After Biden’s Withdrawal, the Party Is in Danger of Falling Apart
Published in T-Online
(Germany) on 22 July 2024
by Gerhard Spörl (link to original)
(Germany) on 22 July 2024
by Gerhard Spörl (link to original)
Translated from
by Peter Carioca.
Edited by Patricia Simoni.
Joe Biden makes way for Kamala Harris. As vice president, she was a bit of a disappointment. But now she must show that she can stand up to Donald Trump. Her chances are not bad.
Joe Biden is withdrawing, making way for Kamala Harris. He deserves credit for this, and his party should thank him. Biden can now end his presidency with dignity. From now on, he is just a minor figure in this important phase of American history.
Now, the focus is on two people who symbolize an America that is divided to the breaking point: Misogynist Donald Trump faces a woman. The ultimate old white macho stands against a woman who has an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. Illiberal meets liberal. At 78, Trump is an old man who has to justify his age. Harris will be 60 in October, so not the youngest either, but she is still 18 years younger than Trump. Finally, it's New York versus California, Wall Street versus hi-tech.
Harris Struggled with Unpleasant Tasks
From today's perspective, it would have been better if Biden had prepared his vice president to be his successor. But he did not; he did not want to. Perhaps he did not trust her, and thus gave her such unpleasant tasks as border security; however, the truth is that she did not resist such impositions. She appeared to be content with being vice president. She needs to quickly shed this stigma.
If you want to become president, then you should really want it with every fiber of your being. Campaigning in America is hell. Harris' life is now in the spotlight and being scrutinized and turned upside down. First, she was a district attorney, and then an attorney general. She avoided the death penalty.
Her skin color has played a role in her life. Harris and her younger sister were isolated. According to Harris: "The neighbors’ kids were not allowed to play with us because we were Black."
Trump Has No Respect
Trump has no scruples, and boundaries are foreign to him. He will pounce on them and denigrate them. From his point of view, respect is out of the question because Black people do not vote for him anyway. The decisive factor will be whether or not the Democrats' big donors trust Harris to stop Trump.
The stakes are high. In 2008 Barack Obama defeated his rival, John McCain. Harris is not Obama, and McCain would have been no match for Trump. But what was only hinted at back then is likely to be repeated more strongly: White Republican Trump America will pull out all the stops to prevent a Black woman from entering the White House.
Harris Is behind from the Start
There is still plenty of time before Nov. 5. The next stage is the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19. There, Harris must find a way to carry this torn, divided party along with her. If she doesn't succeed, criticism of her will intensify. Her fragile party would immediately disintegrate into many special interests.
Good news for Harris comes from the opinion polls. Trump's narrow lead is still narrow. It hasn't grown in the final phase of Biden's candidacy, as one might think; it has stagnated. Harris can still turn things around. The prerequisite, of course, is a smart strategy to attract undecided voters.
Working Class Backs the Republicans
In the long run, it is not enough to call Trump a liar, criminal and an enemy of democracy. He is all of those things, but everyone already knows that — and it won't hurt him with his supporters. It also doesn't work to keep reminding people of the storming of the Capitol. There are judges, whom Trump himself appointed, who rule in his favor. Whining about this is as understandable as it is useless. Democrats need to realize that Trumpism has become a worldview that goes beyond Trump.
The Republican Party, once the party of Wall Street, has been transformed into a party of the working class, just as right-wing parties in Europe are also changing. The [possible] vice president and Trump's chosen political heir, J.D. Vance, who comes from an unstable family, wrote a book, "Hillbilly Elegy," about the problems of the white working class. Trump pays tribute to this class, as strange as it may seem for a New York businessman to claim to be the champion of the country’s disenfranchised and lost.
Danger from Change
Trump and Vance paint a bleak picture of the present: Criminal hordes are streaming into the country, China is exploiting America and Europe is lying on its back instead of paying adequate NATO contributions. The war in Ukraine is costing too many billions of dollars. Everywhere Trump and Vance look, there is danger from change.
It's true that uncertainty and confusion are scaring broad groups of voters. They demand guarantees for greater security in every form. Trump promises protection from the dynamics of globalism, which is nowhere more pronounced than in the U.S. But for Trump and his voters, the destructive force of capitalism is attributed only to the elites on the East and West coasts, who care little about the social consequences of deindustrialization.
Trump's Pessimism Permeates the Party
Bleak narratives are still uncommon for a Republican candidate. The ideal representative of the opposite was Ronald Reagan; the future looked rosy to him. Every day, God made the sun rise and shine brightly for America. To Reagan, the implosion of communism was only a matter of time.
America was actually identical to optimism. Optimism led to success, while pessimism was the ideology of losers. Pessimism was un-American. In this respect, Trump has truly shaped the Republican Party in his own image.
The Stage Now Belongs to Harris
What comes next for Harris and the Democrats? They must curb their tendency to see Trump voters as lost souls whom they accuse of being completely unaware. And they should counter the bleak worldview of Trumpism with a pinch of optimism. This could be based on the old narrative that not only carried Reagan into the White House, but also Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. After all, America has reinvented itself time and time again throughout its history. Why not now as well?
