President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race for a second term Sunday was more a result of uncontrollable circumstances than a political failure.
The effects of age and declining health are beyond control, and they can nullify normal political considerations. Absent these factors, Biden likely still would be the presumptive Democratic nominee.
However, Biden’s announcement on X Sunday was indeed historic, especially coming this late in the campaign season. But the unfolding event will not shake the nation’s institutions or its ability to conduct a fair and honest election. This is an opportunity for both Republicans and Democrats to embrace the democratic process.
Biden left under intense pressure from leaders of, and major donors to, his party. This means dismantling a campaign apparatus that was well underway. Whoever is the new nominee will face huge logistical hurdles, as well as the challenge of introducing himself or herself to the nation.
Biden had no serious challenger for the nomination, which means the public will know little about his replacement on the ballot, even if the replacement is the current vice president.
The change might also produce angst among some Americans who worry about the nation’s overall stability. But this should not be a concern. America’s institutions are sound and holding firm.
The legislative branch — Congress — still operates and still holds the power to draft law, despite many of its members undergoing reelection campaigns of their own. The judiciary is intact. A number of recent Supreme Court decisions may have rankled various factions, but they convincingly demonstrated the independence of that branch, as well as its concern for law and the Constitution above all else.
And President Biden, despite his lame-duck status, remains in charge of the executive branch, with the authority to deal with foreign threats and to sign or veto legislation.
All three branches are independent and coequal. The nation’s founders were wise to establish a system that isn’t dominated by one person or institution, despite the recent growing clout of the presidency.
Among the checks on presidential power was, as a 2019 essay in Harvard Law Today put it, that “presidents had to get re-elected.”
Which brings us to an institution about which Americans should be unequivocally confident. Despite erroneous complaints that the 2020 election suffered from massive fraud, this was not true. The Trump administration filed 62 lawsuits alleging improprieties. None were successful.
The now-popular notion of a “rigged” election in some circles is a big and insidious lie.
Americans may expect fair and accurate elections this year, as well. U.S. elections are governed primarily on a county basis, and the United States has 3,143 counties, each with its own rules and election methods. Widespread fraud would require an unthinkable array of multiple conspiracies involving tabulators, machines that are regularly audited, canvass procedures that include audits of actual tabulations and election judges.
And that election system also includes nominating procedures adopted by major political parties.
Whoever obtains the Democratic nomination for president will have done so without having to survive a single primary election. However, an open convention, should it come to that, would be an opportunity for candidates to appeal to delegates who represent party voters.
This wouldn’t be new. It’s easy to forget that primaries are a fairly recent method for assigning delegates to candidates. Party conventions used to exist for the sole purpose of choosing a candidate and drafting a platform. The last open convention for Democrats was in 1968.
The Republican nomination of 1880 may have presented the messiest example of such a convention. James Garfield, who had not been a candidate, was chosen on the 36th ballot, after what had seemed like an unbreakable logjam among official candidates. He went on to become president.
Much can happen between now and the start of the 2024 Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19 in Chicago. The party could decide to continue with a virtual vote, which had been planned as a way to nominate Biden before the convention. But his almost 3,900 delegates would not be required to throw their support to his choice, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Also, as The Washington Post has reported, time is a factor. Some states have August deadlines for appearing on ballots. In some parts of the country, early voting begins in September. The Democratic Party has incentives to choose a candidate and running mate early.
Either way, however, systems and rules are in place to guide the outcome to a spirited contest between Trump, whomever the Democrats select, and those representing other parties and concerns.
Biden’s late decision to leave the race may pose problems, but these are surmountable. Americans will face two major-party choices this fall. The unfolding details may be different than anything encountered before, but the nation’s institutions are intact and working as designed.