I am concerned about the Democrats who seem to be rethinking the President, and maybe even the presidency itself. This has been impossible to ignore after the debate. I didn’t watch the debate–very few people did–but I’ve seen clips of it. What first concerned me was the sudden appearance of naysayers in the Democratic Party, especially Barack Obama. And large number of Democratic pundits have joined the establishment. They act as if it’s a small matter to discard a presidential candidate. Biden was not only the presidential candidate but also the incumbent in office. It all seemed highly undemocratic. My concerns led me to write the previous article to support Biden. Subsequently, I found Biden’s press conference highlighting his strengths very encouraging. The next day the headlines were screaming Biden bows out and endorses Harris.
Surely the pundits remember that Obama single-handedly made sure Biden would be the Democratic nominee in 2020? This strange about-face has made me suspicious about the debate itself. And it turns out that Hillary advised Biden to focus on his accomplishments rather than addressing Trump’s lies in the debate.
Biden’s Endorsement of Harris Was the Right Move
Given this imperfect situation, Biden’s endorsement of Harris was the right move. It’s the one logical thing that has taken place so far in this drama. However, some in the Democratic establishment would prefer that Kamala Harris not be the nominee. It seems to me that this casts doubt on the stated reasons for wanting Biden to drop out. If some in the Party want to replace Harris as well, they may have had other motives for turning against Biden.
If the Democrats’ motive is fear of a Trump administration, they should have thought of that decades ago. But failing that, they should have thought of it when they torpedoed Bernie in 2016 and 2020. That said, Biden demonstrated in his press conference of July 11 that he is clearly in control of his performance.
AOC’s Concerns About the Legal Implications of Replacing Biden
While thinking about these things, I watched a video by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She published this video before Biden’s withdrawal from the race. It reveals that there is actually no mechanism in the Party’s rules for replacing the presidential nominee. In addition, there is a concern that the Republicans will fight any attempt to replace Biden on the ticket. There have been hints that that’s what they intend to do. Ocasio-Cortez’s main fear is that the fight will end up in the Supreme Court, and our next president will be decided by Clarence Thomas.
Concerning the debate that started this furor, AOC explained that there was no audience present in the room during that debate. President Biden was virtually alone with a very malevolent and aggressive Donald Trump.
Recap
To recap, after watching Biden’s press conference I was sure we could all get behind the Biden-Harris ticket. I hadn’t realized until after he dropped out that it was always the Progressives in Congress who supported Biden. I really appreciate that. But now it is shocking how many so-called Democratic and Progressive pundits are whistling down the legal chasm that opened up when Biden dropped out. I just hope they have the sense to support Harris now. She is the Vice-President after all; she should be the nominee, democratically speaking.
We are witnessing a strange euphoria with no connection to reality. I urge everyone to come to their senses before it’s too late. Otherwise it won’t be the voters who decide the nominee.