Dear President Biden,
Like many who watched the presidential debate on Thursday last week, I was dismayed by your performance. As a person who is your elder by a few years, I want to be candid with you and Jill and say people our age should not be running for president.
The day after your sorry performance you went to North Carolina and gave a more convincing presentation and in it you said very clearly, “I know the difference between right and wrong.”
I urge you in that vein to step out of the presidential race because to step aside is the right thing to do and to stay in is wrong.
It is wrong because it could readily throw the election to a serial liar and Neo-fascist candidate who is running a neo-fascist race complete with a plan, “2025” to deconstruct our democracy. That plan articulates programs that will kill our planet as we know it, eliminate public education as we know it, pile more and more debt on middle class Americans and allow billionaires and corporations to get away with paying little or no taxes and continue to dictate the course of tax rates and loopholes and the entire judicial branch where they are so well represented at the once-supreme Court today.
The fiery vitriol against migrants will increase and mass arrests of migrants and containing them in giant holding camps is being planned. As well as the take-over of government administration which will be handled not by experts in their field but by the sole test of loyalty to a single leader.
All this by the same people at the Heritage Foundation that gave us the current six far-right supreme court justices who seem oblivious to any ethics whatsoever. Clearly, these people—led by billionaire and out of the closet Opus Dei operative Leonardo Leo–know what they are doing and have been planning for decades for what is now going on at the Supreme Court in throwing out established precedents such as Roe v. Wade and removing brakes on corporate money in elections and gutting rules that science and not politicians should have the last word in EPA and FDA and other administrative decision making. And slow walking Trump’s trial for the January 6 uprising and declaring presidents have immunity from the law.
To say nothing of gerrymandering and effectively disposing of voting rights earned at such a great cost by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many others over sixty years ago.
To be continued.
See Matthew Fox, “’Sermon’ Thirty-Six: Everyone and Aristocrat, Everyone a Royal Person,” in Fox, Passion For Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart, pp. 510-530.
And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society.
And Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice.
See also John Queally, “Long Knives Out’: Calls Grow for Biden to Step Aside After Debate Disaster” on CommonDreams.org, 6/30/2024.
Banner Image: An edited screenshot from the Twitch parody account, TrumpOrBiden2024, by MrMemer33. Wikimedia Commons.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you agree that it is right for President Biden to step aside in favor of a younger generation to lead? Why or why not? How will you assist in that new effort to breathe life into a teetering democracy?
Recommended Reading
Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart
Matthew Fox’s comprehensive translation of Meister Eckhart’s sermons is a meeting of true prophets across centuries, resulting in a spirituality for the new millennium. The holiness of creation, the divine life in each person and the divine power of our creativity, our call to do justice and practice compassion–these are among Eckhart’s themes, brilliantly interpreted and explained for today’s reader.
“The most important book on mysticism in 500 years.” — Madonna Kolbenschlag, author of Kissing Sleeping Beauty Goodbye.
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice
In A Spirituality Named Compassion, Matthew Fox delivers a profound exploration of the meaning and practice of compassion. Establishing a spirituality for the future that promises personal, social, and global healing, Fox marries mysticism with social justice, leading the way toward a gentler and more ecological spirituality and an acceptance of our interdependence which is the substratum of all compassionate activity.
“Well worth our deepest consideration…Puts compassion into its proper focus after centuries of neglect.” –The Catholic Register
28 thoughts on “A Letter to President Biden”
Sometimes we leave very ‘little room for miracles’. Both candidates are old and wander off. A poor performance is no different than our best performance. We don’t have our best performance every time out ‘on the stage’.
Are all the reasons not to have Trump voted in, not then an indictment of Trump and not Biden? So whose performance is really lacking? Do we back away or support the candidate that respects God and all people? Support and have faith. Trump is not a ‘shoo in’ for just showing up. — BB.
I agree that President Biden should step aside from running for president again. However, since he has not, and his family is encouraging him to keep running he has to better at promoting his vice president. He has to show the American people that she is a capable, intelligent member of his team who is ready to serve if need be. So far she has been kept in the shadows with the result being that the public thinks she is incompetent. We can’t have another old, white man who is offering himself as the only solution who says, “Only I, alone can fix it.”
It is strengthening to read the reasons for what is going on in our country right now. The worst is the confusion, but Matthew, you make it clearer. I thank you for taking the ingredients present now and putting into perspective where we stand, as no one but someone searching diligently for God can. May God help us search our hearts for what we really want in this democracy, communicate openly with one another and work together to imagine and bring to our reality a better way ~
I don’t think it is for myself to make that decision about a man I have never met and based solely on what I see and read in the media. It is a decision for himself, his family and those within the Democratic Party who see the man, and his diminishing faculties up close. I do not.