Harris radiates this confidence. She has this infectious laugh and a special warmth. The stage now belongs to her. The entire country will be watching her closely. Until Nov. 5, she can show what she is made of — if she has the toughness, resilience and the perseverance to deal with Trump's vulgarities — and push her narrative forward. She may well become America's first Black female president. We should wish her well.
Joe Biden is withdrawing, making way for Kamala Harris. He deserves credit for this, and his party should thank him. Biden can now end his presidency with dignity. From now on, he is just a minor figure in this important phase of American history.
Now, the focus is on two people who symbolize an America that is divided to the breaking point: Misogynist Donald Trump faces a woman. The ultimate old white macho stands against a woman who has an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. Illiberal meets liberal. At 78, Trump is an old man who has to justify his age. Harris will be 60 in October, so not the youngest either, but she is still 18 years younger than Trump. Finally, it's New York versus California, Wall Street versus hi-tech.
Harris Struggled with Unpleasant Tasks
From today's perspective, it would have been better if Biden had prepared his vice president to be his successor. But he did not; he did not want to. Perhaps he did not trust her, and thus gave her such unpleasant tasks as border security; however, the truth is that she did not resist such impositions. She appeared to be content with being vice president. She needs to quickly shed this stigma.
If you want to become president, then you should really want it with every fiber of your being. Campaigning in America is hell. Harris' life is now in the spotlight and being scrutinized and turned upside down. First, she was a district attorney, and then an attorney general. She avoided the death penalty.
Her skin color has played a role in her life. Harris and her younger sister were isolated. According to Harris: "The neighbors’ kids were not allowed to play with us because we were Black."
Trump Has No Respect
Trump has no scruples, and boundaries are foreign to him. He will pounce on them and denigrate them. From his point of view, respect is out of the question because Black people do not vote for him anyway. The decisive factor will be whether or not the Democrats' big donors trust Harris to stop Trump.
The stakes are high. In 2008 Barack Obama defeated his rival, John McCain. Harris is not Obama, and McCain would have been no match for Trump. But what was only hinted at back then is likely to be repeated more strongly: White Republican Trump America will pull out all the stops to prevent a Black woman from entering the White House.
Harris Is behind from the Start
There is still plenty of time before Nov. 5. The next stage is the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19. There, Harris must find a way to carry this torn, divided party along with her. If she doesn't succeed, criticism of her will intensify. Her fragile party would immediately disintegrate into many special interests.
Good news for Harris comes from the opinion polls. Trump's narrow lead is still narrow. It hasn't grown in the final phase of Biden's candidacy, as one might think; it has stagnated. Harris can still turn things around. The prerequisite, of course, is a smart strategy to attract undecided voters.
Working Class Backs the Republicans
In the long run, it is not enough to call Trump a liar, criminal and an enemy of democracy. He is all of those things, but everyone already knows that — and it won't hurt him with his supporters. It also doesn't work to keep reminding people of the storming of the Capitol. There are judges, whom Trump himself appointed, who rule in his favor. Whining about this is as understandable as it is useless. Democrats need to realize that Trumpism has become a worldview that goes beyond Trump.
The Republican Party, once the party of Wall Street, has been transformed into a party of the working class, just as right-wing parties in Europe are also changing. The [possible] vice president and Trump's chosen political heir, J.D. Vance, who comes from an unstable family, wrote a book, "Hillbilly Elegy," about the problems of the white working class. Trump pays tribute to this class, as strange as it may seem for a New York businessman to claim to be the champion of the country’s disenfranchised and lost.
Danger from Change
Trump and Vance paint a bleak picture of the present: Criminal hordes are streaming into the country, China is exploiting America and Europe is lying on its back instead of paying adequate NATO contributions. The war in Ukraine is costing too many billions of dollars. Everywhere Trump and Vance look, there is danger from change.
It's true that uncertainty and confusion are scaring broad groups of voters. They demand guarantees for greater security in every form. Trump promises protection from the dynamics of globalism, which is nowhere more pronounced than in the U.S. But for Trump and his voters, the destructive force of capitalism is attributed only to the elites on the East and West coasts, who care little about the social consequences of deindustrialization.
Trump's Pessimism Permeates the Party
Bleak narratives are still uncommon for a Republican candidate. The ideal representative of the opposite was Ronald Reagan; the future looked rosy to him. Every day, God made the sun rise and shine brightly for America. To Reagan, the implosion of communism was only a matter of time.
America was actually identical to optimism. Optimism led to success, while pessimism was the ideology of losers. Pessimism was un-American. In this respect, Trump has truly shaped the Republican Party in his own image.
The Stage Now Belongs to Harris
What comes next for Harris and the Democrats? They must curb their tendency to see Trump voters as lost souls whom they accuse of being completely unaware. And they should counter the bleak worldview of Trumpism with a pinch of optimism. This could be based on the old narrative that not only carried Reagan into the White House, but also Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. After all, America has reinvented itself time and time again throughout its history. Why not now as well?
Harris radiates this confidence. She has this infectious laugh and a special warmth. The stage now belongs to her. The entire country will be watching her closely. Until Nov. 5, she can show what she is made of — if she has the toughness, resilience and the perseverance to deal with Trump's vulgarities — and push her narrative forward. She may well become America's first Black female president. We should wish her well.
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