Statement from Hon. Michael A. Blake: Thank You to President Biden. We Are Ready for You, Vice President Harris

July 21, 2024

Thank you, Mr. President.

You have consistently focused on serving your nation, her people, and our values. You are the epitome of a public servant, a devout Christian, and a family man. History will remember your continued efforts for the betterment of the people. I am grateful for the countless opportunities to be in your presence, to help elect and re-elect you and President Obama, and to serve in the administration before helping you and Vice President Harris get elected to the highest office in the land.

President Biden, the night in Delaware four years ago after your victory is a memory that shall always stay with me. I vividly remember coming down from Pennsylvania once the ballots were finally counted. It was a moment of great satisfaction. Yes, we did uplift the soul of the nation, and that rise was in large part because of you.

You gave me the opportunity to bring attorneys general to meet with you to discuss regulatory reform and the Affordable Care Act, both of which you masterfully led the conversation with grace, humility, and substance.

As a senator while campaigning in Macomb County for vice president in 2008, you listened to the words of Amy Chapman and me in Michigan and shared humanizing words with the attendees, saying that then-Senator Obama was a great father, a great man, and he would be a great president that everyone in that room must support.

I will never forget a beautiful moment in New York before a Democratic rally when you asked me how my mama, Hilary Lawrence, was doing. I said quite well and that she sends her best regards. You made me take out my cell phone so that you could personally say hello and ask her how she was feeling, delaying your stage appearance because you wanted to make sure she was okay.

President Biden, we are beyond okay and grateful because the class and grace you shared with us, you have shared with the country and the world.

Democracy is not about the pursuit of power or dominance over others. It’s about the ability for all of us to have our voices heard in the political process, regardless of differing viewpoints, and return to the premise of being a united country once the election is over.

We deserve a president driven by love. A president who understands leadership starts with empathy. That is exactly within the fabric of President Biden.

A president driven by love listens to our words, takes personal meaning and inspiration from our feelings, and helps each of us serve our families and communities. A simple gesture to call my mother reminds us of the character of the man we thank for fifty years of service. Regardless of our party affiliation or the so-called divisions we hold onto, all of us should be driven by love.

In a time when fascism threatens our democracy and individual freedom is at the front of our minds, we are grateful for President Biden’s passion. He lives up to the principles enshrined in our founding documents and challenges us to be better than our forefathers and foremothers, including selecting a brilliant Black woman as vice president in Kamala Harris.

Let’s not forget that President Biden and Vice President Harris navigated our nation through a generational pandemic, guiding us with honesty and candor. They helped us survive and thrive after an invisible virus took the lives of our friends and loved ones. Then, they passed a series of legislation that led to the lowest Black unemployment rate in our country’s history, investments in underfunded communities, historical progress against the threat of climate change by reimagining our energy grid, and the elevation of Black and Brown communities through student loan forgiveness, homeownership, and putting a cap on the cost of insulin for those suffering from diabetes.

None of this happens if a president and vice president do not care about you. The greatness of President Biden and Vice President Harris is their unfaltering belief in the principles of the United States.

Today is a hard day for President Biden, and I am here to support him. The only way to honor his decision is to unify into a single voice behind our vice president. We do not need, nor have the time to go and seek some mythical savior or alternative voice. The American people elected her to be one heartbeat away. Let us listen to their voices and follow their hearts so that she can step into her place in Herstory.

Love rejects hate. Organizing lifts our neighbors. Kindness to strangers leads to trust in our democratic process. We must inspire others to have faith in Vice President Harris to be our Democratic nominee as she embodies the principles of our nation and our president.

We must defeat Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and Project 2025 in November and all that they represent, once and for all. President Biden made a decision on a Sunday that we shall forever lift up in prayerful remembrance, for like most days within the church, a Black woman shall lead us to victory.