Given Biden’s history, it is not surprising that he became habituated to tuning out experts, pollsters, party members — really anyone who doubted him. Over a lengthy career, Biden has been counted out and underestimated; he had defied pundit expectations. (“You were wrong about 2020. You were wrong about 2022,” he angrily told reporters. “We were going to get wiped out. Remember the red wave?”) The New York Times put it this way: “The comeback-kid mythology that Mr. Biden has built over a half century in politics is colliding with a new reality, where he is not being held up as a fighter who overcomes obstacles but is accused by his critics of putting his own ego ahead of the country.”
But it is folly, of course, to run a race without the full and complete support of one’s party, including congressional surrogates and donors. If you cannot convince, for example, members of the Democratic House Caucus of your viability, then how are you to convince skeptical voters and donors?
That chip-on-the-shoulder attitude and reflexive disbelief of criticism (call it confirmation bias on steroids) for a time kept Biden determined to run the race, despite signs his poll numbers were dropping. While he remained convinced his problem was “one bad night,” in fact each appearance exposes his hoarse voice, his defensiveness, his lack of verbal acuity and his frail appearance. Far too often, Biden showed short-temperedness, anger, impulsiveness and unjustified stubbornness in calls meant to calm Democratic doubters. Reality has a way of intruding.
Naturally, Biden has sought counsel in his tightknit family. And while the story has yet to be revealed, it was there that he was able to process the decision. The Post reports: “Family members have flashed through a range of emotions, people close to them say — sadness, anger, determination — and are deeply frustrated by what they see as the betrayal and second-guessing of a man who has spent a half-century as a dedicated leader of the Democratic Party.” And yet the result was a selfless decision that ultimately put country and his own legacy first.
It was a remarkable decision for a family that has devoted its life to politics. Postponing defeat so often seems easier than leveling with a loved one; the perspective a family member has of a father, husband and grandfather often departs sharply from how other people view him. And yet a family as practiced in media and politics as this must have seen that each rickety performance confirms critics’ assessment, erodes the president’s legacy and freaks out voters.
Beyond the Bidens, some Democrats, even those closely aligned with Biden, have focused their anger on the role of the inner circle of Biden advisers who, they claim, shielded him from news conferences and interviews, refused to see a capable president become an unsteady and fragile candidate, cheered his defiance and enabled him to hang on to the detriment of his own legacy. CNN singled out Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti in this group: “That tight circle has alarmed many Democrats who are questioning whether Biden is receiving realistic data about the plight of his candidacy.” But in the end, according to Politico reporting, they presented him with devastating polling from swing states and dreadful fundraising numbers.
Whether they played a role to persuade him to bow out is uncertain. But they, too, must have realized that they eventually would be judged harshly, if not cruelly, by history. They stood to bear a good deal of the blame for preventing the party from constructing a ticket with a realistic shot at winning, downplaying awful polling and propounding the fiction that the rest of the party would eventually fall in line.
Perhaps they could have acted sooner, or even convinced Biden not to run. But we should not be surprised that when one reduced one’s circle to only true believers, especially when those closest to you want badly to remain in proximity to power and defy second-guessing, good decision-making breaks down. The situation is not limited to politics.
“Does every team need a skilled contrarian? Maybe so, based on new research from Stanford Graduate School of Business,” a Stanford Business School report warned in 2015. “‘It’s important for teams to have a devil’s advocate who is constructive and careful in communication, who carefully and artfully facilitates discussion,’ says Lindred Greer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford GSB.” The report continued:
Greer and her research colleagues examined a dynamic in teams, which they call skewed conflict. In it, one person — or a small minority group acting together — carefully and constructively points out the differences and weaknesses in a team’s approach to a problem.
When this divergent opinion is presented in a nuanced way in which other members don’t even see the difference of opinion as a conflict, it can provide for a healthy disagreement, the research shows. … That devil’s advocate — which could be an individual or a small minority — has the sensitivity to see differences, perceives them as conflict, and then communicates about the differences in non-confrontational ways.
However, if you have systematically excluded any devil’s advocate — or worse, come to view well-presented doubts as betrayal — you will be left with those who lack the ability or will to tell the leader he is wrong. Future presidents should be careful: When you can trust so few people, there may be something amiss.
In sum, Biden had gotten to this unsustainable position largely because of his own history and outlook and the understandable defensiveness of aides and family. However, Biden and his inner circle eventually managed to recognize that the potential consequences of maintaining a faltering campaign — a devastating November loss, permanent damage to democracy, crushing down-ballot losses — could irreparably mar his legacy and endanger America.
Biden therefore stands to go down as not only one of the most accomplished modern presidents but also one of the most selfless. Instead of a tragic demise, this episode might be seen as his finest hour. He already began the smooth transition by endorsing Vice President Harris. Now, she and the party can come to together to defend democracy. Nothing is more important.
What do you think President Biden should do with the rest of his time in office? Share your responses with us, and they may be published in The Post.
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