Passing the torch of democracy
With the withdrawal of President Joe Biden from the November election, the farce that threatens to see Donald Trump reelected has new drama. The moving aside of an aging president, formerly the presumptive Democratic candidate, for Kamala Harris has breathed new life into Democrats’ hopes. It likely doesn’t faze Trump, who thrives on this kind of intrigue. However, his task becomes harder each day. Time will tell if the Democrats can mount the kind of registration and voting drive to overcome Trump’s supporters.
The work to convince or to cause President Biden to withdraw has succeeded. Biden withdrew with a letter to social media last month. The post saved the embarrassment of a press conference. He also was recovering from COVID-19. Later he made an Oval Office address to punctuate his passing of the baton.
I think the dismissal of Biden occurred because of projections about Trump and the perception that Biden couldn’t mount an effective campaign. Barack Obama, Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Manchin and other congresspersons, George Clooney, various pollsters and pundits, Jake Tapper, Sanjay Gupta and others headed the list of folks who went along with or openly called for Biden to exit. CNN prioritized a never-ending stream of stories sounding the death knell of Biden’s candidacy. Anything that splatted on the transom to keep the story going ran. It’s worse than pandering. It’s propaganda worthy of autocratic states. Van Jones provided the pretense of a media eulogy to complete the package.
So many have said, including Vice President Harris, that they “love Biden." Machiavelli noted in "The Prince": “And men have less scruple offending one who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared.” The respect or fear of Biden dissolved with his aging. Biden went along with party and media elites’ superseding of himself for the good of the party, to beat Trump, to pass the torch and to cement his legacy.
The mention of ambition by Biden, his critics and others is telling. Biden said he needed to supersede his ambition for the good of the country. He’s also leveling an accusation against Trump, whose ambition threatens the rule of law to some and represents the real meaning of democracy to others. But ambition is a double-edged sword. It can cut to the quick of even those on the side of prudence and foresight. It’s not a trustworthy guide.
Given the bench strength of Republican candidates with newly gerrymandered and de-provisioned registration and voting regimes in the states, the Democrats are working against a short clock of three months. They’ve started to recover in the polls. The phalanx of stories about Biden on his way out succeeded. Now the stories feature an invigorated Harris gaining ground, receiving donations and endorsements, campaigning and the like. Of course, there’s minor drama about her running mate. Trump’s picked his kind of son as running mate who’s garnering too much of the wrong kind of attention.
Allan Lichtman, a student of presidential elections and history, made a dire prediction for Democrats before Biden dropped out. Long ago, Machiavelli warned about the fickleness of the people and the intrigues of those with ambition. The ambition to win the 2024 election will have many gauging their support of the presumptive nominee, Kamala Harris. Time will tell if more Americans side with her or with Trump.
The Democratic convention had shaped up to be a controversy but now will be a grand pep rally. The Democrats need a wave to counter MAGA frenzy. The voters Democratic elites fear aren’t voting for Trump because Biden is old. It can’t be uttered as a pretext or pretense now. They’re voting for Trump because of his message and position on the issues and because he’s their icon. The Democrats must arm Harris with a moderately progressive vision tied to fight the consequences of inflation and to renew the promise of an open and equitable America for all. That includes leadership for a freer world. This vision needs the support of many lower- and middle-income white voters who have leaned to Trump thus far.
So much do some people care about winning that they forget the issues, interests and passions that should be motivating their campaigning and preparation for holding office. The prosecutor vs. felon trope won’t win the day. Americans have such heightened expectations, no one on earth could live up to them. The framers were not fans of executive leadership and bounded its influence. America slowly threatens to lose its soul. We’re electing imperfect and flawed human beings, not proto-gods or autocrats, Lord have mercy. Let’s work to salvage America’s 2024 presidential and other elections. America needs to win for the good of her democracy and people, as well as the good of our world.
Bernard Rowan (browan10@yahoo.com) is associate provost for contract administration and academic services and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and a former visiting professor at Hanyang University.