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A decent man puts country over self; an indecent man puts self over country

After the debate disaster, it was clear that President Biden would have to step down. The timing was the only mystery. Now, he’s left, and anointed his vice president on the way out.

She’s already been endorsed by the money, unions, national legislators, and multiple states’ governors, so the nomination is hers to lose. She’s lived—unfairly—with detractors on both sides. That is about to change as Democrats rally around her. I think you’ll be surprised by these five things:

1) Yes, Harris was a dismal retail pol in 2020. After four intense years of on-the-job training, she’s become a fierce advocate and a commanding public speaker.

2) Women are angry. Look at Kansas and Ohio where Republicans tried their hardest to keep abortion off their referenda ballots…and failed. Harris is more powerful on this issue than anyone I can think of. She’s given voice to tens of millions of women who will show up in November. Trump/Vance has no counter. Here’s a sample quote from JD Vance: “We are effectively run in this country…by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made. And so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too.” How’s that going to play in your home?

3) Of course Trump/Vance will slime her, but Trump won’t debate her. It would be a huge tactical error. She’d wipe the floor with him. By now, we’ve all seen the act; there’s nothing left up his sleeve. His lies and bluster will be met and dismantled live and by her multi-platform ads and outreach.

4) Do not rule out the Never Trump factor. He was supposed to deliver a unifying speech at his coronation, but Trump can’t help being Trump, and while he did well for twenty minutes, he roamed off-script for the next very boring 70 minutes. No surprise, it was a speech filled with negativity about America, and of course grievances. His grievances, not yours or mine. He’s trying to keep a lid on Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s wet-dream of misogyny, racism, totalitarianism and Christian nationalism, but right out of the gate, his running mate is quoting from the P25 manifesto that would give out-sized power to an already reckless man. People with children and grandchildren do not want another four years of chaos from a man they know to be unfit for office, and who is far from an appropriate role model for their offspring. They want a decent person they can proudly point to. Last week, a friend said she would vote for Biden’s head in a jar before letting Trump back in the White House.

5) Invisible to most, is a cadre of digitally-savvy social media pros who have been waiting to be set free. You’ve never heard of Courier Newsroom if you’re not a swing state resident, but Tara McGowan and her cohorts are garnering millions of strategic impressions right where it counts.

Racists, misogynists, theocrats, and authoritarians, won’t be moved, but lots of  Americans will be. Trump was a novel reality TV star when he entered the race in 2016. The novelty has worn off for most. Kamala Harris, should she be the nominee, will do just fine.

She’ll leverage the Biden administration’s accomplishments, and there is much to ballyhoo:

The $1.7 trillion Covid-19 relief package;

The $1 trillion infrastructure rebuild;

The bill lowering medical costs and allowing Medicare to negotiate prices, and the new  $35 fixed-price for insulin;

The bill putting America back in the semiconductor manufacturing business;

The bill protecting same-sex couples from future politicians; and,

Rallying the world in support of Ukraine.

And, importantly, Ol’ Joe will be credited for righting the ship of state, getting us back to our familiar leadership role in the wider world, restoring equilibrium with our allies, and stopping the chaos his predecessor conjured, which, in the words of West Wing creator, Aaron Sorkin was, “a dump truck of ignorance and bad intentions.” Sorkin further imagines what he’d have written if the fictional president’s “opponent had been a dangerous imbecile with an observable psychiatric disorder who related to his supporters on a fourth-grade level and treated the law as something for suckers and poor people, and was a hero to white supremacists.”

With a younger, vibrant, well-qualified female candidate, this race just got a lot more interesting. It’s not the race Donald Trump wanted to run.

©2024 Jon Sinton