Opinion | Everything changed on Sunday

Father Time is undefeated. On Sunday, he took down Joe Biden. 

There will be lots of “think pieces” and opinions, a gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands, tears and outrage, but in the end, it’s really that simple. President Biden decided he is not capable of leading the country for another four years. 

Yes, a lot of advisors, donors and party mates pushed him to that decision, like a kid asking for the car keys from an elderly parent. But it was still Joe Biden’s decision to make, and in the end, he chose – just as he’s always done – to put the country first. 

He should be commended for it. And for the job he did over the last four years, picking up the pieces from the disastrous one term of Donald Trump and restoring dignity, respect and decency to the office. 

Even in a red state like Alabama, Biden’s presidency should be thought of as positively transformative. The amount of federal dollars dumped into this state to repair aging infrastructure and lay thousands of miles of broadband and assist with numerous public health crises is likely unmatched in state history. No president – Democrat or Republican – has done more. 

Not that it matters to most of the people who lead this state, who spent the day Sunday freaking the hell out over Biden’s decision to step aside. 

It’s understandable, I guess. They’re unaccustomed to a candidate putting the country first. 

But still, the borderline comedic rants about their newfound concerns over the sanctity of elections and voter disenfranchisement – a term that I wasn’t aware they even knew until Sunday afternoon. 

Forgive us, y’all, if we’re not exactly interested in election integrity lessons from the folks who fought to the Supreme Court to try to disenfranchise Black voters and who’ve called the Jan. 6 coup attempt – which sought to overturn a valid and fair American presidential election – a “tourist visit.” 

We all know what the real issue is. You’ve still got that old, rambling guy as your nominee. 

In the meantime, Democrats appeared by late Sunday evening to be uniting behind Vice President Kamala Harris, and rightfully so. And that’s a problem. 

If you think it’s not, or if you think Trump is somehow so strong that this change doesn’t matter, well, let me explain it with an example. 

During the most recent presidential debate, in which Biden performed horrifically, there was one exchange that should have stood out more. It came after Biden finally broached the topic of Trump’s 34 felony convictions, which centered on his payment to help conceal an extramarital affair with a porn star.  

Trump responded with this: “I didn’t have sex with a porn star, number one.” 

Trump then rambled on for a few seconds and the debate continued on without another mention of it. 

Because the Democratic candidate at that debate was tired. Or sick. Or whatever was going on. 

The new Democratic candidate, whether it’s Harris or someone else, won’t let that slide. It will become the centerpiece of a prolonged discussion. There will be questions about why, then, was the $130,000 paid to the porn star. What about the porn star’s testimony? What about that trial in which all of those jurors found you guilty? 

And, oh yeah, how about that whole thing where you were found to have sexually assaulted a woman? 

In an instant, the GOP’s very flawed, very rambling, very controversial nominee was laid bare. Because there is now no candidate opposite him that carries his own flaws. 

Oh, and one more thing – again, assuming Harris is ultimately the nominee – has anyone told y’all about the force that is Black women voters? Ask Roy Moore about it. 

All of a sudden, that slim pathway that led Trump to a miraculous win in 2016 – aided in every way by low turnout in key larger cities – just closed down. 

None of this is to say that Harris is a sure thing, can’t miss. She’s not. No Dem candidate is. The campaign still has to be run, the work put in. 

But Sunday marked a turning point for Democrats, thanks to the selflessness of Joe Biden. From the top of the ticket all the way down, with key stops in places like Alabama 2nd Congressional District, new life was injected. 

And it might just wind up being the greatest turning point in American history.