It’s been a week since President Biden announced he would no longer pursue a second term and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
It was a move that received wide acclaim within the 81-year-old’s own party, with Democratic delegates primed to nominate him quickly switching to Harris within a day – in many cases, unanimously like in Massachusetts.
It has also drawn praise from some of those who have known the 46th president of the United States for decades. That includes longtime friend Robert Markel, a former Springfield mayor.
“Look at it this way – he is the most powerful man in the world, an incumbent president, with the nomination of his party sewn up - and he decided to step aside,” Markel said during a phone interview Tuesday, July 23. “It took a while for him to reach that point, but he did it, and I think it's to be admired.”
Markel tells WAMC he and Biden go way back – back to the late 50s, when the two attended a private Catholic boys school in Claymont, Delaware.
Seated next to him freshman year, Markel says, he and Biden began a friendship that has endured. He added it was apparent since the early days that Biden aspired to hold office.
“His joke was that if he was standing next to a light pole, he'd strike up the conversation,” he said. “He just was an outgoing person who talked to everybody, wasn't involved in factions of any kind, but seemed to have friendly relations with most members of our class and, obviously, he won the election as class president, so, I think that indicates both his political interests and ambition, as well as his ability to get along.”
The two remained in close contact through their college years, as well as into their forays into politics.
Markel eventually moved to Springfield and soon ran for city council. The run featured dozens of candidates, which would narrow down to 18 before a final election for the then-nine at-large seats.
Polling at 14, Markel says thing were looking grim when a phone call from Biden came, telling him not to give up and that he would be dispatching a consultant his way.
With a few more moves, Markel ended up on the council for multiple terms before becoming mayor in 1992 – with Biden making trips to Massachusetts to raise funds along the way.
“And he never asked me for anything in return,” Markel recounted. “I'm not even sure that we paid for his air ticket, back-and-forth - and that's the kind of person he is … he’s quite generous, and if you are his friend, he’s very loyal.”
Years later, Markel says it is sad to see his friend’s career coming to an end – but given recent events, including the debate against former President Trump in late June, the decision to step down was sensible.
“I don't know what health issues he may have, but clearly, if you watch the debate, it was not the Joe Biden that we all identify with and know,” Markel said. “And so, there's a time, I guess, and he's reached the time. I think for his supporters and friends, there's a certain sadness and melancholy that his five-decade-career of distinguished service to the United States … is coming to an end.”
Markel says he was surprised and shocked at times as he watched the June 27 debate – and concluded that Biden may not be healthy enough to seek out and win another term.
Still, he says Biden has a long list of accomplishments to point to during his term as well as restoring dignity to the White House.
Asked when was the last time he had contact with the president, Markel says he had been in Washington D.C. for an event last fall, but that usually, he reaches out through a relative of the president’s via messages.
“I did send a message down – it would be two Fridays ago – and, oddly enough, have not received a response, and so, it led me to wonder ‘what’s going on? What were the internal discussions like?’” he said.
Markel expects Harris to continue the ideals Biden had brought to the White House if she wins.
Regardless, he says he hopes to see his friend again soon.
“Our high school class, believe it or not, has periodic luncheons now, every two or three months, at a restaurant in Philly or Delaware, about a dozen of us get together and have a long lunch and laugh and talk,” Markel recounted. “He has attended those from time to time before becoming president, and I guess we'll see him again next year.”
