Kremer’s Corner: Biden’s run recalls ‘Back to the Future’

Jerry Kremer

Politics and science fiction rarely connect. But the announcement by former Vice President Joe Biden that he is running for president brought to mind the 1985 movie “Back to the Future.” In that classic, Marty McFly, a teenage character played by Michael Fox, is brought back to 1955, thanks to “Doc” Brown and his DeLorean car. Seeing the events that affected his family’s future, young McFly is given the opportunity to repair his future.

Whether you like him or not, Joe Biden’s candidacy gives us an opportunity to think about how a person can evolve from one series of events in the past to another set in the present. The Joe Biden of the 1970s and 1980s is a completely different man than the current version of Joe Biden. In the 1970s we were a country torn apart by racial tensions and world challenges. The Biden of those years opposed forced busing of students from segregated school districts and was a hawk when it came to overseas wars.

The Biden of 2019 is a man who has a world vision of what America’s role should be, having served as vice president for eight years after a 30-plus year run in the U.S. Senate. He brings into the campaign for the Democratic nomination an in-depth understanding of how bipartisanship works and feels the pain of the working class. He knows what sorrow is, having experienced the loss of a wife and child and the subsequent death of his son Beau.

At a time when we have a mad man in the White House, a country badly divided and constant threats to the survival of our democracy, Biden brings a life of deep knowledge of the political system and an understanding of what America should look like after 2020. There are many good people who have announced their desire to be our next president and Biden’s entry into the race will broaden the issues. For some unexplained reason, none of the current crop has uttered a word about the need to rebuild America’s relationships in Europe and other parts of our fractured world.

Biden understands that America has always been a leader and not a follower, when it comes to progressive policies and being a role model for our friends. He has practiced bi-partisanship and has enjoyed many successes during his years as a Senate member. He talked about climate change when no one in government uttered those words. Long before the Me-Too movement had surfaced, Biden was the man behind the Violence Against Women Act.

For the past six months many of the announced candidates have supported a long list of left-leaning progressive programs, many of which can’t happen due to their scope and possible costs. Everyone wants Medicare for all and the guarantee of access to health care. Biden is committed to seeing that the Affordable Care Act survives and is improved and will make that a major plank of his platform. His candidacy will help bring some of his competition back to the center, which is where most of American voters are.

Joe Biden understands what the perils of war are. He voted for the Iraq War and will admit it was a mistake. Having been a heartbeat away from being president, he knows how our military thinks, is familiar with the challenges we face around the globe and would not expose us to conflict if he is lucky enough to win next year’s election. America is hungry for a commander-in-chief who will help us sleep better at night, whether that is a man or woman.

Biden’s entry into the race is very much like the Marty McFly story. Biden has served at a time when the America of today was in formulation. He has seen government do right and do wrong. He articulates the pain of the working class family, because he has lived it. There is no assurance that he will win his party’s nomination, but his decision to run will help us better understand who the nation needs as president and we are well-served by his desire to win the prize.

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