With President Joe Biden announcing Sunday that he has finally accepted the reality that his presidential campaign has become untenable, the “What now?†looms large. The party division, infighting and chaos that nervous Democrats have spent weeks dreading if Biden leaves the ticket may well be just around the corner.
Or not.
While some division is likely and chaos possible in the post-Biden nominating process, the party would do well to get out of the fetal position and back into this race.
The situation should be viewed not as a crisis but an opportunity. Now that Biden has ended the will-he-or-won’t-he drama and cleared the way for a more credible ticket, Democrats will actually be able to consider some fresh new voices.
And just as important, they will finally be able to put the focus of this race back where it belongs: on a fundamentally unfit opponent who has been getting too many free passes for his typically unhinged behavior as the country has been distracted watching Biden slowly traverse the four stages of grief.
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In terms of a replacement, Vice President Kamala Harris would be the natural frontrunner by virtue of her office. Biden on Sunday offered his full endorsement of her.
Harris brings some baggage, including approval ratings almost as low as Biden’s. But reaching around her for another nominee — especially one who isn’t a woman of color — could well deepen in-party divisions and lose enthusiasm from crucial quarters of the Democratic coalition.
Further, Harris arguably hasn’t had a fair opportunity to demonstrate her political potential. Former President Barack Obama made then-Vice President Biden a partner in his administration and elevated his profile in numerous positive ways; Biden gave Harris the suicide mission of fixing the border. She deserves the chance to make her case in the nominating process.
But it shouldn’t be a coronation. Polling indicates — Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — each would perform better than either Biden or Harris.
Less strategically obvious but still interesting possibilities being aired for either the top or the bottom of the ticket have included Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. The point is, Democrats have plenty of depth to their bench.
The procedural nuts and bolts of how switching horses would work will inevitably become complicated — especially the sticky question of how the money already raised by the Biden-Harris campaign could legally be used by any candidate other than Harris — but that’s what lawyers are for.
More urgent on the ground is how the party navigates the politics of the situation. And that’s where the opportunity lies.
Some have suggested a series of mini-debates between the top handful of contenders, culminating with a decision by delegates at the Democratic National Convention in mid-August. If Democrats can resist their natural inclination to break into bickering factions, they could present the country with a truly vibrant conversation that properly highlights Biden’s first-term achievements while turning the focus to the nation’s future.
An optimistic vision, presented by smart new voices on the national stage, would stand in stark contrast to the cult-of-personality nihilism that the Republicans showed the country last week.
Former President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech in Milwaukee on Thursday should be enough to remind Democrats that this is still a winnable race.
Trump’s speech began with a gripping and effective account of the recent attempt on his life. A candidate with anything resembling self-control would have capped that with a few platitudes and called it a night.
Instead, Trump devolved into what attendees see at his rallies: apocalyptic assessments of America, childish name-calling at critics, hate-filled rhetoric toward immigrants, bizarre references with no discernible point (again with Hannibal Lecter?), lies, lies and more lies — all wrapped in rambling self-adulation.
Americans who don’t regularly watch Trump’s rallies were given a reminder last week of just what kind of man this is: a thoroughly unfit candidate for president who tried to overthrow an election and who cannot be entrusted with power again.
Democrats now have the opportunity to press that case with a force and clarity that has been unavailable recently. They must not blow it.
Note: This editorial has been updated to reflect Biden's announcement Sunday that he is ending his re-election campaign.