In the tumultuous political landscape, Joe Biden has withdrawn his candidacy for president following pressure from Democratic leaders. Kamala Harris has emerged as the likely successor, raising concerns about scrutiny into Biden’s health and ability to lead.In the tumultuous political landscape, Joe Biden has withdrawn his candidacy for president following pressure from Democratic leaders. Kamala Harris has emerged as the likely successor, raising concerns about scrutiny into Biden’s health and ability to lead. Former President Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric has alienated many voters, while Harris faces the challenge of convincing undecided voters of her qualifications. Despite her past performance as a candidate and vice president, her status as a woman of color and support from the Democratic establishment may unite the party. Despite calls for Biden’s resignation, Harris’s potential presidency and ongoing campaign present challenges. Her prosecution skills and contrast to Trump’s behavior could make for a competitive race. President Biden’s service and decision to step aside deserve gratitude. Kamala Harris now has the opportunity to either win or lose the presidency in a race that will likely be influenced by her qualifications and the ongoing political divisions.
Politics is not for the faint of heart.
We, the American voters, have had a tumultuous month reminiscent of earlier periods in relatively recent history when the country’s leadership has faltered amid a series of events that have led to increasing divisions.
President Joe Biden’s announcement (via social media, rather than in a televised address to the nation) that he was withdrawing from the presidential campaign came after intense pressure was put on the president by Democratic Party leaders — Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries and, of course, former President Barack Obama.
The Biden family, and perhaps even the president himself, are understandably bitter about the way these leaders, particularly Obama, who ignored Biden in his 2016 endorsement of a successor, have turned against a man who has served the country for more than four decades.
But that’s how it happened, and now the torch has apparently been passed to Vice President Kamala Harris. Democrats (including San Francisco ally Pelosi on Monday) who had little choice have quickly thrown their weight behind her candidacy, and she’s reportedly raised nearly $50 million in donations.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, once again demonstrated himself to be both narrow-minded and divisive with a tone-deaf and vindictive message following Biden’s announcement. Many voters, with the exception of the MAGA hardcore, just got more evidence that Trump is a man unable and unwilling to speak for all Americans.
For Democrats, however, the chaos of the past four weeks since Biden’s disastrous debate performance has brought fresh scrutiny to what those same party leaders knew about his health and future ability to lead the country. And if they did know, were voters in the primaries, who gave Biden more than 14 million votes, misled? But conspiracy theories aside, the delegates representing those 14 million voters now get to vote for Biden’s replacement, who will most likely be Harris.
Yes, an open nominating convention might seem more democratic, but it could quickly devolve into more political chaos, much like the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, months after President Lyndon Johnson withdrew from his reelection campaign amid a voter revolt. (It’s an almost eerie replay of those events from long ago, with next month’s Democratic convention also in Chicago, and with a candidate named Robert F. Kennedy in the race. But the 2024 RFK Jr., running as an independent, is a pale shadow of his father, who was assassinated two months after LBJ left office.)
And while Harris clearly has some work to do to convince undecided voters that she is fit for the office, her likely nomination, aided by the fact that she is a woman of color, will likely unite Democrats in a stark difference from the dispiriting debate over Biden’s fitness.
Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance demanded on Monday that Biden resign immediately, saying that if he can’t run for another four years, he shouldn’t serve for another six months.
But how is that in the national interest? Biden has a strong team around him, and if he were to resign, Harris would become president with all that entails, while she herself is running for president, a nearly impossible burden. She would certainly be tested, even if a lame duck and ailing Biden can be that.
Harris was a poor candidate in 2019 and has a checkered history as vice president. But at 59, she’s nearly 20 years younger than Trump and has the clout of a prosecutor to fight through a tough case like the upcoming campaign. Trump’s camp may be in for a tougher race than they bargained for. Her remarks Monday praising Biden struck an elegant note in contrast to Trump’s bombast and invective.
President Biden stepped up to prevent Trump from getting another term in 2020, and he served honorably and well in office. The nation should be grateful for his service—and for stepping aside, even if the decision was made reluctantly.
Now he has given his support to Harris. In all likelihood, the presidency is her race to win or lose.
