Biden should resign, clear the way for Harris presidency | Opinion

Dave Layman is a former Providence TV news anchor, news director, political commentator and corporate communications consultant.

Joe Biden's decision to step down from the 2024 presidential election was a tough one. It was the right decision even though it was a pressured decision given his age issues. Even so, it deserves our enormous gratitude.

Having been a political commentator on Rhode Island PBS for 21 years; as a political analyst for talk radio in Chicago; and having been a political adviser to two major candidates in Rhode Island, I would offer this strategy to President Biden and the national Democratic Party leadership.

There is one more step that could be taken by President Biden that truly would be magnanimous, smart and politically intriguing.

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The president should resign the presidency on or about Aug. 1 and reemphasize his full endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate in the upcoming convention and election. Why do this? Such a move would give Harris a signature advantage of running as the current president against former president Donald Trump. From August to November she could further define herself as the nation's chief executive and in quick fashion create her own presidential record. She would be "on the job!” In so doing, Biden would make history by stepping down and thus allowing Harris to become the first woman president who also happens to be a minority!

Also, not to be overlooked, she has really struck a chord this past week, firing up interest and financial support from the minority community − and from the general public − in ways no one expected. This would go a long way in getting out the vote from the minority community that many Democratic leaders feared might stay at home on election day. In a close election, they will need the support and enthusiasm this might generate for the first woman president.

Then, there is the issue of the party's enormous, multi-million-dollar presidential campaign treasury that is at stake. If someone else is chosen by the party to be the Democratic standard bearer at the convention, the legal thinking is that individual could not use the millions of dollars raised in recent months for the Biden-Harris campaign. If Harris is the candidate, the campaign funds are hers to use. That is a formidable benefit. The Trump campaign knows and fears that. The Trump campaign filed a complaint this week with the Federal Election Commission claiming that Vice President Harris' campaign can’t use those millions, asserting that it would violate campaign finance laws. We will see how that plays out.

If Harris beats Trump in November, Biden will be forever hailed as a hero, sealing his political legacy as an extraordinary president who sacrificed, personally, at the end to help the party beat Trump and save democracy. If Harris were to run and lose, he would still be the hero as the country, in admiring his self-sacrifice, would wonder "What if Joe had stayed in the race, would he have beaten Trump?” That's a question that would be debated for decades.

For the Democratic Party, Biden's departure and Harris' ascension to the top spot would be the shot in the arm the gloomy Democratic Party surely needs after all the ups and downs the past few months.

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For the campaign, this would pit Harris, the former California prosecutor who put felons away for years, against Donald Trump, a convicted felon. The Harris campaign is salivating at drawing that contrast with their TV commercials and online advertising.

Will Biden leave office? Probably not. It might be too painful, at the moment, for him to not only step down but then leave early. In his address to the nation Wednesday night he talked about his ongoing agenda for his final six months. Of course, he is entitled to that. But given all that is at stake − ballot success for Democrats at the national and local levels; losing the House and Senate to the radical Republicans; and potential Supreme Court replacements − this additional sacrifice on Biden’s part would just be smart politics. So much is at stake, but the president has already taken the most difficult step in leaving the race.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Biden would make history by essentially installing Harris as the first Black woman President.