Joe Biden: The Obi-Wan Kenobi Of Our Time?

August 24, 2024

Editor’s note: I usually post a Weekly Recap Pictorial of the administration's previous week’s highlights on Saturdays. However, after his remarks at the DNC on Monday, President Biden has been resting with the First Lady in Santa Ynez, CA, so all I have are a few screen captures from the DNC that all kind of look the same. I hope you’ll indulge me in going outside the norm and ACTUALLY posting what might be perceived as an op-ed.

It may seem hyperbolic to compare the President of the United States with a fictional character from a universally known sci-fi movie series. Still, ever since Joe Biden stepped aside and delivered his delegates to his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, I can’t help but make the comparison of deciding to do something greater than one’s self for a better future.

I doubt anyone DOESN’T know how the original Star Wars saga went, and yes, I’m old enough to have seen the motion picture when it originally came out in 1977 and was merely titled “Star Wars” (The “Episode IV: A New Hope” title was added once they decided to make sequels). If you are one of the very few people who HAVEN’T seen it, here’s an easy explanation from the “opening crawl” before the action starts:

It is a period of civil wars in the galaxy. A brave alliance of underground freedom fighters has challenged the tyranny and oppression of the awesome GALACTIC EMPIRE.

Striking from a fortress hidden among the billion stars of the galaxy, rebel spaceships have won their first victory in a battle with the powerful Imperial Starfleet. The EMPIRE fears that another defeat could bring a thousand more solar systems into the rebellion, and Imperial control over the galaxy would be lost forever.

To crush the rebellion once and for all, the EMPIRE is constructing a sinister new battle station. Powerful enough to destroy an entire planet, its completion spells certain doom for the champions of freedom.

Long story short, an aging warrior is called back into action by a young princess  (“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re our only hope”) to thwart an intergalactic empire from taking over the galaxy. And, with the encouragement of a young wannabe adventurer, they embark on a quest to save the “rebellion.” The old man encounters his former pupil (Darth Vader), and they engage in a one-on-one fight using sword-like weapons known as “light sabers.” At one point, Obi-Wan pauses and says, “If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you will ever know.” Darth strikes, Obi disappears, and his power (“the Force”) is, in a way, transferred to the kid who came with him.  The good guys win (Well, temporarily, at least. There are eight other movies to go through if you want to see the entire saga. I suggest just watching the subsequent two sequels!).

Okay, I’m SURE to get dragged by serious Star Wars fans for this synopsis, but you get the idea!

So where are we now? An aging warrior fighting the forces of fascism gives up his power to another, a “joyful warrior,” if you will, who will carry the fight in a way he couldn’t.

Some of you may be scratching your head at this metaphor, but President Biden did something no other president has done. He gave up his power for the greater good. The campaign run by Kamala Harris has reached people in a way that Biden couldn’t. The joy and energy witnessed at this week’s Democratic National Convention is like nothing I’ve seen in my lifetime. For the first time since this election season began, Democrats aren’t just voting against something; they’re voting FOR something: a new hope, a new vision, a better world for us and the generations to come.

However, the hyperbole is followed by a vision laid out by candidate Kamala Harris, from truly inclusive policies that give everyone a fair shot at equality of opportunity to well-rounded policies on the economy, security, and the world stage.

By stepping aside, President Biden has indeed become “more powerful than we’ll ever know,” and he deserves to be recognized by historians for generations to come.