Joe Biden and Kamala Harris after he named her his running mate in 2020. (Photo: Biden campaign/Adam Schultz)
July 12, 2024 by David Silverberg
There may be a simple solution to the dilemma that Democrats are facing right now in the presidential race.
Perhaps switching the presidential ticket to Kamala Harris for President and Joe Biden for Vice President would be a winning combination that will preserve democracy, defeat Donald Trump, and protect the United States from the ravages of dictatorship, tyranny and terror.
This ticket will put the younger, dynamic face of Kamala Harris at the front of the Democratic campaign while keeping the wisdom, maturity and steadiness of Joe Biden in the administration. The two have successfully collaborated and could continue their partnership after winning election. Together they could build on their record, “finish the job” as Biden has declared he wants to do—and then go on to new initiatives.
It would be perfectly legal. Biden has served a single term as president and is eligible to serve another if called upon to do so. It would also preserve the campaign fundraising done to date. It could unite the entire Democratic coalition again: Democrats who stand with Biden with those concerned about his ability to win, those who support Harris and ethnic, immigrant and progressive communities. Printers wouldn’t even have to change the typeface on the campaign signs.
Of course, at the moment Biden is adamant that he’s all in, that he can win and that he has the wherewithal to do it. As he has pointed out, the campaign hasn’t even kicked into high gear yet. He’s probably right.
But the questions about his capabilities are overshadowing the real issue of this year’s election: whether the United States will remain a democracy or be ground under the criminal heel of Donald Trump, his cult and Project 2025.
Obviously, this decision would require the consent the principals and have to be ratified by the entire Democratic Party.
Moreover, this is a proposal coming out of nowhere, far from the power centers of Washington, DC, and the Party’s inner circle but this author hasn’t seen it proposed anywhere else.
At least it’s an option and worth considering.
If America is to remain the citadel of democracy, if Americans are to remain free, if the world isn’t to surrender to Vladimir Putin and the forces of autocracy, Donald Trump and dictatorship must be defeated.
A Harris-Biden ticket would have a high likelihood of doing that.
Liberty lives in light
© 2024 by David Silverberg