Key Takeaways:
– Repercussions are being felt in the Democratic Party after reelecting Joe Biden.
– Voices inside the party suggest Kamala Harris could have run for office if Biden hadn’t.
– Democrats haven’t won a presidential election without Biden on the ticket since 1996.
– Identity politics came into play with the selection of Kamala Harris as the running mate.
– Critiques suggest having Harris as a frontrunner was more about her identity than popularity or principles.
– The age and condition of leading Democrats like Biden and Harris have raised concerns about the party’s future leadership.
Democrats Reflecting On Biden’s Re-run
As Joe Biden’s presidency draws to its end within weeks, numerous Democrats are reflecting on the situation with mixed feelings. Many hold the view that Biden’s decision to run for reelection effectively handed the White House back to Donald Trump. Perhaps, as proponents of this theory suggest, if Biden had stepped aside, Deputy President Kamala Harris might have had a more successful run.
Biden, Democrats, and Winning Streaks
However, speculations aside, a crucial fact is that the Democrats had not won a single presidential election without Biden’s name on their ticket since 1996. Indeed, some might say Barack Obama himself needed Biden’s charisma and influence. This prompts certain questions about the Democrats’ pool of leaders at the time. Had they paid more attention, they might have skirted the hurdle which some believe led to their defeat – the appointment of Kamala Harris.
The Question of Age and Ability
The Democrats were aware that Biden, already 77 in 2020, might struggle with the rigors of presidential duties. However, amid the Covid-19 lockdowns, his presumed lack of cogency and vigor was not a noticeable concern. There was no campaign trail to test his mettle. Yet if Biden was their best bet for the executive seat, what did this say about the party’s inventory of leaders?
Lost Opportunities and Emerging Problems
The Obama presidency, for example, missed the opportunity to groom a leader from its own generation. Gone were the chances to foster a new generation of leadership. The then-Senator Hillary Clinton commanded all attention during the 2016 primaries, leaving scant space for someone else to rise to prominence. The exception was Bernie Sanders who challenged her from the left. However, the senior Democrats’ actions effectively deprived the younger generation of an opportunity to emerge.
The Role of Identity Politics
In the context of this leadership gap, the Democrats seemed to champion identity politics. In the wake of Biden’s perceived fallibility as a two-term president, Kamala Harris came onboard as his running mate. Interestingly, Harris’s selling point wasn’t her popularity with voters. Following Clinton’s campaign, the Democrats felt the need for female representation. Add into this mix the matter of racial diversity, which became paramount following the George Floyd incident, selecting Harris seemed all but inevitable.
The Cost of Identity Politics
However, this strategy arguably backfired. By selecting candidates based on identity alone, the Democrats risked losing, a lesson they didn’t seem to learn from Clinton’s term. Insiders defended Biden’s re-run, despite knowing of his condition, for fear of leaving the party’s fortunes to Harris. The stark choice, it seemed, was between Biden and Harris, the former being perceived as the stronger candidate until the end.
The Aftermath and Future Reflections
The Democratic party’s fate, it seems, was sealed in 2020. Harris, the elected substitute for Biden, couldn’t win, even when her opponent was painted negatively by the media. The party’s heavy investment in identity politics, and their aging leadership like Biden, Harris, Clinton, and Obama, have brought questions about the future of the party. It remains to be seen if these election results will prompt them to reassess their strategies and relation to affirmative action. The nation’s voters certainly made their preferences clear. The question left is whether the Democrats are willing to pay heed to these sentiments.