Joe Biden’s Decision Upholds One of Our Greatest Presidential Traditions

“It appears to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct expression of the public voice, that I should now apprise you of the resolution I have formed, to decline being considered among the number of those out of whom a choice is to be made.” –George Washington, 1796

The most important decision in our early democracy occurred when our first President, George Washington, decided not to run for another reelection in 1796. His farewell address is one of the great testaments to rule by the people, and he articulated a set of enduring principles around just government, realistic foreign policy, and honesty and integrity. He created a unique American tradition of the most powerful politician giving up power voluntarily for the good of the country. Nothing could be a stronger endorsement of democracy than turning over power to someone else.

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For a century and a half, Presidents followed Washington’s model closely. There were no limits in the Constitution on how long Presidents could serve, but still not a single leader before Franklin Roosevelt dared to run for more than two full terms in office. For most of the 19th century, Presidents did not even campaign personally, embracing Washington’s image of reluctant, modest leaders who did not crave power and were willing to give it up without resistance. Presidents were seen as servant leaders, not bombastic figures of dominance.

A number of Presidents certainly could have been elected to third terms but withdrew for the good of the country. This list includes Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Ulysses Grant – each of whom left office and was succeeded by a President from the same party who was less popular. Jefferson and Madison, in particular, returned to their farms as private citizens, as Washington had done. Grant toured the world after his presidency and then wrote what is still one the greatest American memoirs as he died of throat cancer. None of them clung to power.

President Franklin Roosevelt broke Washington’s mold, getting elected to office four consecutive times in the decades of the Great Depression and the Second World War. His critics condemned his excessive ambitions, not without reason. And Roosevelt’s death at the beginning of his fourth term, on April 12, 1945, left the country ill-prepared for postwar challenges. His able successor, Harry Truman, was not intimately briefed on any policy matters, including the atomic bombs dropped on Japan four months later.

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In the aftermath of Roosevelt’s excesses, Congress passed and in 1951 three-quarters of the states ratified the 22nd amendment, limiting Presidents to no more than two terms. President Dwight Eisenhower, a very popular military hero from the Second World War, opposed the amendment in principle, but he embraced it and humbly stepped back in 1960 to allow two much younger and less experienced men, Richard Nixon and John Kennedy, compete for the presidency. The torch truly passed to a new generation.

Lyndon Johnson, a dominant congressional figure, succeeded President Kennedy after his terrible assassination, and then in 1964 won the biggest presidential landslide since Roosevelt’s time in office. Four years later, on March 31, 1968, Johnson shocked the world when he announced that he would not run again. He was stepping back because of the American military quagmire in Vietnam and the turmoil surrounding the war and civil rights within the United States. Johnson was worn out, and he hoped to focus his energies on healing these conflicts. He did not think his candidacy would help.

Johnson’s successor also resigned, this time not as a candidate but as the sitting President. Following months of investigations into his cover-up of White House-sponsored crimes, on August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon tearfully left the White House, turning over the most powerful office in the country to Gerald Ford – the only President not elected to that office or the vice presidency. Nixon did not have to resign, and it is not entirely certain that the Senate would have convicted him after impeachment. Under a cloud of controversy, he chose to step aside rather than cling to power to the last minute.

This history brings us to President Joe Biden’s decision to not seek reelection. He clearly wanted a second term, and many would argue that he had a very strong record to justify it. His decision to cede the Democratic nomination to another candidate is an echo of our long presidential history from Washington to Nixon – a history of public servants giving up power for the good of the country. That takes courage.

Biden certainly faced many pressures to make this decision, especially after recent evidence of his physical frailty. Giving up power, however, is incredibly hard and rare in all of human history. Power is intoxicating and corrupting, as Washington reminded the young nation more than two centuries ago. Biden followed a long line of predecessors who chose democracy and restraint over dictatorship and demagoguery. This is one of the best of our presidential traditions, and it is a defining element of American democracy.

No one has a right to power. The presidency is a temporary calling to public service for the person elected to office. Soon they must leave and return to their home as an ordinary citizen. Joe Biden will do that. Let’s hope voters choose a successor with the same quality of character and respect for the history of our democracy.