Biden’s departure changes everything

Donald Trump may literally have dodged a bullet in Pennsylvania a week ago, but there aren't enough ear bandages in the world to shield him from the sea change that just occurred in the 2024 presidential race.

Trump’s “Go-Back-to-the-White House-Free” card—a clearly diminished Joe Biden—has wisely stepped aside, endorsing his take-no-bullshit veep Kamala Harris to be the Democrats' 2024 presidential nominee.

This changes everything, even after the GOP’s post- assassination-attempt love fest for Trump and his sycophantic mini-me, JD Vance. With a 59-year-old minority female as the prospective Democratic nominee, the “age question” now falls squarely back on Trump, a 78-year-old loser who fell asleep at his criminal trial in New York and at his own convention—and who cannot utter back-to-back coherent sentences, much less the truth.

Given Trump's godawful acceptance speech the other day—talk about putting an audience of acolytes (literally) to sleep with a self-indulgent, rambling, diatribe—this year’s political debate now will include Trump's own significant cognitive failings.

And remember: many of the key issues of this race, including abortion (and women’s rights generally), the economy, the defense of Ukraine and protecting the environment all favor the Democrats. (I deliberately do not include border security, an issue that Trump likely will pound to death, but that Dems can counter with the administration’s own much-tighter immigration rules.)

Make no mistake: this will be a tough race, but Democrats are far better positioned now. All they have to do is not screw it up.

It's not too much to say that the future of the world depends on it.

As historian Heather Cox Richardson noted today, Biden’s remaining in the race “open(ed) the way for Trump’s election to install a dictatorship of Christian nationalism.”

But Biden’s decision not to accept his party’s nomination and to concentrate on running the country during his remaining six months in office prompted immediate, and hopeful, signs that the Democrats may not descend into the internecine squabbling that doomed their chances for the White house back in 1968 and 1972.

Again, Heather Cox Richardson:

“Those who might have challenged [Harris’] nomination have stepped up to support her: California governor Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg all backed Harris; Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer said she does not intend to challenge Harris. By tonight, all of the state Democratic Party chairs were on board with Harris. Endorsements continued to pour in. 

“So did money. Following Biden’s endorsement of Harris, donors contributed more than $46.7 million to Democratic races before 9:00 p.m., and major donors, who had paused donations to Biden, have said they will contribute to Harris’s campaign. The Biden-Harris team also managed the paperwork to transfer the $95 million in Biden’s campaign coffers to Harris because the money was raised for the ticket, rather than for Biden alone…” 

This election will hinge on turnout, especially among young people and people of color. There also is the wild card of Middle East policy. I could argue that Biden was far too hesitant for far too long to call Israel’s policy in Gaza genocidal. Kamala Harris, I suspect, would not be hesitant at all to call out Benjamin Netanyahu. Another (potential) plus for Democrats.

Maybe the most telling indicator of how Joe Biden’s departure has changed the political horizon, is the near-hysteria of the GOP leadership. Almost immediately, the usual suspects, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, intoned that if Biden were too weak to be the nominee, he was too weak to be president and should resign immediately.

In nearly the same breath, Johnson said he will sue to try to keep Biden on the Democratic ballot. (Note, too, that we are starting to hear whispers that Trump may not be willing to debate Harris—a former prosecutor who likely would eat Donald’s lunch on the debate stage.)

To Republican threats of trying to legally force Biden to remain on the ballot, Democratic election litigator Marc Elias responded: “if your lawyers are telling you that they can prevent the DNC from nominating its candidate of choice, they are idiots. I know a lot about that, since I beat them more than 60x in court after the 2020 election.”