I am a storyteller by trade and have spent a career overseeing the creation of fanciful tales in film, TV, stage and publishing. Across all these formats there is one timeless inspiration for the greatest stories — from “Star Wars” to “Avatar” to “The Lion King” — and that’s the hero’s journey.
Under that concept, developed by the writer Joseph Campbell, the hero leaves home and is tested by personal tragedy and extreme challenges before arriving at a crucial moment when he or she makes a fateful, selfless decision.
Just like Joe Biden.
I have known the president for more than 40 years. As his campaign co-chair, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with him over the past 18 months. I have seen firsthand who he is. I don’t know anyone who has suffered more personal tragedy, with the loss of his wife, daughter and son. Yet somehow he has been able to transform these monumental losses into something of a superpower. Time and again, I have seen how through his grief, he has been able to help others heal from theirs. His empathy and optimism know no bounds.
Partly because of his empathetic understanding of America and Americans, he has conducted one of the most successful presidencies in our history. His victory in the Democratic Party’s primaries earned him the right to run for re-election and extend his record of success.
This is what anyone in his position would have done. In fact, it’s what we all do. As the psychologist Adam Grant observed, it is human nature to resist change and keep doing the same thing. “One of the tragedies of the human condition is that we use our big brains not to make rational decisions but rather to rationalize the decisions we’ve already made,” he wrote.
This is what humans do. But not heroes.
To be sure, these past few weeks, the president held firm and made the case for the job he has done and was continuing to do, as he brought together the leaders of NATO in a show of unity and strength that would have been unimaginable under his predecessor.
But he also listened. For the president, it was never about himself. It was about what was best for the country. The only thing that mattered was ensuring that Donald Trump never again set foot in the White House. When he saw that this mission was in jeopardy, the president did what few can do: This past Sunday, he selflessly let go of the reins.
He first made sure we would be in good hands. As usual, he took a cue from the essence of America. Since George Washington and John Adams first served as president and vice president, the V.P. has been something of a president in training. Starting with Adams, some of our greatest presidents first served as vice president, such as Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson and George H.W. Bush.
Now Kamala Harris is poised to continue this great tradition. She is tested, and she is ready. I’ve known her for 20 years and have had a front-row seat to admire her remarkable accomplishments as a prosecutor, attorney general, senator and vice president. These are among the most challenging jobs for anyone. They are 10 times harder for a woman. And they are 10 times harder still for a woman of color.
Again and again, she has been underestimated. Again and again, she has triumphed. The vice president has won almost every election she’s ever competed in. She has spent an entire lifetime winning. I couldn’t be more confident that this November will be no different.
I must admit, for those of us who know and love the president, there is a bittersweet quality as we watch this transition. I imagine it is reminiscent of more than 227 years ago, when Washington announced he would not run again, a moment captured in the brilliant song “One Last Time” from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton”:
We’re gonna teach ’em how to
Say goodbye
Say goodbye
One last time.
This past Sunday, the president taught us how to say goodbye one last time. As with Washington, the step he took was the right thing to do, it was the honorable thing to do, and it was the selfless thing to do. In short, it is the Biden thing to do.
Inspired by that example, I will look ahead, optimistically. So much about this campaign has been unpredictable and shocking. But the foundational issues have remained unchanged. As the president has said, this election is about the soul of the nation.
May we have the wisdom to walk away from the would-be dictator who would turn back the clock and instead look to Kamala Harris, a new inspiring leader who can take us forward on our nation’s heroic journey.
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