Dilemmas of leadership
President Biden resolves his most significant dilemma
Thursday 25 July, 2024
Yesterday President Biden announced to the nation his decision not to stand for a second term in office.
It provides an explanation to the story of a monumentous decision, rarely taken by a President.
Let’s take it at face value as the story Biden wants to tell, the foundation step of his desired legacy: what I’ve achieved, and why I reached the decision that I did.
In his uncomplicated fashion, he argues that “the defense of democracy is more important than any title,”
He chooses not to address the explicit threat to democracy, but all the context implies the threat will arrive from success by Trump against him in the polls, and the subsequent nature of a second Trump term in the presidency.
If we look at through the lens of dilemma analysis the tensions leading to the decision become clearer,
Biden was becoming increasingly aware of setbacks in his public appearances and performance, culminating in the disastrous broadcast against Donald Trump.
Subsequent attempts to demonstrate his vigour fell short of the mark, as he stumbled literally and figuratively ...
