Step Aside, Mr. President.

Chapter 5 - The Art of War

10th July, 2024

The New York Times Op-ed glowed softly on Nicholas Hayes's tablet in the darkness of the Oval Office. The headline seemed to mock him: "I Love Nicholas Hayes. But We Need a New Nominee." George Moore's carefully crafted words struck a perfect balance between respect and ruthlessness. Every word was like sense of betrayal for Nicholas, yet he read:

I'm a lifelong Democrat; I make no apologies for that. I'm proud of what my party represents and what it stands for. As part of my participation in the democratic process and in support of my chosen candidate, I have led some of the biggest fundraisers in my party's history: Gabriel Morrison in 2012, Maya Norris in 2016, and Nicholas Hayes in 2020. Last month, I co-hosted the single largest fundraiser supporting any Democratic candidate ever, for President Hayes' re-election. I say all of this only to express how much I believe in this process and how profound I think this moment is.

I love Nicholas Hayes. As a congressman. As a speaker of the house. As a vice president. And as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he's won many of the battles he's faced.

But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can. It's devastating to say it, but the Nicholas Hayes I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Nicholas "big F-ing deal" Hayes of 2010. He wasn't even the Nicholas Hayes of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.

Was he tired? Yes. A cold? Maybe. But our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn't see what we just saw. We're all so terrified by the prospect of a second Fitzgerald term that we've opted to ignore every warning sign. The George Stephanopoulos interview only reinforced what we saw the week before. As Democrats, we collectively hold our breath or turn down the volume whenever we see the president, whom we respect, walk off Air Force One or walk back to a mic to answer an unscripted question.

Is it fair to point these things out? It must be. This is about age. Nothing more. But also, nothing that can be reversed. We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won't win the House, and we're going to lose the Senate. This isn't only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator, Congress member, and governor whom I've spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly.

We love to talk about how the Republican Party has ceded all power and all of the traits that made it so formidable with Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush to a single person who seeks to hold on to the presidency, and yet most of our members of Congress are opting to wait and see if the dam breaks. But the dam has broken. We can put our heads in the sand and pray for a miracle in November, or we can speak the truth.

It is disingenuous, at best, to argue that Democrats have already spoken with their vote and therefore the nomination is settled and done, when we just received new and upsetting information. We all think Republicans should abandon their nominee now that he's been convicted of 34 felonies. That's new and upsetting information as well. Top Democrats — Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi — and senators, representatives, and other candidates who face losing in November need to ask this president to voluntarily step aside.

All the scary stories that we're being told about what would happen next are simply not true. In all likelihood, the money in the Hayes-Montgomery coffers could go to help elect the presidential ticket and other Democrats. The new nominee wouldn't be left off ballots in Ohio. We Democrats have a very exciting bench. We don't anoint leaders or fall sway to a cult of personality; we vote for a president. We can easily foresee a group of several strong Democrats stepping forward to stand and tell us why they're best qualified to lead this country and take on some of the deeply concerning trends we're seeing from the revenge tour that Donald Trump calls a presidential campaign.