Late at night, shortly after delivering what appeared to be his final major speech in a 50-year career, U.S. President Joe Biden boarded Air Force One and left Chicago. His arrival at the Democratic Convention in the city was symbolic and deliberate: the elder statesman, who just a month ago was still running for president, stepped down from the stage and passed the torch to his successor.
From the convention’s first night, it was clear Biden has more than one successor. The "immediate" successor is Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who is well-liked across the Democratic Party. In the long term, his successor might be Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), a scenario that was unimaginable just a few years ago.
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. President Joe Biden
(Photo: Mandel NGAN / AFP , REUTERS/ Mike Segar)
Over the past four years, the 81-year-old Biden and the 34-year-old Ocasio-Cortez have formed an unlikely political duo: on one side is a "classic" mainstream Democrat, and on the other, a progressive trailblazer from the far left. Their relationship has helped Biden gain goodwill with the progressive side of the party but has also significantly aided AOC in distancing herself from the chains of SQUAD.
While other members of SQUAD, the progressive and pro-Palestinian group in the U.S. Congress, have either lost primaries or become irrelevant, AOC has evolved from an activist into a full-fledged politician. At the convention, she was given the opportunity to speak in prime time and received love from the moderate Democratic camp.
Even when Ocasio-Cortez spoke about the war in Gaza, she sounded like Biden and Harris. "There needs to be an immediate cease-fire, and the hostages need to be returned," she said. American commentators compared this moment, albeit on a smaller scale, to Barack Obama's speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention. Four years after that speech, Obama won the presidential race.
AOC's rise is part of Biden's legacy, which was evident throughout the evening that celebrated him. Just a month ago, Democrats feared the convention in Chicago would feel like a funeral. Now, they feel like it's a wedding. Biden's decision to step down — a rare act in a world where leaders cling to power — made the difference, and the Democrats knew how to thank him.