BYE, THEN

Several prominent figures in the Jamaican Diaspora have hailed the decision by United States President Joe Biden to pull out of the 2024 presidential race as the right thing for him to do.

On Sunday, Biden, 81, bowed to weeks of intense pressure from concerned Democrats to stand down after a disastrous debate performance inflamed age concerns, becoming the first sitting president to drop out of a re-election race since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968.

In announcing his decision to quit the campaign, Biden threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Jamaican heritage, to challenge Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump in November.

The Democrats will officially choose their nominee at next month’s convention.

While somewhat anticipated, Sunday’s announcement in a memorandum issued by Biden while he isolated due to a COVID-19 diagnosis, surprised many political observers.

“I don’t feel good about this decision. I don’t know that swing voters will want to vote for a black woman, and the objective right now is to ensure that Donald Trump does not become president again,” Dr Allan Cunningham, a Jamaican community activist in Florida, told The Gleaner on Sunday shortly after the announcement.

Cunningham expressed a touch of sadness about Biden’s decision but emphasised that it was the correct choice. His primary concern is identifying someone capable of defeating Trump.

“I feel a little doubtful [about Harris], but we will all rally around her,” he said.

Irwine Clare, head of the Caribbean Immigration Service, praised Biden’s decision to step aside and endorse his vice president.

“It is a master stroke by President Biden as it removes the discussion about age, and focus can now be placed on the successes of the administration, something that was not being done because of the age focus,” he said, adding that Harris, 59, is ready to lead.

Clare hailed Biden as a statesman for putting his country and party ahead of himself.

“It is now time for the Democratic Party to come together and rally around his chosen successor, Vice President Harris,” he said.

Dr Rupert Green, a retired teacher and a supporter of the Republican Party but not of Trump, is happy that Biden has ended his presidential campaign as the Democratic Party can now focus on the election.

“As a Republican, I do not want another Trump presidency, so we have to put all our efforts into defeating him,” Green told The Gleaner.

Una Clarke, former New York City councilwoman and community activist, said she was saddened by Biden’s decision.

“His policies have served to enrich the lives of all Americans, and I was hoping for four more years for him to complete his work. But passing off the torch to his vice president, who has been with him the last four years, is the right thing to do,” she said.

Clarke is hoping that the Democratic Party will not squander the opportunity to unite to defeat Trump.

Clarke, who is an elected delegate to the Democratic Party’s August 19 convention in Chicago, described Harris as a woman of vision.

“I believe that she will secure the nomination at the convention,” she said.

Dr Karen Green, vice-chair of the Florida Democratic Party and an at-large super delegate to the Democratic Convention, said Biden’s exit makes the election more winnable for the Democratic Party.

She praised Biden for the policies he implemented and expressed excitement about the prospect of Harris heading the Democratic Party’s ticket.

Green said that already, there have been a number of meetings of Democratic women as well as leaders of the Caribbean community to shore up support for Harris.

“As someone who shares our Caribbean heritage, we have a responsibility to throw our support behind her candidacy and to ensure that she is successful on election night,” Green told The Gleaner.

Denise Grant, who is running to be elected mayor of Lauderhill in Florida, said she was still processing the news when The Gleaner made contact with her.

“President Biden, through his policies, moved the country forward and made all Americans better off,” she commented.

Grant said that she believes that Harris would do a fine job if elected and would carry on the policies of the Biden-Harris administration.

New York State Senator Leroy Comrie hailed Biden’s announcement as brave and noble, also saying that the policies of his administration changed the trajectory of the country.

However, he said that the Democratic Party would have a bigger fight on its hands with a woman of colour at the head of the ticket.

Dale Holness, former elected official in Florida, said that although he believed Biden would have exited the race, the actual moment brought some sadness.

However, he described Harris as competent, focused, disciplined, and ready to do the job.

“I am excited, very excited to support her,” he said.

editorial@gleanerjm.com