by W.D. Ehrhart
Over the course of the previous two weeks, I have been working on an essay I had titled “There Is Still Time—But Not Much,” in which I argued that President Joe Biden should step aside and withdraw from this November’s election if the Democrats want even the slightest chance of defeating former President Donald Trump.
Given that Biden officially withdrew his candidacy this past Sunday, and has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the top spot on the ticket, there seems little point in reiterating my arguments in any detail. Suffice it to say that Biden is a decent enough person with a moral compass—in glaring contrast to his predecessor—and has actually done a far better job as president than his predecessor ever did. But he is suffering the ravages and infirmities of old age, and his decision to withdraw is the right decision.
There is also little point in arguing what Biden should have done four years ago or six months ago or three months ago, let alone what the—forgive me, folks—stupid Democratic Party should have done in 1994 or 2000 or 2016. All that matters is what the Democratic Party does now with the opportunity Biden’s withdrawal offers them.
Biden has endorsed Harris for the nomination. Until very recently, I did not consider her a viable replacement for Biden, even if Biden did withdraw. I kept remembering that she polled so badly as a presidential candidate in 2020 that she withdrew her candidacy before 2020 actually arrived.
But in the past month, three different people—none of whom know each other, and all of whom I respect—have offered opinions of Harris that do not match my own, arguing with some knowledge that Harris’s 2019 campaign was badly managed, that the Biden camp has largely kept Harris out of the spotlight during his presidency, and that she is in fact very smart and very capable.
Moreover, though I am skeptical of polls and pollsters, several of the people who have caused me to re-think Harris argue that Harris is polling better than Biden with African Americans and younger voters. Both groups helped Biden win in 2020, but are clearly far less keen on him this time around.
The real question is: will the Democratic Party screw up this opportunity the way the party did by cheating Bernie Sanders out of the 2016 presidential nomination, by allowing the Republicans to claim the White House in 2000 by the vote of a single Supreme Court Justice, or by allowing Bill Clinton to turn the Democratic Party in to Republican Lite in the wake of the 1994 bi-elections?
Will the stupid Democratic Party just for once stop being stupid? The party’s convention is still almost a month away. Preferably before the convention, pick a running mate for Harris, or at least float a few solid possibilities: Gavin Newsom of California, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Roy Cooper of North Carolina. Plan and run a vigorous convention that emphasizes the youthfulness and vitality of the ticket. And then take off the gloves and campaign like you’ve never campaigned before. Relentlessly. I might even say ruthlessly. Like a hungry lion that hasn’t eaten in days and has just spotted an old wildebeest.
An old wildebeest is not a bad analogy, in fact, because with Biden no longer in the race, the Trumpsters have just lost their strongest argument. The Democrats have the opportunity to turn the question of age back on the Retrumplicans. Prior to Joe Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history was Ronald Reagan, who was 78 by the time he left office. Trump is already 78.
The Democrats must also hammer away at Trump’s constant lying. The man is incapable of telling the truth. Campaign ads need to focus on the most egregious—and readily provable—lies, and get those in front of the American electorate over and over again. Trump has always relied on “the Big Lie.” Democrats must rely on “the Big Truth.”
It may already be too late to prevent the re-election of a convicted felon who brags about grabbing women by their pussies, screws porn stars while his third wife is nursing their new baby, cheats repeatedly and massively on his taxes, refuses to pay workers he has hired, urges his followers to “fight like hell” to prevent the peaceful transfer of presidential power, promises to be a dictator if he’s re-elected, promises a “bloodbath” if he is not re-elected, and is utterly incapable of opening his mouth without lying.
But with Biden’s withdrawal, there is now at least a chance of avoiding the return of the worst president in U.S. history. It will require, however, that the Democratic Party get its head out of its collective backside and get to work.
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W. D. Ehrhart is a retired Master Teacher of History & English, and author of a Vietnam War memoir trilogy published by McFarland.