Biden’s Decency and Patriotism Could Save Democracy

Kamala Harris Isn’t Perfect, But She Can Win

President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race with dignity, patriotism and class. By putting his country first, he stood with George Washington, in sending the message that we are foremost a nation of laws. Biden’s bold, sacrificial act stands in stark contrast to former president Donald Trump, a malignant narcissist who staged a bloody coup attempt on January 6 rather than relinquish power. Biden’s courageous act reminded us of his strong character, moral decency and successful, consequential presidency, which will likely get high marks from historians.

The big loser today is the Trump campaign, which had planned to hammer Biden’s age to distract from their radical positions, unpopular policies and the felonies that dog their standard-bearer. With Biden gone, the focus can now shift to the Republican’s furtive embrace of Project 2025, which is a totalitarian plot by deranged Christian Nationalists to subvert American democracy. I can’t imagine voters will like it.

Without Biden, the Republican strategy for victory is in total disarray. They are only one week removed from their substance-free, clown car convention, where they feigned unity, but only accomplished the illusion by excluding anyone who did not kiss Trump’s ring.  

What does the GOP stand for other than hate, nostalgia and tax cuts for billionaires? This is hardly a record worthy of running on and leaves Trump vulnerable to a new candidate that can highlight Republican futility and hypocrisy.     

Some in the media are portraying the Democrats as a party in “chaos”, but a more accurate description would be “uncertainty.” We don’t know what comes next, but we do know an unpopular incumbent is no longer there to drag down the Party and potentially put the House and Senate in jeopardy. Biden was on a trajectory to lose. So, by default, the Democrats are now in a better place and have increased their chances.

Biden quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, making her the frontrunner. She might not be the Democrats’ best candidate, but perhaps she’s the best candidate for this particular moment? In politics, as in life, timing is everything.

 Harris brings several strengths to the table that must be considered:

·      She can energize the African American vote in key swing state cities: Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee and Atlanta.

·      Harris could appeal to younger voters who weren’t excited by Biden

·      Trump’s biggest vulnerability is abortion—and the addition of JD Vance on his ticket only exacerbates this glaring weakness. Harris has made a name for herself as a strong, passionate, articulate voice on protecting a woman’s right to choose.

·      Harris is a career prosecutor who is well-poised to make a strong case against a sleazy felon  

·      The Vice President is only 59, so she could turn the age and mental fitness narrative around on Trump  

There is still the possibility an open process leads to disarray. However, this scenario might be avoided:

·      Not many politicians would want to deny the first African American, woman, VP her chance at the nomination. If they try and fail, they could cause themselves long term political damage. 

·      If a particular candidate was far ahead of Harris in polling, maybe they would be enticed to take the leap. But since no one particularly stands out ahead of Harris in the polls, the risk is considerable and probably not worth it.

·      Most candidates will view this race as too risky because of the enormous pressure to win. Who wants to be forever remembered as the candidate who lost to Trump and wrecked democracy?

It is true that Harris ran a poor campaign for the presidency in 2020—but it’s worth remembering that even fabulously successful people don’t always succeed on the first try. Candy mogul Milton Hershey, for example, bankrupted his first chocolate company in 1876—and we all know how that turned out in the end. Hopefully, Harris learned key lessons from her first campaign and can rise to the occasion.

With Joe Biden finally out of the picture, the Democrats have a new lease on life. We must never forget that voters can’t stomach the Republican agenda and it’s why they rarely win national elections. According to The Hill:

2024 will mark a sorry anniversary for the Republican Party: 20 years since President George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign won both the popular and Electoral College votes. That feat has since eluded three GOP presidential nominees and one incumbent.

Democrats, it's time to buck up. It’s a new day with a fresh Democratic candidate—Kamala or someone else—who will be young, spry and have the mental acuity to remind Americans what a dangerous threat to democracy the Republican Party truly is.

It’s critically important that we remain unified and not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Especially when Trump and Vance are perfect enemies who are up to no good. The Democratic Party is back and well-positioned to derail the Trump train to save America from tyranny.