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Why Democrats Should Become the Values Party
Biden’s Super Tuesday victory — and the lead-up to it — show the power of empathy, respect, dignity, and decency to repair our shattered republic.
The days leading up to Super Tuesday were some of the strangest, and most exhilarating, that I’ve seen. After sticking around longer than anyone thought, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Mayor Pete Buttigieg came out and publicly endorsed Joe Biden, as did former presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke. In his speeches acknowledging these endorsements, Biden radiated warmth, understanding, and empathy. He noted that Mayor Pete reminded him of his son Beau; he noted that he owed Amy Klobuchar a huge debt; and he implied O’Rourke should run for the Senate again. It was truly a moment of reconciliation and team-building the likes of which are vanishingly rare in politics these days.
Fast forward to Super Tuesday, and Joe Biden emerged significantly stronger than anyone expected. As of this writing, it may yet be the case that he will be the delegate leader coming out of this day, a truly stunning turn of fortune for a candidate that had been largely declared dead by the pundit class. Once again, Biden acknowledged the fact that he owed his success to others. Rather than making the night all about himself — as he…
