Coronation and Democracy

 

Critics from both major parties have called the cascade of endorsements for Kamala Harris “undemocratic” following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would not seek re-election and would support Vice President Harris to run for President in his place. Those using the term “coronation” feel that the nomination race should have been thrown open to more potential candidates.

Harris is not yet the nominee, but might as well be, as a majority of Democratic convention delegates have been pledged to her, and a challenge at the party’s convention would probably not succeed.

As a practical matter, there was no choice. A series of town halls or a mini-primary would have extended the impression of chaos in the party. But with all the endorsements in hand, including those of Barack and Michelle Obama, Harris can now concentrate on choosing a running mate from the deep Democratic bench, which includes both men and women.

Being of mixed race herself and representing two minorities, many believe she needs to choose a white male to appeal to a broad audience. Others think she should pick a woman, creating what has been called a “chick ticket.” Personally, I don’t feel that would fly, at least now, and that the main goal should be to elect a female President first. The key consideration, though, is that Harris choose someone she knows she can work with. Chemistry is just as important as appearance.

President Biden’s decision to leave the race and endorse her is a fitting cap to his legacy. The Vice President, in our system, is first and foremost a “spare tire,” but now, Kamala Harris is a vehicle for the aspirations of many people. Money and volunteers are pouring in at a record rate.

But pundits are warning of a “sugar high” that will fade over time. And Harris is not perfect by any means. Every single mistake will be highlighted by the opposition. The campaign will likely be ugly. For the next couple of weeks, the Olympics are a welcome distraction.

All the euphoria is useless if it’s not converted into votes. And while Harris supporters are at it, they must pay special attention to the down-ballot races too. If she is elected but the GOP controls the House and the Senate, we are in for four years of gridlock. And if folks think they have lost rights and freedoms, much of that has happened at the state and even the local levels.  President Biden lit the flame, and the new Games will soon begin.

A Tale of Two Torches

 

This week is a momentous one. On Friday in Paris, the Olympic torch will light the flame that kicks off the 2024 Games. But yesterday, President Biden dropped out of the upcoming presidential election race, passing his torch to Vice President Kamala Harris.

I have written several versions of this commentary since Saturday, but all of them hoped that do this. I believe it is the cleanest way to end this political logjam and the unseemly debate about his mental acuity. There is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with Biden’s brain, nor his heart and soul, nor his patriotism.

The leaders in his party left him no choice. In their defense, their concern is the survival of this country as we know it. But Biden couldn’t do any less than endorse Kamala Harris, even though her own polling numbers haven’t been great. Failure to do so would have been a sign of disrespect for someone with a prospect of becoming the first American female president, indeed, minority female President.

Biden’s decision has injected new enthusiasm into Democratic voters, including not only women and minorities but young people. Many feel that the only way Donald Trump could win in November is not by converting voters to his side but by apathetic Democrats and independents staying home and not voting at all. Now, though, no nose-holding is required. And who will Harris’s running mate be? There is a big crop of rising Democratic stars to choose from.

One Republican attack being mounted is that Harris participated in a cover-up of Biden’s clear mental decline for a long time. But Biden’s very rational decision Sunday seems to blunt that argument.

Harris is not quite the Democratic nominee yet. There is a process to go through, culminating in a formal vote at the Democratic convention in late August. But even if she is the nominee, she brings with her not only the record of accomplishment but also the negative baggage of the Biden administration, of which she is a part, so she does have a fight on her hands. The game isn’t over by any means, but sometimes, it’s the backup quarterback who wins it.

 

 

If It Had Happened

 

As we struggle to process the implications of Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, there may likely be some out there who hate him so much that they secretly wish the young gunman in Pennsylvania had succeeded. I am not a particular Trump fan, but I am certainly not one of those folks, for a couple of very practical reasons.

First, the Republican Party would have to replace Trump as a candidate in the upcoming election – not an easy task. They do have people in the ranks who are smoother, more articulate, and maybe even smarter, though perhaps not as good at holding audiences. But such a candidate, especially if younger than Trump, might be more difficult for President Biden to defeat, assuming his own party supports him staying in the race. The GOP itself would be elevated to a special status that would be a lot harder for Democrats to counter, perhaps an automatic occupation of a big chunk of the moral high ground.

But another possible result could come of the killing of Donald Trump: Civil War II. Extremists have been calling for it for quite a while, and a Trump assassination would likely push them over the edge. We can only speculate from that point what would happen to the economy, our status in the world, and how our adversaries would take advantage.

These things, fortunately, are only speculation on my part, because the worst did not happen on Saturday. There are many who believe that God intervened to spare Mr. Trump in order to send us a message that he is the “chosen” one to be President again, and it may not be the only such message. Almost every legal action thrown at him isn’t sticking. If nothing else, he is now a survivor, and we all love survivors. But the overarching message may be, this will all have to be settled at the ballot box, and by no other means – certainly not violence.

While the worst didn’t happen over the weekend, what did occur was bad enough. The gunfire from that Pennsylvania rooftop did kill one person in the rally crowd and critically injured two others. Was God trying to send us messages about inadequate security at these functions or the need for better control of guns -- and America’s inordinate love of guns? Those who are in better communication with God than I will have to answer those questions.