Hello everyone, Happy Tuesday! With 76 days until the election, it's time to accept our fate. The Democratic National Convention is going to be all we hear about this week.

Monday started out confident.

Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance Very modest and very caring.

Tim “Coach” Walz showed up to every meeting he could find, from Congressional Black Caucus meetings to Pennsylvania delegation events. United Auto Workers President Sean Fain He took off his sport coat to reveal a shirt that read, “Trump is a scab.” Hulk Hogan, I'll take it.

This is trending, folks. It's brown. It's black. It's young. It's smart. It's confident. In short, it's a Republican nightmare.

Faced with a media attack on the Democratic National Committee's insanity, Donald Trump did what any desperate dictator would do: he turned to Taylor Swift. On Sunday, Trump posted a fictitious, AI-generated image of “Swift for Trump.” The attack included a caricature of Swift in a cheesy top hat that she would never wear, urging her fans to vote for Trump.

No contact yet Swift's image rights violatedBut this wasn't Trump's only foray into fantasy: He also posted a fake image that appeared to show Vice President Kamala Harris hosting a communist rally, and of course there's his fake boogie-down video with Elon Musk last week.

As reality seems increasingly uncomfortable (and unnecessary) to Trump, his embrace of fiction may be understandable, but it is also deeply dangerous to democracy.

Now, back to the Democratic National Convention.

On Monday night, you likely heard at least part of Joe Biden's speech, which was genuine, even if it wasn't exactly a farewell speech.

The convention will probably say very little about Biden's future moves, but what he said and did last night is noteworthy and worthy of a place in history.

The man who would become king

George Washington saw Trump coming: As Hamilton fans already know, Washington was the first president to voluntarily step down from office.

In his farewell speech, he Washington foresaw what was then a pivotal moment: the day when the ascendancy of the opposing party would create men hungry for revenge, ready to crush whoever or whatever the other was, at any cost — the day when the door would open for a power-hungry leader to use the Oval Office for his own personal gain.

“Sooner or later,” Washington wrote, “the head of some influential faction, more able and fortunate than his rivals, turns these qualities to the purpose of his own advancement on the ruins of public liberty.”

We all know who that is, but it could have been Biden if he had made a different choice.

The man who didn't want to be king

Being president of the United States means there aren't many people who can force you to do things you don't want to do.

Even Nancy Pelosi.

Yes, there was intense pressure from his own party to step down, but Biden could have told them to shut up, he could have demanded that the nominee be chosen because he didn't care about winning or democracy.

Because stepping down from one of the most powerful positions in the world isn't just about giving it up because people don't want you there anymore. Maybe you're no longer the best person for the job. Let's be realistic. It probably hurts that Harris turned this around in a matter of days.

But Biden will go away gracefully.

“He has brought dignity, decency and competence back to the White House,” Hillary Clinton said in a speech that day, “and shown what it means to be a true patriot.”

Thank you for leaving it

Folks, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't crying when Joe came onstage to Jackie Wilson's “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher.”

First lady Jill Biden and his daughter Ashley, who called him her “OG girl dad,” were also in attendance.

This man has lifted us to greater heights, and at a time when Trump seeks to tear us apart, he reminds us what we stand for.

Biden took office during a winter of, in his words, “peril and opportunity,” but it all seems like a fever dream now. We have endured the COVID-19 pandemic. Tiki Torch Nazis in Charlottesville, VirginiaGeorge Floyd. Riots.

Biden's tie was a muted blue, his eyes were determined, and he looked something more. Angry? Sad? Determined? All of the above.

The crowd chanted, “Thanks, Joe!”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he said for over three minutes, but I'm not sure he really meant it.

Thank you for leaving. These are words I never want to hear.

He then proceeded to run through a motley list of his accomplishments. The Vietnam War came up, as did Henry Kissinger.

While every claim Biden made was true, the entirety of his disjointed speech evoked memories of that fateful debate and the fears and hopes that led us to face off against Harris-Waltz.

It was hard to comprehend, and no one was disappointed that he wasn't the nominee — except Trump and Vance.

“America, I love you,” Biden said at the start.

“I love my job, but I love my country even more.”

And I have no doubt he will.

No matter how much our rejection will hurt him, no matter how heartbreaking it will end in.

What else to read

Must Read: Trump has portrayed Harris as a foreigner, repeating past attacks against Democrats of color.
Uncontrollable: Trump is trying to stay true to his message — to an extent.
LA Times SpecialColumn: Pelosi on Biden's ouster: 'I just wanted to win this election, so if they're upset, I'm sorry'

Stay golden,
Anita Chhabria

P.S.: The protests that many feared would disrupt the convention have been fairly calm so far. But this week is just beginning.

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