Vladimir Putin agreed to step down before he reaches the age of 80.

Xi Jinping agreed to step down before he reaches the age of 80.

All African strongmen agreed to step down before they reach the age of 90.

All African strongmen agreed to step down before they reach the age of 80.

All aged leaders agreed to step down when voted out of office by the people they rule.

All leaders regardless of age agreed to step down when voted out of office by the people they rule.

Obviously, this is not what happened or is likely to happen. Nonetheless, the action of Joe Biden will have long-lasting impact. It will set a standard for others to draw on. It will become a rallying cry for people seeking to oust rulers who are past their prime and need to be replaced.

On the other hand, there is the example of Donald Trump. He, too, has set an example for leaders around the world. Not only should leaders not step down, they should take whatever means are necessary regardless of the so-called vote.

Consider this conclusion to a recent article on Brazil.

[Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union] took the stage with Eduardo Bolsonnaro, in front of a giant graphic calling for “amnesty” for the Brazilians imprisoned on Jan. 8. To get a rise from the crowd, Schlapp teased that Donald Trump might be watching.” Eduardo Bolsonaro said that Trump’s return could mean “consequences” for the authorities currently persecuting the right in Brazil. “With Trump’s election, we can see a major turnaround. And we will, God willing.

Schlapp added:

Donald Trump’s gonna win. And when he wins, America is gonna start to lead again [because we are a city on a hill and the eyes of the world are upon us].(Trumps of the Tropics: As Brazil’s Far-right Leaders Plot their return, they’re (Still) Taking their Cues from America’s MAGA Movement, (New York Times Magazine, August 4, 2024, print).

So the eyes of the world are upon us, but which part of America they are seeing is problematical.

TALK THE TALK

 In the incredible swirl of events since Joe Biden announced to the world on July 24 that he would not be a candidate for presidential election this year, his words have often been overlooked. I suggest that they will live on alongside his action and become part of history, that is, a speech that is remembered and taught.

… America is at an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine our fate of the nation and the world for decades to come….

On that day [my inauguration], I told you as I stood in that winter — we stood in a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities, peril and possibilities [and like Benjamin Franklin I had the pleasure to know it was a rising sun of the world’s last best hope as we battle to make the world safe for democracy and are not a country of carnage]. We were in the grip of the worst pandemic in the century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War, but we came together as Americans, and we got through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous and more secure. 

He defined America in cosmic terms without pandering to evangelicals.

America is an idea, an idea stronger than any army, an idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant.

It’s the most powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident. We’re all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. We’ve never fully lived up to it, to this sacred idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either and I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now.

Biden practically waxed Lincolnian as he drew his speech to a close.

We are a nation of promise and possibilities, of dreamers and doers, or ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things….

The great thing about America is here kings and dictators do not rule, the people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands.…

We’re the United States of America and there’s simply nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.

Amen.

These words practically vanish in the news cycle but they will be remembered in history.

Ronald Reagan could have said these words. Trump/Vance could not. Soaring rhetoric will never be their calling card. Nor will optimism unless it is about themselves. America’s place in world history will never animate them. Their America will always be small. Harris/Walz, too early to tell. Whether or not the United States are a people of vision will be on the ballot this election year and with global consequences even if the candidates do not speak about it directly.

WALK THE WALK

In today’s world, there is no place for a lameduck President. The challenges abroad are growing. They would tax the strength of any President even one in the physical prime of life. One hardly knows where to begin.

Ukraine and Russia
Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis
Iran
Venezuela
Sudan and Darfur
Niger
Bangladesh
Pakistan
China and the South China Sea, trade, technology).

This list of crises would be enough to keep anyone busy. The Axis of Evil Aggression is relentless. The United Nations cannot provide the leadership the world needs. Only the United States can. Undoubtedly foreign issues will not get the attention they deserve in the coming weeks and months during what is left of this presidential election campaign. There will be little opportunity to have substantive talks with the candidates on these issues. The best one can hope for is a sound bite or talking point. There is no venue for a state of the world and America’s place in it presentation. How to pronounce the first name of the presidential candidate and what is her race is the limit of the MAGA mental necessities or interests. Meanwhile the world still looks to the United States for answers and help.