In today's overheated political environment, things sure have changed. Quickly. Back in July, after Joe Biden's infamously bad debate performance against Donald Trump, who could have known things would look so different, barely three months later? I was sure caught off guard.
Shortly after that debate, I'd penned a column here in the Pine Belt News on how disastrous Biden's performance had been. At times, he seemed to get lost while answering questions. At others, his expressions made him look clueless, as he listened to "answers" provided by Trump to debate questions. Along with political pundits a lot smarter than I, and to the millions of everyday Americans watching the debate, the notion of Biden's cognitive decline was front-of-mind.
But while his memory lapses and puzzled expressions were cause for concern, Trump's own statements weren't much better. We had two old men, both past their physical and psychological prime, running for President of the United States. Woe was us.
After June's debate, rumblings rose over whether Biden was up to another four years of governing. Actor and Democratic stalwart George Clooney tossed a firebomb into that discussion with an editorial he wrote in The New York Times. The headline read, "I love Joe Biden, but we need a new nominee." Ouch! It should be noted that only weeks earlier, Clooney had hosted a star-studded fundraiser on Biden's behalf in Los Angeles. While there, engaging the president, Clooney observed a Joe Biden who was not as sharp as the candidate he'd known just a few years earlier.
After Clooney's column made headlines, the drumbeat grew louder, with one Democratic member of Congress after another joining the chorus for Biden to step aside. In spite of all the musing, Biden refused to end his quest for a second term, declaring that it would take the words of God almighty to make him step aside. I guess he meant former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. After her private meeting with Biden at the White House, it would appear that the die was cast. Former Presidents Clinton and Obama are said to have been in the mix as well, offering words of wisdom to Biden. By then, seven out of ten voters thought he should step down, including a majority of Democrats.
All of those talks and concerns were taking place in mid-July, the same week I had to leave town for a trip to Los Angeles. While there, from my hotel room, I encountered one of those moments in life where you never forget where you were when a big news story breaks. Preparing to check out, the room's TV was tuned to one of the cable news networks I spend too much time watching. President Biden was pulling out of the race for a second term. talk about an unexpected bombshell. What were the Democrats going to do now?
I've made it no secret that I never thought Biden should have run for a second term. My feeling was that he should have made the announcement to not run again late last year, opening the door for a Democratic primary that would have taken place during the traditional months, late winter into early summer. That would have given all of the candidates interested in the job time to establish themselves with the voting public, until a nominee was chosen. And of course, Vice President Kamala Harris would have been in the mix of potential nominees. But that's not the way things worked out.
Biden would go on to announce that he would be endorsing his Vice President to run in his stead. In an impressive move, Harris went to work almost immediately, shoring up support for a run. For a party known more for forming circular firing squads around its members than for unity, the Democrats efficiently came together on this one. To their credit, Democrats are more diverse (on a number of levels) than their Republican colleagues, not blindly following a particular candidate. That can make it a challenge getting them to come together, but this time, they pulled it off in remarkable style.
It wasn't just the American public stunned by Biden's decision to not seek a second term; Republican operatives were caught completely unprepared. Even more importantly, their candidate was not pleased, at all. No doubt, Trump would have preferred running against Biden who, as we discovered during the debate, can come off as a feeble and confused old man. And, sure, the same can be said about Trump, who is only three years younger than Biden. But, for some reason, the media seemed to pay particularly close attention to Biden's verbal missteps and doubt of his cognitive abilities. But the tables had been turned. Up against the fresh-faced Harris, it's Trump who comes off as the worn, feckless senior citizen.
With what was described by many as a successful and energized convention, the Democrats had to reintroduce Harris to American voters. Her entry into the race turned the campaign on its head. Following the Biden/Trump debate faceoff, you could have put me in the same camp as George Clooney. The Democrats were setting themselves up for, possibly, an electoral college disaster this fall. That is not to say that Harris is on her way to victory in November; this race is still shaping up to be a nailbiter. But with Harris, and her VP running mate, Tim Walz, the Dems have a much better shot at pulling off a victory. In fact, I've heard a few cable news talking heads predict a Harris victory, cautiously anyway. That includes Bill Maher, host of my Friday night must-watch show on HBO, Real Time. Maher, not one prone to making such predictions, has declared Trump will lose this election. Me? I'm not so sure.
It should be noted that Maher was ridiculed during the 2020 election cycle, insisting that even if Trump lost, he would not leave the White House. Turns out he was right on that one, to a degree anyway. His prediction was a precursor to what we would witness on January 6, 2021, when the United States Capitol Building was attacked by Trump supporters' intent on stopping congressional certification of the electoral college results.
With all that said, the only thing I'm sure of is that we have a contentious Election Day coming up, not to mention the days following. Presidential election nights have always been one of my favorite nights of television viewing. I love the thrill of watching the votes come in, especially when it looks like the candidate I support is going to win. But, this time, my excitement will be mixed with fear.
If the handful of pundits predicting a Harris victory are right and she pulls off a win, do not expect his supporters to graciously accept defeat, nor a fulsome concession speech from Donald Trump. Oh, but no. Expect an even worse redo of the 2020 election debacle. If he loses, Trump will never concede, just like he didn't last time. Expect him to, once again, upend the democratic tradition that makes America, you know, "great." What happens on this Election Day is anybody's guess. All I can say is, fasten your seat belts, America. It's going to be a bumpy fall.
—
Elijah Jones is a proud Hattiesburg native who enjoys writing. Email him at edjhubtown@aol.com.
