A preordained, carefully scripted coronation, or a food fight at a cannibal’s banquet?
To the surprise of no one, Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid following his disastrous debate performance and the failure of subsequent “softball” interviews with pre-cleared questions to reassure the public of his mental soundness. Years of media boosterism and coverups trying to convince us that Joe was sharp as a tack, proved futile in the face of televised reality.
Biden then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination. Most of the party potentates promptly joined in pledging fealty, in an impressive display of at least momentary party discipline, sending Democrats the clear message: “It’s been decided. Join in or else.” The same folks who long assured us that Biden was in good shape are now assuring us that, despite her electoral disappointments, we all love Kamala.
How will this installation sit with the voters who had voted for the moderate Biden and are now being told to support the progressive Harris? Harris is deeply unpopular, even among Democrats, as illustrated by her dismal showing in her own presidential run in 2020. Her tenure as VP has done little to rehabilitate her image, as illustrated by her failure with the illegal immigration portfolio. The nonsensical “word salads” that erupt when she speaks are not reassuring. Go check them out on YouTube. Her main qualification is that she is not Donald Trump—not a high bar.
Harris is a progressive who was named to sooth the extreme left’s unhappiness with a moderate Joe Biden and has lots of baggage from prior positions to answer for.
She tried to raise money to bail out rioters during the George Floyd riots, something that will cast doubts on the sincerity of a Democratic Party that is trying to convince us that they didn’t actually support the politically unpopular defunding of the police. She was anti-vax in 2020, declaring that she wouldn’t trust Trump’s word on the reliability of any COVID vaccine. Her rise in politics through the political patronage of married boyfriend Willie Brown, a California power broker, may concern women who disapprove of the message given to girls from using a romantic liaison with a powerful man as an acceptable way for a woman to advance her career.
The Democrats are trapped with a nightmare candidate and trying to put on a brave and unified face. To some Democrats, it is only “fair” that Harris be given the nomination due to her role as VP. Ask Hillary Clinton how well the entitled “it’s my turn” attitude worked out with the general electorate. But even more destructively, she is seen as the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) candidate, primarily because Joe Biden famously promised to name a Black woman as his running mate in 2020. Limiting his search to just 7 percent of the population may have helped him secure the 2020 nomination, but it left him with a running mate with questionable qualifications.
Doubt my DEI characterization? Now the Democrats are stuck with a perception by many that the nomination “belongs” to a Black woman, and that nominating anyone else will be an unforgivable betrayal. We had Michele Obama, and even Oprah, being proposed as alternatives because they would satisfy these expectations, and despite the fact that neither has any political experience nor has expressed any interest in running.
The Democrats are the victim of their own infatuation with DEI. DEI may play well with the identity-obsessed progressive Democrats, but it is much less popular with the American mainstream.
As of this writing, no one has dared to challenge Harris after party poobahs made it clear that any Democrat who tries faces political excommunication. This is like a politically enforced suicide pact. Many Democrats have questioned her electability and worry about the effects of a loss down-ballot. Will they jump into the electoral abyss with her in the name of party solidarity?
So far, Democratic constituencies are playing nice with each other, but that will change as Harris is forced to disclose her intended policies. Will she continue Biden’s support of Israel in the Gaza war, or will she yield to the demands of her own progressives to tilt toward the Palestinians and abandon Israel? With future U.S. policy now up for grabs, progressives will be especially energized and ready to rumble to force compliance. There is no middle-ground compromise available, and either choice will cost them a lot of votes from their base.
Perhaps we’ll see a replay of the violent 1968 Chicago convention riots that helped elect Nixon. Will Chicago police risk the “optics” of forcibly controlling the rioters, er, rather, the “mostly peaceful demonstrators,” or will they surrender the streets to the mob and feed public misgivings about the ability of Democrats to maintain order?
I’m betting on the Democrats eating their own at the convention. Grab the popcorn! Things are about to get pretty lively. Δ
John Donegan is a retired attorney in Pismo Beach who is delighted to see chaos and dysfunction among the Democrats, instead of the Republicans. Email a response for publication to letters@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Aug 1-11, 2024.
We’re right back to 1968 with this column. Not the reference to the Democratic Convention, but Donegan’s knuckle-dragging “she slept her way to the top.” If I weren’t voting on policy, I’d still prefer someone who had an affair with a married man who was separated, than a convicted rapist and BFF with Jeffrey Epstein.
Hey John, I know you will never change your mind being that you are a pretty typical conservative that jumps when Donny says to, but I did wonder if you reflected on your own party when writing this piece. You claim that the democratic party runs on a “Join in or else” attitude, do you feel that the conservative movement is any different? On January 13 of 2021, nine republicans voted for the second impeachment of Donald Trump. Every one of them faced extreme and very public backlash from their own party for not falling in line with what Trump wanted. Today not a single one of them still holds office because of that backlash. But of course, it is the Democratic party alone that has to “Join in or else” with party leadership, right?
@ Steve Felton: Let’s review: Harris started dated Willie Brown when she was 29, and he was 60 (a 31 year difference), and was Speaker of the Assembly. He then appointed her to well-paid positions on a board and a commission, and introduced her to various Sacramento power brokers. Next to Harris, Anna Nicole Smith was a raging feminist. FYI: Your boy Bill Clinton was a great pal of Jeffrey Epstein, and visited his island to kindly “mentor” youth.
@ Carson: It is not much of an endorsement of your candidate to support her with “yeah, well what about Trump?” And at least we Republicans were allowed to vote on our candidate. You Democrats apparently couldn’t be trusted to choose a nominee, and had the party big shots choose one for you.
“Poobahs?” I always figured Mr. Donegan drew most of his inspiration for this column from the Cartoon Network. Fred and Barney would be proud.
DEI?
ELECTED to DA, AG of California (first female n the US), and US senate. Yes I could see how she’s simply a DEI hire *shaking head *
Yes the republicon party doesn’t stand lock step, lol
Kamala Harris tweeted support for a bail fund, but the money didn’t just assist protesters
She literally said “chip in now to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota.”
Yes, post bail for protesters. Can you show me where that is illegal or wrong?
More right wing nonsense
Yet more Right Wing echo chamber B.S.
Buckle up, Madame President is in your future.