That aside, I no longer believe politics is the solution. Humanity is in a deep spiritual crisis as to who and what we are on this planet. It is a time for great Spiritual Leaders to emerge and to lead humanity forward. Not even Matthew is too old for this. It is moral virtue and spiritual vision that are most required together with a fearless determination to make it so.
Amen! This also includes All of Us taking responsibility for deepening our spiritual journeys of inner transformation which leads to more compassionate actions in our daily lives with others through GOD’S SPIRIT of LOVE~TRUTH~PEACE~JUSTICE~HEALING~TRANSFORMATION~
CREATIVITY~BEAUTY~JOY~COMPASSION~DIVERSE WHOLENESS-ONENESS… in the Sacred Process of the ETERNAL PRESENT MOMENT….
Dear Paul,
“Humanity is in a deep spiritual crisis.”
True, that!
“I no longer believe politics is the solution.”
Correct. “Politics” is not a solution to a deep spiritual crisis.
What is “politics?”
In everyday life, the term “politics” refers to the way that countries are governed, and to the ways that governments make rules and laws to manage the human society properly.
(…like, up until July 1, “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”)
According to Merriam-Webster, “politics” is “the art or science of government”
“Politics” is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups.
It’s just how we, collectively, make decisions and act those decisions out.
The political conundrum in which we find ourselves today is an effect of the cause that is the deep spiritual crisis.
To posit that the effect springs out of the cause is NOT to posit that the effect is the solution to the problem.
I think both candidates should step down.
For all the reasons in the essay that he should step aside, I trust his decision not to step aside.
Beth
I am so saddened by the comments of Fox about President Biden. Why did he(Fox) NOT write a letter to Trump as well? I will stand with Biden because he is a decent person and the world needs him! If trump and others of his leadership like have power they will not try to care for the planet ????! These people want to hasten an end of the world so they will do nothing to help!
Like Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, “I dissent.”
The purpose in support of our democracy is to make certain that DJ Trump is never elected to office in 2024 or any other year. Suggesting/recommending that President Biden step down weakens the structure of the Democratic Party which has in motion staff and offices across the United States and abroad where voting citizens live.
Practically speaking, such a recommendation would ensure the election of Mr. Trump and the further erosion and ultimate destruction of this nation as I have known her since I was a child.
In loving dissent,
Rev Mary S Harris (PCUSA) honorably retired
Dear Matthew,
I have been wondering what you have been thinking yesterday and today.
Even though we all “knew”* that the ruling was going to come out as it did yesterday, it did not make it any easier.
*(We knew because they delayed the hearing at all, first of all, and then because we heard the “justices” “questioning” on the radio in real time from the courtroom.)
Even so, anticipating that this was going to be the outcome does not make this “immunity decision” any easier. I am sick to my stomach.
Last night, I watched https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/lawrence-reveals-the-very-bad-news-for-trump-in-the-immunity-decision-214044229910 Joy Reid say the name Leonardo Leo, and so I looked up your previous DM.
Sure enough, this is the fellow that you had told us about on May 2.
https://dailymeditationswithmatthewfox.org/2024/05/02/a-deeper-look-at-opus-dei-christofascism-misogyny-scotus/
Thank you for helping to educate some of us.
Too bad that the rest of the country is not quite so tuned in and knowledgeable.
https://www.msnbc.com/reidout
https://www.independent.com/obits/2016/10/24/maria-tapia/
I’m sorry, Matthew. I watched the disastrous performance to, but I don’t agree. MSNBC Lawrence O’Donnell had a calm, reasoned analysis after the debate and so have other historians and commentators. One, there isn’t time to raise enough money and set up campaign staffs and offices across the country. If I understand it correctly, funds from the Biden campaign can’t be transferred to a new candidate. I could be wrong. Two, Biden is already on the campaign trail speaking so clearly and strongly that anyone can see that he is anything but the man we saw in the debate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgjyHwQOUoo
After yesterday’s activist supreme court decision, I am extremely glad that you introduced us all in your daily essays to Leonard Leo. I’d love to have you revisit some of those essays so we can repost them and alert our friends and family to why the court is tearing up our Constitution the way it is.
Ah, but are there potential alternatives who could take Trump to the mat and mop the floor with him? A lot would depend on whether the DNC actually has the guts to promote someone younger and equally progressive (if not more so), with a proven track record of fighting on behalf of ordinary Americans, not just pandering to the über-rich. Somebody like Adam Schiff, Hakeem Jeffries, Jamie Raskin, or even Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She does turn 35 in October, and therefore meets the Constitutional age qualification — and famously said of Trump, “I don’t think he knows how to deal with a girl from the Bronx.” Unless and until the DNC decides to back such a candidate, I have to stick with Biden. I may not be happy about it, but he’s the one thing standing between us and a fascist dystopia.
