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During the last four years the president has done no wrong and everything right, and through herculean efforts, has rescued our democracy, John Casey argues.
It was March 4, 2020, the day after the Super Tuesday primaries, and a couple of days before the pandemic would shut down the United States. I was in Cabo San Lucas and was able to get back the day before flights were canceled..
I set out for a run that early Wednesday morning, and while I was reveling in the warmth and sunshine, REO Speedwagon’s classic song “Time for Me to Fly” came on. It was then that I had what I call the “writer’s rush.” I turned around, headed back to my room, and typed out as fast as I could, “Time for Joe Biden to Fly.” I began the column with the lyrics of REO’s song as a metaphor for how Joe Biden would command the 2020 presidential election and fly away with it. I was right. He did.
If you recall, there were some who were not thrilled that Joe Biden would get the nomination, particularly members of his own party. I wrote this: “It won't all be smooth sailing, and things are going to be nasty, perhaps before the Democratic convention in Milwaukee. And most definitely, because Trump will make it as blistering as he can. But if Biden and his team get all the right support, and his campaign deploys all of the available resources and assets that will come their way, Democrats will love Joe again, and he'll be free to fly.”
The day after he was elected, I penned a column titled “Joe Biden’s Win Means LGBTQ+ Folks Can See the Sun Again.” In it I said, “We have survived, and now we have the opportunity to dry off from Trump's incessant saturation. Who would have thought, only 10 months ago, that Joe Biden would be the one to rescue us? “
After his first 100 days in office it was glaringly apparent that Joe Biden knew what he was doing. To mark that milestone, in April of 2021, I authored ”Joe Biden Is Giving the World a Lesson on How to Move Forward.” What stood out for me during those first 100 days was not so much what he accomplished but a single moment that showed his resilience. It was the infamous image of Biden stumbling on the steps of Air Force One during a very windy day. He recovered, climbed to the top, and saluted.
To me, Biden’s fall, while perhaps a harbinger of things to come, was at the time a metaphor for how the president was able to pick the country up after it was nearly knocked down by Donald Trump. If there is an antithesis to Trump, it is President Biden.
I wrote countless columns about our president, and not a single one that was derogatory or detrimental. That’s because he succeeded at every turn, beyond our wildest dreams. He flew high, he gave us plenty of sunny days, he tripped, he fell, but he always got back up. I often said that falters were indicative of the heavy weight he carried on his shoulders — that being all of us.
To this day, I feel strongly that Biden never got his due. It still pisses me off. I always felt like I had to defend him. Didn't people see what I saw? After his resounding State of the Union address earlier this year, where he encapsulated all of the stunning achievements he has racked up during the last three-plus years plus, the headline on my column summing it up, said it all: “Admit It! We Have an Amazing President.”
Reading it today, it was prophetic, but not in the way it was intended. “Betty White was in her late 80s when she made a comeback. Norman Lear is 100 [he has since died] and still working. And last year, 92-year-old Mathea Allansmith became the oldest woman to finish a marathon by completing the 2022 Honolulu Marathon. I bring up marathons because running for president is akin to running one. It’s grueling. But if last night was a harbinger of Biden’s political future, he’s in the best shape of his life to run again.”
The only thing that I neglected to say was that none of these folks, White, Lear or Allansmith, were ever president of the United States, a job that ages you faster than any other. Biden is no different from his predecessors, with the exception that he had a head start on aging. And for some reason, he’s being punished for that.
And that’s the thing that’s bothering me about all the media coverage piling on Biden. It all feels like he has done something wrong. The truth is this: During these last four years he has done everything right. There have been no scandals. He’s been masterful at dealing with Congress and getting more done than any president in recent history. Through herculean efforts, he pulled this country back to a democracy after the mess Trump created. Yet, is that enough? Is there one more thing he can do?
The next few days have the potential to be incredibly rough — and ugly — for Joe Biden. He is facing what is arguable the most consequential decision of his life, but even more critically a decision that might affect the future of our democracy. We can’t fathom how much pressure he’s under, except for the fact that we can see the devastating pressures that may lie ahead for our democracy if, God forbid, Trump wins.
The exceptional Joe Biden now faces an excruciating choice, but when considering it, he has no reason to be ashamed, but he must listen to the 86 percent of voters who think he’s too old — that number won’t go down. And he must pay attention to what will surely be a growing number of legislators, advisers, former advisers, donors, friends, and everyone else who are pleading for him to do the right thing.
I think I speak for a lot of people, that watching the president, as much as I love him, is getting to be much too stressful. During his press conference, my heartbeat increased, my palms sweated, I cringed. He has moments of control and knows what he’s talking about. He’s smarter than I ever hope to be. But then there’s a moment that comes, like those uncomfortable whispers. And referring to Kamala Harris as Vice President Trump, for example, will be covered far more than how he displayed his knowledge of world affairs.
This cannot continue. He asked to be seen. We’re seeing him. And we might not love what we see, but we do love the man who is only human.
From a very personal POV, I think we all must reckon with what he’s going through in another way. The inevitable day that will come for most of us when we are told we are too old to be who we once were and who we still want to be. Pride and fortitude can only go so far. At some point, most of us will have to relent. It can be demoralizing and infuriating. If we live long enough, receding might be the toughest thing we have to do.
Maybe life is so painful because all along it’s preparing us for the moment when we begrudgingly have to give into it. No one defies God or Mother Nature, and that includes an exceptional president.
I have little doubt that Joe Biden will not only go down in history as one of the most consequential presidents but also as one of the country’s most impactful legislators. And what he’s done for our community is immeasurable — he’s been the greatest president for us.
God be with him as he faces an unimaginable choice.
John Casey is a senior editor at The Advocate.
Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit Advocate.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines and email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not necessarily represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.
