I got caught in an undertow when I was a kid.

I was playing on the sand in Ocean City when a big wave surprised me. Suddenly I was swirling, twirling and tumbling away from the beach. I almost panicked, and then I remembered what my dad told me to do if this ever happened.

Go with the flow. Wait for the moment of chaos to end. And then pull for shore.

That’s where we are right now. We’re caught in a political undertow.

President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he is dropping his bid for reelection, saying it’s in the best interest of his party and the nation. People who don’t want President Donald Trump back in the White House have salt water burning in our noses and a rising sense of panic in our throats.

Here then, my fellow swimmers in these unsettled seas, are five beacons to pull toward instead of getting dragged down by the news.

Kamala Harris

Biden quickly backed the vice president as his replacement at the top of the Democratic ticket.

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” Biden posted on social media.

She later said in a statement: ”I am honored to have the president’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”

If there is an obvious antidote to Trump’s mean-spirited agenda, it is Harris. As a woman, she can credibly defend reproductive rights and call out his lifelong contemptible behavior toward women.

As a former prosecutor, she can pierce the cloak of lies he has tailored for his coalition of aggrieved supporters and pound him with reminders of his crimes.

Yes, a little over four years ago, she ran a weak campaign for president. But she has sharpened her communication and management skills as VP, and the 59-year-old can run on a solid Biden-Harris record with energy the 81-year-old president could not muster.

That includes a strong economy, falling crime rates and reduced illegal crossings at the border, as well as major initiatives to address climate change. Inflation is finally coming down, and our allies and enemies would see her as a solid leader.

Trump, on the other hand, would be an embarrassment to be endured or a crisis to exploit.

A party that listens

One valid complaint about Biden was that his cruise through the primaries this year was a fact before it was accomplished. Same thing for Trump.

Biden’s decision to step aside proves the Democrats can push out a leader who isn’t up to the job. Was it a wise choice? Time only knows.

In the past few weeks, Democrats have had a conversation Republicans weren’t willing or able to even start about their old man at the top.

The Republican National Convention last week in Milwaukee was a coronation. Even with the support of Biden and other top Democrats, Harris still has to win elected delegates’ votes at their own convention.

As messy as it feels, this is democracy and not a cult of personality. That is a strength, not a weakness.

Veepstakes

If Harris locks up the nomination before the convention next month in Chicago, there will be a scramble for her running mate.

I would imagine Gov. Wes Moore’s name is being passed around, but I hope he stays put in Annapolis. He hasn’t done enough to merit the promotion yet.

There are a lot of names that should be considered. U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania could improve Harris’s prospects in swing states. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear could bring in moderates.

A Republican who resisted Trump would be an unlikely pick but fit the definition of this as more than a traditional election.

U.S. Sen Mitt Romney of Utah and former representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger come to mind as an invitation to Republican voters with qualms about Trump.

And then there is Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.

It’s a crucial state for Democrats. Two women on the ticket would double down on the contrast with Republicans, and no one is a better reminder of the hate coming from the right than someone who survived a kidnapping plot spawned in one of its darkest corners.

A revival of excitement

To win, Democrats must get their voters to the polls. While the push to get Biden out was an anxiety-filled few weeks, this is an exciting moment.

If the Dems can pull this off without eating each other’s faces, it will be the most energizing turn of events imaginable.

The attempt to assassinate Trump provided his supporters with all the evidence they needed of his messianic destiny. The best way to counter that is with a ticket that represents the future.

Harris and a running mate of her generation would make this more than the dreary “binary choice” that Biden represented. This is a chance to put the past seven years to bed and move on to new choices and the promise of something less divisive.

... and money

Democratic donors stopped contributing to Biden when it became increasingly clear he had lost the support of the party.

News reports in recent days had been filled with bold-faced donor names and celebrities — including George Clooney — who said Biden needed to step aside.

Stewart Bainum Jr., the chairman of Choice Hotels and the founder and chairman of The Baltimore Banner, told CNBC this month that he stopped giving because he was convinced the president couldn’t win in November.

He said he and other top donors would support the nominee after the convention.

ActBlue, the Democrats’ primary online fundraising platform, said on social media that, as of 9 p.m., donors had given more than $46 million — “the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle.”

Is it enough?

Back in that moment of childhood trauma, once I followed my dad’s advice to go with the flow, I made it through the undertow.

I got to the water’s edge, where I coughed out a fair amount of brine and went screaming for my mom. I had nightmares for a week, falling helplessly back into the churning waves of my dreams.

If that experience taught me anything, it was that sometimes you must accept something less than ideal and then work for something better.

Sometimes you have to embrace the suck. Look for the second when you can see the shore.

Then paddle like hell.