I absolutely 100% LOVE and SUPPORT President Biden. God Bless President Biden. Keep him safe! President Biden is exactly who we, as a country, need in these depressing and desperate times. I whole heartedly believe in him and trust in his abilities to run this country. President Biden and his inner light coupled by his elderly wisdom will get us through these dark times. He is a fighter and warrior for justice for all human beings. Shame on you for saying what you said. Shame, shame, shame!! VERGOGNA…VERGOGNA…VERGOGNA!!! I didn’t see you recommend who and how to go about replacing President Biden. Especially since we are only four months away from the most important election of our lives. You should be supporting President Biden, since he is the ONLY one who can beat Benedict Donald, and urging your readers to rally behind President Biden not desert him. Again, shame, shame, shame on you and your publication. I am now asking myself do I still want to be a supporter/reader of daily meditations with Matthew Fox?
Dear Amy,
The problem here is not that Matthew Fox has expressed his concern for our country (read: his care for our world).
It is okay that you disagree with Fox’s idea for a strategy to hold on to our system of government (which is holding on by a thread at this moment.)
The problem here is that, while supporting Israel, Biden has NOT condemned genocide.
Biden did NOT say to the college student protesters: “I hear you.” (regarding Gaza/Palestine)
not even anything close, like: “While it is one thing to defend a country, it is another thing altogether to commit such atrocities as Benjamin Netanyahu and all of his fellow Zionists are committing.”
Biden did not say: “America can support Israeli defense, but not offense.”
The United States of America has been funneling huge amounts of money and weapons to Israel for years. And now we see the result.
Those college students are right to be sick to their stomachs about it.
The problem here is this: Those young voters also Do Not Seem To Understand what is at stake, here. They do not seem to understand what could (WOULD) happen if DJT got his way into the oval office again.
Indeed, it is quite a pickle.
Whoever is running against DJT needs all of the votes possible, and Biden has lost a huge swath of the electorate by not acknowledging their care or concern for their fellow human beings.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/2/no-surprise-us-students-slam-bidens-comments-on-gaza-encampments
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/3/genocide-urbicide-domicide-how-to-talk-about-israels-war-on-gaza
No. I totally disagree.
I am very sad that you used your power in this way.
You have been my teacher for a long time; you have guided me spiritually and ethically.
But, this time, you are reading the crowd wrong.
I disagree with Matt! There is no one that can take on the Democratic Party leadership at this time in this election cycle and win the election. Joe Biden answered the so called debate questions accurately & Mr Trump told lie after lie. Being older & having a cold is not a reason to end running for another term as President. Accomplishments already achieved & in the works are more important to continue to support Joe Biden. The State of the Union address was awesome!
I do not agree, Matthew, with the idea of Joe Biden stepping down. There are a host of practical reasons, but the most important for me are the man’s character. With all his faults, as a man of faith and moral values, he stands in stark contrast to his opponent, who has none. The campaign has to be relentless in stressing his character, intelligence, and moral compass. The Democratic party over the years has lost its core values, as has the Republican party. In my opinion, it is time for both to return to them, although it will not be possible for the Republicans unless and until they renounce the drive to power and autocracy, no matter the cost to the nation as a democracy.
I agree with Matthew. Biden must step aside. If he stays in the race, he will lose (but he’ll have my vote). Last Thursday’s debate performance was disturbing, and people will not forget it when election day comes. I like and respect Biden. But to see him looking tired and confused was painful. Trump is a bully. He was beating up on Biden with a deluge of lies and insults, and Biden did not have the ability to fight back. Biden ran for president in 2020 to save us from Trump. His presidency has been a successful one, although I have grave reservations about how he has handled the situation in Gaza. Nonetheless, Biden’s achievements were remarkable, and he should be proud of what he and his fellow Democrats accomplished. Biden saved us from Trump by running for president, and now he should save us from Trump by allowing a younger, more vigorous person run for president. There is still time to do this, but time is running out.
Despite how strong Biden looks on the campaign trail there are not the 49 million viewers from the debate attending those rallies. I do not think from the viewers perspective Biden has a chance of winning the election. I do not know who at this late date could.
What is currently happening reminds me of the biblical account of Israelites who were begging God for a king. God warned them of the high costs to them of choosing to have a king like other countries. Fast forward to 2024, Rachel Maddow and many other historians and commentators have warned voters against choosing to have Trump as King of the USA. It was striking to me that they used the word ‘king’ and not dictator.
