At the minimum, Democrats will say this gives them a chance down ballot to have a House or Senate that will keep Trump and his polices in check. Pictured: US Vice President Kamala Harris. Photo Credit: Kamala Harris/X.
The historical events of the past few weeks should not diminish our understanding of what the Democratic Party believes they must do to have a chance of defeating former president Donald Trump. Forcing President Joe Biden out of the nomination checks a couple of important boxes but it does not achieve all that must be done to aid Vice President Kamala Harris’s efforts to claim the presidency.
Putting aside the cover-up conducted at the White House regarding Biden’s health condition and the sleight-of-hand operation that installed Harris as their nominee without the benefit of one primary vote, Democrats must now put their efforts into staging a convention where they hope to transform the most unpopular vice-president in history into a charismatic leader. One where they can remake a San Francisco liberal into a moderate, a charmless personality into a winsome one, and a politician with several skeletons in her closet into a revived character of high ideals and “Middle America” values.
Having already been informed he can no longer be the party’s standard bearer after earning the title in the primary elections earlier this year, Biden faces more bad news. Democratic Party leaders, after what they hope will be a barn-burner of a convention, will want the current president out of the way so they can make their new nominee the incumbent. What better way to ensure Harris has every advantage heading into the fall campaign than to move her up to the top job?
If the Democratic Party had opened their convention to whomever wanted to run, Harris may not have won the support of the delegates attending and a nominee off the card may have become the standard bearer. Whoever that might have been, that person could not have been instantly promoted to the presidency. The only person in the position to do so was Harris. With that knowledge in hand, the Democratic elites, who gassed Biden’s campaign, knew that the easiest way to return the advantage of incumbency depended on securing Harris as the nominee because she was the only one who could become an instant president.
The Democratic Party’s cynical ploy to run Biden hoping to get him across the finish line began to unravel shortly after the supposed “Transitional President” bought into the idea that he was a “Transformational President” like Franklin Delano Roosevelt or Lynden Baines Johnson and could use a second term to solidify his legacy. As this scribbler has been reporting for some time, those surrounding Biden knew he was slipping. Regardless, they sent out messages about his incredible grasp of the issues, high energy levels, and incomparable understanding of foreign policy. Whoever oversaw the offer to debate Trump early knew that Biden’s shortcomings would come to light.
Watching Biden that night was sorrowful for anyone who knows what aging, neurological issues, or exhaustion can do to a person. Perhaps Biden’s pride brought this on himself, but the cruel facts came to light and most people recognized that he would have a hard time finishing the present term of office never mind completing a second term. The story will not end on July 21st when Biden announced he would not seek a second term, nor will it end on July 24th when he spoke from the Oval Office to explain the decision. This matter will run its full course after the Democratic Convention when Harris and her running mate have officially secured the nominations. Soon after, Biden’s presidency will end in a bloodless coup.
The telltale signs of Biden’s rendezvous with resolution stirred with the Hur report. Insult was added to injury when Special Prosecutor Robert Hur concluded that Biden should be charged for the same classified document violations that Trump faced, except Hur believed a jury would conclude Biden too senile to testify or defend himself. The president and his defenders took to the airwaves, social media, and newspaper columns to vilify Hur for suggesting that Biden was anything short of sharp, coherent or alert. His attorney general even blocked the release of the interviews Hur conducted which would have revealed Biden to be failing badly and in no shape to be running a national campaign. The charade continued until that fateful evening in late June.
As things stand today, Biden has been driven from the race and has provided no reason for it. In his speech on July 24th, he indicated he deserved a second term but for the sake of the party, he would step aside for his vice president. He did not seem happy about it and neither did his family. It took threats from former speaker Nancy Pelosi, former president Barack Obama, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to convince him to quit. Wait until he and his family are told their lease is up at 1600 Pennsylvania a little early.
Once again, the same entourage will inform him of his responsibility to put the country first. What they will be telling him, in effect, is what is best for the Democratic Party—having Harris as President and her new running mate sworn in as Vice-President. This may look sketchy to normal Americans. To those entitled to power and ready to do anything to hold on to it, this maneuver will be as natural as breathing.
Democratic leaders, progressive voters, and the liberal media will combine to justify the replacement of Biden as president. Harris faces a tough battle to defeat Trump. The unpopular Biden presidency and Biden’s obvious decline will demand bold and decisive action. Imagine Harris sworn into office on national television as the first woman and first person of African-Asian descent. The visuals will be potent and enduring. Using the seal of the presidency she will campaign across the country exercising the powers of the presidency. The fumbling agenda and frail presence of Biden will evaporate. Harris and a presumably younger running mate will make the case for generational change. There will be millions of voters who will not like this swiftly changing situation, but millions more will be euphoric.
At the minimum, Democrats will say this gives them a chance down ballot to have a House or Senate that will keep Trump and his polices in check. At best, they will hold on to the White House and do so with the most left-wing president in the history of the nation. By Labour Day or shortly soon after, Biden will be in permanent exile at Rehoboth Beach and America’s new president will lead a party dedicated to defending democracy without having received one vote in a primary election.
Dave Redekop is a retired elementary resource teacher who now works part-time at the St. Catharines Courthouse as a Registrar. He has worked on political campaigns since high school and attended university in South Carolina for five years, where he earned a Master’s in American History with a specialization in Civil Rights. Dave loves reading biographies.
