Uncle Joey has bowed out. It was the right thing to do. But does this automatically put Democrats in a better position? I don’t have an answer.
Suppose vice president Harris does ascend to the top of the Democratic ticket. We will have replaced an unfit candidate for a fit one, a bad campaigner with a great one. She’s going bring the fight to Trump in a way that only a former prosecutor can. It’s also possible that her candidacy will goose turnout among women and people of color. So far so good.
But I cannot shake the belief that a woman of color faces significant disadvantages both in public perception and the media. This is a racist country. It’s also a patriarchal and misogynistic one. There’s ample evidence that the sight of a non-white woman acting like a leader isn’t going to sit well with a lot of voters, even some of those who dislike Trump. It could depress turnout among otherwise left-leaning men and whites. And it could light a fire under Trump supporters in a way that a white man’s candidacy could never do.
Also, let’s take a step back and consider how insane it is that we are a nation that can’t quite decide if we’d like a Democrat president or Donald Trump. Who, I need not remind you, is a shocking ignoramus, an unmistakable narcissist, a habitual liar, a proven cheat, an demonstrable fraud, an adjudicated sexual predator, a proud insurrectionist, and a convicted felon.
The fact that this is even a contest says something important about us as a nation. What does Donald Trump have that no Democrat has? The enthusiastic support of team white supremacy, misogyny, and homophobia. While it’s true that their side quite rightly perceives that they are on the way out, it’s also true that cornered beasts can be the most dangerous ones.
Two more thoughts. First, Joe Biden has done a fantastic job as president. He’s probably been the best president of my lifetime. It needs to be said. Ultimately, he’s going to be remembered as a lifelong public servant who, after having earned the trust of the American people, dispatched his duties as president more effectively than anyone else has done in more than half a century.
Final thought. In spite of everything, I am optimistic. Vice president Harris can do it. We can do it.