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/why-did-israel-want-an-earthly-king-when-they-had-god.html
We must also remember that when Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments which would create human solidarity he was stunned to see the Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf, which is what the elites around the world are doing before our eyes.
I’m deaf, so I had to read the captioning of the debate and watch closely.
Biden had just come in from an overseas trip (jetlag), and had a rally that afternoon. He had a cold, and had probably taken cough syrup (groggy). He was probably over-prepped by a team that expected factual debate and was unprepared for Trump’s use of firehosing nonstop lies and screaming rage (a gaslighting technique to stun and overwhelm in debates).
I saw Biden horrified and disgusted by Trump. Once he got over the shock of Trump’s garbage-rant, Biden was smart, articulate, and he had a huge number of accomplishments that he fit in.
Trump lied nonstop, threatened revenge, refused to say he’d accept the election results, and let slip his collusion with Putin. He often spoke gibberish. His version of the NATO issue was moronic: There’s an ocean. Putin is my friend. Money.
Trump is senile, low IQ and has severe ADHD. He’s narcissistic, psychopathic, a compulsive liar, thief, and sexual predator, misogynistic, deeply racist, and now he’s lovingly protected by a corrupt unsupreme court as their idiot king-puppet.
Biden is an experienced TEAM: Biden, Harris and the people who helped him pass legislation are all in place. Harris is being trained to lead, if necessary. She also brings women’s and minority votes to the team. Replacing her with a man would insult both groups.
I vote for their TEAM.
Interesting that we have this discussion about Biden being too old, with little or no reference to the past 3 1/2 years and the job he has done (longstanding relationship with Israel not withstanding). I was not a big Biden proponent, but i have changed my mind based on the job he has done. As far as i know, we are supposed to judge people by the job they have done. Biden has done more for this country than anyone since FDR, as far as i can tell. He has been much more able to get things done due to his long tenure in DC with many relationships. And where would NATO be right now without his leadership? Also, his response to the Unsupreme Court Ruling was right on. So… it’s ok to be ageist, i guess? B/c that is what this is. Instead of looking at the results, people are worried at how old he Looks rather than his ability to govern and lead. Yes he will die some day. But he is a great leader and i trust him with our future more than anyone else. And who else, really????? A must run at this point.
The problem here seems to be three-fold:
1.) We do not have a National Popular Vote. (We should have gotten rid of the dumb Electoral College a LONG time ago.)
https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/written-explanation
2.) By NOT acknowledging the concern of the college student protesters and their care for their fellow human beings in Gaza, Joseph Biden has lost a huge swath of the electorate. (He needs those votes.) And, unfortunately, those young people do NOT seem to understand what is at stake, here. They do NOT seem to understand the dire alternative.
3.) Elections administrators.
Take a listen to this 25 minute story about Heider Garcia in Texas. (also about former Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and about current Tarrant County Judge Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare.)
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/785/through-the-looking-glass/act-one-9
Dear Matt, I disagree with you on this. President Biden has done many good things for our country. The 90 minutes of this debate should not weigh in that heavily against his good record as President, and long record of public service. Yes, he is an elder like you and me. You are still proficient in what you do and not equipped to be our President. And he is also proficient in his work. He is also a man of integrity, honest and good-hearted. If Trump were elected–God forbid!–everything would be destroyed. Now is not the time to change our Democratic nominee for President, just a few months before election day. We need to stand behind President Jo Biden. Looking forward to your continuation of your meditation.
John Oliva
July 3, 2024
I respectfully disagree with your position. To recommend the President Biden not run without offering an alternative is wrong. I support what President Biden has done for the last three and one half years. His record of accomplishments for the people has been record breaking. You incorrectly focus on Joe Biden himself. I focus on the Biden administration. If President Biden has a setback after he is elected, I am confident that Vice President Harris, the Biden Cabinet and his support staff will carry on the work of President Biden. I will be voting not for just the man, I will be voting for the team he has put together. That winning team deserves our full support.
Part of what develops from Project 2025 will be the deportation of illegal aliens by the millions. One might think that would be great news, but actually, they do the work that Americans will not do. So, what are the Heritage visionaries planning to do to replace all the cheap labor illegal aliens provided? They are going to make it possible to legally round up millions of the homeless off the streets (the class of Americans their financial policies created), lock them up in detention camps, and put them to work on doing the work others will refuse to do. These two actions will be promoted as solving a great deal of the USA’s problems. In reality, Project 2025 is designed to create a new class of people whose sole purpose in life will be to serve and entertain the elite. Sounds like the themes projected in “The Hunger Games” movies. The reader may think Americans would never sink so low, yet could we have imagined a character named Trump before and the insanity he has created for us today?