Defeat

"Democrats probably could have found a more saleable candidate — one distanced from Biden who had built a national base by winning votes in primaries. But the 81-year-old president stubbornly refused to acknowledge his physical and cognitive decline and didn’t bow out of the race until it was too late for the party to conduct a healthy replacement process." - George Skelton "The Los Angeles Times" November 3rd 2024

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When Joe Biden eventually resigned from the presidential race on July 21st, it was far too late for The Democratic Party to go through the usual procedures to choose a new candidate. Instead, for expediency, it had to be the Vice President who had been Mr Biden's personal pick ahead of the 2020 election. 

In spite of achieving her candidacy by default, Kamala Harris came across as capable, articulate, unifying and trustworthy. She fought a good fight. It is a shame that we shall never know how her presidency might have been. She was always going to be associated with the incumbent's record even though she had simply been his loyal lieutenant.

In the eyes of thousands of centre and right of centre white Americans there were three other things that undoubtedly counted against her - she was a Californian woman of colour. Though liberally minded citizens might have been ready for such a president, the traditional centre and centre right were demonstrably not.

Now we have to endure that boorish, spiteful, aging egotist back in The White House with his cartoonish view of the world. What further damage will he cause? And I don't know if you agree with me or not but a big chunk of the blame for what has happened lies with the fellow at the top of this post and possibly the woman below. Witnessing his decline firsthand, did she urge her husband to quit the race months earlier? We may never know.

Jill Biden

from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/fWO5Zl9