What a difference a day makes. Fareed Zakaria on his “Global WPS” program had minutes before bemoaned the decrepit Democratic Party, (DP), who were catapulting to disaster with geriatric Joe.Then with no leaks to the media, Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing from the race. Twenty - minutes later he endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris as the DP Presidential nominee. In so doing he stunned the world including Trump and his party. The 45th President could not imagine putting country before self. In his words such citizens were “suckers and losers”.Consequently the GOP presidential nominee did not seriously consider in his election strategy such an outcome. Biden’s late in the day bold sacrifice was not without risk. However 90 percent of all voters polled immediately after the President exited, agreed with his decision.
Three days after his earth shattering revelation, Biden, bowing to the will of his party, declared, in a speech for the ages, why he was putting duty before ambition. The 46th President also made it crystal clear that he was with the program and would be at the helm for the remaining six months of his tenure. He communicated that the last six months of his amazing 52 years public service would be ensuring that America’s rocky experiment in democracy would be advanced. Little could he have believed in 2016, when he ran because of the inflection point in history where democracy was at stake, that the crisis would have increased exponentially In 2020. He reflected on his phenomenal record at home and abroad - remarkable in its breadth, including the first massive infrastructure boost since President Eisenhower, the lowest unemployment record, navigating the country out of the Covid pandemic and the strengthening of world democracies in Europe even increasing NATO’s membership and consolidating the South Pacific alliances.
Vice President Harris sprinted out off the blocks and within 96 hours had raised over a 150 million dollars, (200 million in 6 days), from small donors. The billionaires, emitting an audible sigh of relief, opened the geysers to contribute to the "The Harris For Victory Fund", the DP gained over 100,000 volunteers, 200 applications for full time offices and the whole doomsday scenario was reinvigorated by her elevation to the top of the ticket. All this to the seismic shock of the Trump GOP who were caught flatfooted by the swift seamless events. The Democratic Party, the Trade Unions, Interest groups, the State delegates, activist entities, the representatives of all legislative bodies unified behind her candidature.
Even the 7/24 news cycle couldn’t keep up to either get behind the story or fashion out what was to come, so Jay H. Ell will give it a whirl.
HOW THE RACE CHANGED IN A HALF AN HOUR ON A SUNDAY MORNING JULY 21
“YES WE KAM” screamed the heartbroken yet relieved, bewildered and energized Democratic faithful. Harris was pumped up stumping with prosecutorial precision into felon Tump. The DP now had a dynamic exponent of their case. Not since Barack Obama in 2007 has there been this excitement. For the uninitiated this didn’t just happen spontaneously. The events which brought near hysteria didn’t occur in a vacuum. The timing itself was perfect. Just as the Trump/Vance crowd awaited the traditional post Conference bump in the polls with them holding forth on the Sunday morning talk shows, the narrative was rudely snatched from them. Days later Trump was wailing that he couldn’t get any coverage even castigating Fox News for interviewing a hopeful for Vice Presidency, Tim Walsh the Minnesota Governor.
This historic earthquake must have been shaped over weeks. Biden and his family didn’t suddenly have an epiphany induced by the anti Covid medicine Paxlovid. This was meticulously thought through. Kamala Harris just pitching up in Wilmington Delaware to take over the election apparatus within a few hours after Biden’s endorsement was no fluke. The transition was not just happenstance.
The same way Democratic hopefuls had patriotically dropped out in the 2019 race to be behind Biden the other potential contenders for the 2024 DP nomination unselfishly bowed out. The deep talented Democratic bench within hours pledged their support to the anointed nominee, for the same patriotic rationale that the 2019 contenders had fallen in line behind Joe Biden.
But who and how was this brought about?
WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN JUNE15 AND JULY 21
The Democratic strategist in chief for change was that old warhorse Speaker Emirata Nancy Pelosi who has guided the Democrats through many seemingly impossible legislative victories. She made it quite clear that she would not take “no” for an answer. In every interview she argued that she was waiting for “his final answer”. In the hapless incumbent’s inner circle was his life long friend that powerhouse Jim Clyburn, who in 2019 acted as his kingmaker for the very reason he was now counseling him to get out.
Barack Obama was accused by Biden as being the mastermind. He had had a preview of the Democratic presumptive nominee’s shortcomings at the fundraiser, on June 15, in Los Angeles, which he and his close friend famed Hollywood star and philanthropist George Clooney had hosted. When the incumbent President on June 25 confirmed their worst fears with a disqualifying debate they obviously went into action. For all the world to see Clooney produced a scathing op ed piece in the NY Times on July 10 calling for Biden to pass on the baton. But much had to have happened between those two dates and that is where Nancy Pelosi played the dominant role. She communicated to the Biden team the internal poll numbers of legislators who believed that the antipathy towards Biden was risking their own candidacy. Daily, increasing number of legislators including close Pelosi confidant, Adam Schiff the high ranking Democrat who led the first impeachment team against Trump asked for Biden to step down.
