Joe Biden’s win has lessons for Dr Peter Phillips

JTHE EDITOR, Madam:

UST ONE week ago, former Vice-President Joe Biden was on his last political life. The 78-year-old veteran politician, who has been in politics for some 40-odd years, was written off and counted out as an old political has-been. They said he was too old. They said he couldn’t win. But, this week – everything changed.

The Democratic Party voters looked around and considered their options. And, they realised that in these difficult times, a steady, trusted and veteran hand was needed to guide the country. Now, a mere days after Joe Biden’s political obituary was being written, he is the frontrunner for the Democratic Party’s nomination and the odds-on favourite to defeat President Trump in November.

How did Joe Biden come back? Well, after flirting with a number of political newcomers, including a 37-year-old mayor of a small town in Indiana and a largely unknown but spunky senator from Minnesota, the moderates in the Democratic Party realised that in these trying times, a steady hand was needed.

In Jamaica today, the pollsters and pundits are saying the same thing about Dr Peter Phillips that the American pollsters and pundits said about Joe Biden. But, I believe that Dr Phillips can ‘pull a Biden’ and shock the Jamaican political world. In these uncertain times, voters want steady, reliable and trusted hands. Voters initially looked at Joe Biden’s 40-plus years of political service and saw it as a liability. Now, they see it as an asset. The same can occur in Jamaica once voters look at Dr Phillips’ record.

Peter Phillips ably guided Jamaica out of a global economic recession. He turned our economy around, brought inflation to a 48-year low, created thousands of new jobs, and, in recognition of his achievement, was named Man of the Year by The Gleaner newspaper. Beyond able economic management, he took on the kingpins of gangs and jailed them. He reformed and modernised our security forces. And, before that, he created JUTC and modernised our transportation system.

Americans wrote off Joe Biden. They said he was too old. They said he’d been in politics too long. But, when they tuned in and took a closer look at his record, he became the 21st-century comeback kid. When voters start looking at Dr Peter Phillips, his experience, steady hands and capable leadership, I’m confident that Peter Phillips is primed to be Jamaica’s Joe Biden.

CASEY ANDERSON