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WHO?
Wes Moore? For President?
Yes! Wes Moore!!
But let’s take two steps back.
Thurs night I had every expectation that Joe Biden would completely change things. The debate would be the turning point, the event that elevated Joe Biden in the 2024 race. But those hopes were dashed. Battered. Beaten to a pulp.
Yes, people have tried to remind me that other candidates have had poor first debates, only to back in later ones, and that it made no sense to abandon a candidate after one bad night. But…
I like Joe Biden. I respect Joe Biden. I think he’s been a good President, and I know for sure that Biden at his very worst would be better to have in office than Trump. But to be a good President you first have to be elected. What I saw–and the whole world saw–was an old man who fumbled and bumbled. And fumbling and bumbling on the biggest stage on the biggest night is not something you come back from when the central issue in voters’ minds is mental competence. Thomas Friedman, a long-time admirer and friend of Biden, wrote a wonderful piece in the Times saying: Enough, Joe. If you truly want to save this country from Trump, you should have the humility of recognizing that whether or not you feel that you are still up to the job, you are no longer an electable candidate.
I’m reading how Joe, on extra-strength Red Bull, came out swinging at a rally in North Carolina. How he has the full support of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi. How my donation to Biden will be matched 500%, and that I should express my support for Old Joe and give generously. It hurts, Joe, but the answer is no. If I and others rally and donate it will be like throwing good money after bad. It will only encourage the Democratic establishment to push on. But if it’s clear that the spigot has dried up, that money is not coming in from either little guys like me or the big donors, then the power brokers will be forced to tell their good friend and revered colleague that it’s time to step aside in favor of someone who has a chance of defeating Trump.
Oh yes. Finally. Wes Moore.
But first, I have an admission to make. I have a bad habit on jumping on the bandwagons of young unknowns and convincing myself that this new person will become the darling of the electorate; that he or she will capture the imagination of a voting populace that is looking for a fresh face who can sweep them off their feet and change the whole ballgame.
Not too long ago I was told about Beto O’Rourke. Young. Liberal. Charismatic. He would soon be Governor of Texas. Or maybe Senator O’Rourke. Or maybe President Beto, the leader of the free world. A nice young man he was and still is. But he’s also a failed candidate for all three positions. Great potential, but not ready for prime time. Maybe never will be.
But then there’s Wes Moore. Formally, Westley Watende Omari Moore. Democratic Governor of the great state of Maryland. Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Johns Hopkins with a degree in international relations. Rhodes Scholar. Decorated combat veteran who served in Afghanistan. Author of several books, including one on the Times best seller list. Former investment banker and television producer. Founder of the Robin Hood Foundation (you remember Robin Hood—unlike one Donald J. Trump, he took from the rich and gave to the poor), where he raised over 600 million bucks to fight poverty. A risky choice, you might say, but a candidate who fits the profile of let’s-go-big-or-go-home.
Oh, but he’s just a kid. He’s just 45 years old. Yes—sort of like Kennedy, elected at 43, Clinton at 46, and Obama at 47.
That’s my man. Young, liberal, articulate, and charming. Barack, please tell Joe—as respectfully as you can–that he has to give in to the inevitable, and to do it soon, for the sake of the country. That there’s another smart, dynamic, young candidate of color who is waiting to take center stage.
Who?
President Wes Moore.
