(C) Daily Montanan
This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



A sudden shift of enthusiasm • Daily Montanan [1]

['Russell Rowland', 'Steve Corbin', 'Stephanie Mcdowell', 'Jim Elliott', 'More From Author', 'August', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline']

Date: 2024-08-13

I’ve been trying to think of the last time there was such a dramatic shift in a political race than the one we experienced in the past couple of weeks with Joe Biden stepping down. The closest thing I could think of, at least in my lifetime, was when Bobby Kennedy declared his candidacy in 1967, which is a bit ironic considering the unbearable presence of RFK’s son in this year’s proceedings.

In 1967, Lyndon Johnson’s popularity had waned, trampled by his inability to come up with a solution to the Vietnam war. At that time, people were also still reveling in the very starry-eyed fantasies about what might have been if JFK had been able to complete a full term in office, much less a second term.

The excitement generated by Bobby’s decision to run had a profound effect on Johnson, of course, as he saw how much more popular Kennedy was, especially with younger voters. It must have been a bitter pill for him to swallow, knowing how much these two men despised each other. But much like Biden, Johnson was able to put the country’s interests ahead of his own very healthy ambitions, and declare that he wouldn’t seek a second term.

We all know how tragically that all played out, and Kennedy’s assassination seemed to throw the Democratic party into a state of chaos, as evidenced by what happened at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Aside from the riots and looting that was happening in the streets, there was also a floundering lack of consensus inside the building about who was the best choice for their next candidate that year, and they ended up settling on Johnson’s solid but bland vice president, Hubert H. Humphrey…oddly enough, a Minnesota guy.

Even before Joe Biden had the disastrous debate with the former president, I was among the many who were feeling very uninspired about his decision to run again. There’s plenty of evidence to support the fact that Biden has been one of the most effective presidents in a very long time, but he has never had that “wow” factor that generates the kind of excitement that many other politicians seem to have. As smart and articulate as he can be, he was never a great speaker even as a younger man.

So when he completely blundered that debate, the feeling that the country was doomed to another four years of Donald Trump was palpable among my friends. And even when people started suggesting that Biden step down, it felt as if it would just be applying a band aid to a gaping head wound.

So I think many of us found it shocking that Biden’s announcement generated a massive surge of hope and enthusiasm among legions of Democrats. And it wasn’t anything Kamala Harris did, although the initial speeches she gave were impressive, not to mention bold. But it seemed as if the main reason there was such a massive influx of donations and excitement was the simple fact that everyone suddenly agreed on something. The circular firing squad that has defined the Democratic party for the past decade decided to put their rifles in their cases and lock arms in solidarity for once.

And the impact that simple moment has had on Trump and his handlers has been a joy to behold. Trump’s most recent tweet about the whole situation presented one of the most bizarre scenarios in his already bizarre repertoire when he suggested that Kamala and Obama, and a few of his other favorite enemies, stole the election from Joe Biden, and that he wouldn’t be surprised if Sleepy Joe shows up at the convention to claim his title back. Trump basically showed his hand, making it more than obvious that he is scared to death of Harris.

It is obviously impossible to know how everything will play out in November. But it’s almost impossible to overlook the possibility that this shift in energy and optimism among Democrats, which has just been reinforced once again with Harris’ choice for her running mate, is giving everyone some hope that we might not be hostages to Donald Trump’s narcissistic hijacking of the American people at last. It’s been an exhausting journey, wondering whether this man, who I believe is the worst human being in the history of America, will ever be held accountable for his behavior.

Hope is important. Hope is vital. And it is especially rejuvenating when it comes in such an unexpected manner.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/08/13/a-sudden-shift-of-enthusiasm/

Published and (C) by Daily Montanan
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/