The former Speaker challenged Biden’s assumptions that he was neck and neck with Trump warning him and his team of enablers that his candidature threatened a trifecta of losses for the Democrats. The pressure was piled on with the donors all joining in and the liberal media going ballistic. (See Blog: I Write What I like, July 10, “BIDEN’S HUBRIS - A MOVIE RERUN”. Having detailed the process the outcome was still solely in the hands of Stately Joe who finally bit the bullet and sent Hurricane Kamala to the races. She was now in Primetime.
So how did the Trump crowd greet Kamala?
TRUMP ET AL GO INTO COMPLETE FUNK AS KAMALA REPLACES BIDEN
If there was hysteria from the Dems greeting the Harris for Biden sweep it was matched by the complete and utter funk Trump and his MAGA crowd exhibited as they appeared totally unprepared for this eventuality. Trump suddenly embraced democracy, “This guy goes and he gets the votes and now they want to take it away. They talk about democracy’”. Then he gets more resigned, “He never should have been President in the first place. He should have stayed in the basement.We will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”. Trump, reflecting on where the party was at demanded that the Democrats pay the GOP back the tens of millions they spent on fighting Biden!
Vice President nominee Vance was already on record smearing childless “cat ladies” to the anger of Taylor Swift fans and "childless Kamala", who as a result, “…had no stake in this country” Previously Vance had argued that women with no children should have less political power. Vance is a liability and someone should tell Trump he can chuck him off the ticket as there is precedent for that type of thing! The MAGA ex President seems to be even more unhinged rallying at a Conservative Christian meeting, “Beautiful Christians you won’t have to vote anymore if I am elected in November”.
The famed “Republican” pollster and strategist, Vince Fabrizio, attempted to calm all nerves by reassuring Trump that the bump that Harris will get in the polls will be temporary and he will pull away once it dies down. Fabrizio forgot to mention that it was Trump that was supposed to get the post Convention “bump”. He also ignored Nikki Haley's January prophesy in the Republican Primary where she argued that if Trump was the Republican nominee, Harris would become the President. She tried to dial it back, while admitting that it was "very wise" of the Democrats to choose a young person, Harris was "the worst" option!
So onto whether the new candidate stacks up better against Trump.Time will tell.
KAMALA’S STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES
The immediate post announcement polls showed a tightening of the race but most of what data there was, was pre Biden’s departure. The Democratic hope was at 47 - 48 precent. While that was Biden’s ceiling hopefully it was Kamala’s floor. There was a definite indication that the youth vote that was shunning Biden was energized. David Hogg, the student gun law reformer, claimed that his organization spontaneously collected nearly 400,000 dollars in small donations. They were backing Harris. Hogg heads a massive youth group, “March for Life”, which conducted one of the largest demonstrations this century. In play are at least two other GenZ outfits, "Run for Something" and "Voters for Tomorrow" who are oozing "Kamalove". Seventeen youth groups have joined "Voters for Tomorrow" in support of Harris. There are 41 million GenZ eligible to vote in 2024, 8 million being able to participate for the first time.
The new DP nominee bolstered her support among Black women. Indications are that she is in a better position to mobilize the Hispanic vote as well as the men in the minority groups are supposedly leaning towards Trump. She is a much stronger advocate for women’s freedoms than Biden and has already blazed a trail on the stump in that regard. It is hard to imagine that the suburban Republican women that flipped to Biden in 2020 are going to return to Trump/Vance. Every referendum on abortion including those in deep Red states has gone against restricting a woman’s right to choose.
The big question mark is whether Harris can keep that slither of white voters in the Rust Belt that swung to Biden in the last Presidential. That is the largest crucial test she faces although it is maintained that she has Labor Union support. So for the moment it is wait and see. Also her Vice Presidential pick will be sure to help with that demographic.
In the final analysis the fundamental movement against Trump and his candidates since 2016 and the fact that in all the swing states Biden was behind the Democratic Senate nominees, who were winning, bodes well for the new DP nominee. And one final word of encouragement, nearly 30,000 million viewers watched Stately Joe herald in Hurricane Kamala while Trump could only hold 25 million for 15 minutes in his rambling acceptance speech.
AT THE END OF THE DAY
Untested Kamala has one helluva road ahead. She has to prove that she is up to the job otherwise the waverers will either stay at home or pick the strongman, who is smearing her like only he can. Harris admits that she is the underdog.
If the Vice President loses the election the recriminations will come thick and fast to the Biden enablers who hid his potential for "disastrous days".
At the end of the day, it is no longer the end of the day. There is hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment