm not talking about the three weeks since that
TV debate with Donald Trump, when the world started to
set up and pay attention to what some people had
been whispering and saying long before then that he was
he was declining like we all do by the way,
we all decline when we reach a certain age. And

(02:20):
you know, these people were saying that he's struggling. Now,
if Joe Biden was really serious about doing a favor
for the party that he has dedicated his odurt life
to them, he would have done it the favor he
thinks it's doing it now the day after the last election,
on day one of his new administration, they should have
included succession planning on the to do list for the

(02:43):
four years that the party had up at sleeve. But
he didn't and the party didn't, and now have had
the situation over the past few weeks where criticism has
flourished and Joe Biden has floundered. You know, when all
this noise started, I was of the view that a
lot of the criticism was nothing short of agism, because

(03:03):
you know, if an eighty one year olds up to
the job, why shouldn't they keep doing it? If you're
the best person for the job, Philly Boots. But as
someone once said, what good is a mind if you
can't change it? And I've changed my mind, And when
I started thinking Joe Biden was being unfairly treated, I
now think that his belligerence and denying the inevitable and
his belligerence, and saying that he was still the best

(03:25):
person for the job. In fact, on that TV interview
two weeks ago, he said he was the only person
for the job. Well, he has reaped when he's sided
in my book, and in just a few weeks, my
view has shifted from seeing him as someone being targeted
just because of his age, just seeing him as someone
who just doesn't know when his time is up, which

(03:46):
is professionally tragic. For someone like Joe Biden, who is
so obviously dedicated to doing his bit for society, you
can't argue with his commitment. He's had a lot of
personal tragedy in his life and the way things have
played out for him, this is a professional tragedy. Not surprisingly,
Donald Trump, he hasn't held back. We might talk about

(04:09):
what he said that speech on Friday Afternoon ninety minutes worth,
but he hasn't held back. Since Joe Biden's announcement, he's
been saying on social media that he reckons it'll be
easier to beat Carmala Harris than it would have been
to beat Joe Biden. I agree with Trump, as I
said earlier, where has she been not to mention a
couple of other obvious things. If she does end up

(04:32):
being the Democrats nominee, do you really think America is
ready for a female president, and not only that, a
black female president. But that's in the hands of the
party itself. And now she's got a big cell job
on her hands to get the numbers she needs for
endorsement to be the party's nominee for November's election. And
don't think, oh, that's in November night. She's got just

(04:52):
five weeks to do it before the convention. If Joe
Biden thinks he's done the right thing, he's dreaming because
I think his belligerence has handed Donald Trump the presidency.
But what do you make of it? Has Joe Biden
done the Democrats of favor and what chance do they
have now?

Speaker 1 (05:13):
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