Douglas Giles, PhD
If it’s really about defeating Trump, it’s time to turn to Kamala Harris
Yes, we’ve all been there. In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, I had to convince my father to move into assisted living. He had lost mental and physical capacity. It was a series of extraordinarily difficult conversations, but they had to be made for his own good to prevent him from harming himself.
The Democratic party is having its own series of extraordinarily difficult conversations. I am not a Democratic party member or supporter, but I sympathize with their current plight.
The reality is that President Joe Biden is a decent person who has a long and noteworthy history of service to his country but has lost mental and physical capacity. My father was only a danger to himself. Joe Biden is a danger to everyone.
Make the Election about Trump Instead of about Biden
Studying the right wing is one of my research specialties. I understand what the right wing is about. Some of the anti-Trump rhetoric is exaggerated, to be sure, but there’s no question that the forces that a Trump presidency would unleash would be very bad.
I want to support whoever can win over Trump. Here’s the reality: if we want to get rid of Trump, we first have to get rid of Biden.
This isn’t about the debate. The Biden campaign wants to believe that the debate debacle was a onetime event that they can put in their rear-view mirror and carry on. That’s denial, plain and simple.
Biden’s debate disaster wasn’t some onetime event. Remember that going into the debate everyone, including his own camp, was holding their breath hoping Biden wouldn’t show that he’s lost capacity.
But he did show a shocking and disturbing level of frailty. Biden’s performance, or lack thereof, turned the world’s attention away from Trump’s lies to Biden’s health and acuity. That’s highly problematic.
Biden’s capacity to perform the toughest job in the world has been a simmering issue for five years. Now that issue is boiling over.
No number of reassurances from Biden’s staff, evasions from his press secretary, or attacks from loyalists against anyone who dares to address the issue will make the issue go away. Everyone — friend and foe and bystanders — will be watching for Biden’s next slipup, next stumble, next blank moment. The election will fixate on Biden’s mental shortcomings when it needs to center on Trump’s ethical shortcomings.
The recent combativeness from Biden and his team is making matters worse. As Biden increasingly becomes another angry old man in denial, he becomes decreasingly likely to defeat angry old man in denial Trump. As long as Biden is the candidate, Trump and the Project 2025 right-wing agenda gets a pass. That should upset you far more than people questioning Biden.
If Democrats care about stopping Trump, they need to put aside false ideologies of “Biden deserves the chance to run” and do what is best for everyone. It is time to intervene.
Who should replace Biden as the candidate? A number of names have been floated, but there is only one viable solution: Vice President Kamala Harris.
Why Harris?
I’m not a fan of Harris, but she is the only reasonable move still available to the Democrats. She is known; she is vetted; she is already a semi-incumbent who can do the job immediately with a smooth transition to a new administration.
Most importantly, Harris is already part of the campaign team and has — I’m led to understand — the legal ability to take over all of the campaign’s money and other assets. Any other replacement would have to start from zero. She’s the only person who can step in and mount a campaign seamlessly and immediately.
Again, I’m no fan of Harris, but I am a big fan of stopping Trump and the right-wingers who want to use him to gain power. And yes, as I explain in my forthcoming book, Why Trump?, he is a focal point for a larger movement.
The Democratic party spokespeople are correct in saying that there’s an anti-MAGA majority in the US and has been for years. Yes, true, but the Democrats have to offer people a reason to vote. It should be painfully obvious that fear of the far-Right is not enough of a motivator. It doesn’t matter if it should be or not — it isn’t. Trotting out angry old man Biden isn’t going to motivate enough people to vote. That is also painfully obvious.
Harris knows how to connect with and motivate people. She knows how to work a crowd and communicate. She can win over Trump. THAT is what matters.
Will the Democrats own up to their responsibilities? We shall see. Sadly, there are some in the party establishment who have the wrong priorities.
If Democrats care about stopping Trump, they’ll replace Biden with Harris. If Democrats would rather help Trump win, they will “stay the course.” Would the Democratic party establishment rather lose with Biden than win with Harris?
The world waits.
Further Reading
Democrats don’t just need a new candidate. They need a reckoning | Osita Nwanevu
Democrats will be impotent messengers on democracy as long as they remain beholden to the feudal culture this crisis…www.theguardian.com
Joe Biden now relies on instruction manuals, so here’s a good one: ‘Walk to podium, smile, wave…
He thinks he can run again: the signs say the opposite. Biden’s best hope for beating Trump may be to let someone else…www.theguardian.com
How The Fear of a Black Woman President is Stirring Discourse
An essay examining the resistance to black political powerallyfromnola.medium.com
What would a Harris candidacy mean for the elusive independent woman voter?
Polling shows critical group unenthused about Biden and Trump – and moved by economy over abortionwww.theguardian.com