By Daniel Nardini
In March of this year, the primaries basically decided who would be the nominee for both the Democratic and Republican parties. For the Republican Party it is Donald Trump. For the Democratic Party it was current U.S. President Joe Biden. Over 14 million Democratic voters wanted Biden. The primaries have been an important part of the political process for almost two centuries, and Biden won the popular vote for his party. Less than a month after the first presidential debate, Biden dropped out of the race and had chosen his Vice-president Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee. How did this happen? Harris was not on the ballot of primary candidates, and now suddenly she is the one people will have to vote for this coming November.
In my view, there were two things happening. First, a growing chorus of Democrats wanted Biden out because he did not “look good” after the first presidential debate. Finally, there was a power struggle within the Democratic Party where progressives and the political left wanted a younger candidate who would be more amenable to their more radical ideas. It was clear that Biden would not do, and so the powers that be wanted to change amid course. They did. They chose Kamala Harris to be the new presidential nominee. But who are the people who chose Harris? The top leadership of the Democratic Party. This includes the top political figures both currently in government and “retired.” According to U.S. House of Representatives member Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, there were numerous back-and-forth meetings at the highest levels of what to do. Her account is in my view the most revealing of the secret meetings taking place at the highest echelons of the Democratic Party.
Second, clearly the U.S. news media in so many ways was making its bias known that it did not want what they described as a tired, 81 year old man whom they described as in “cognitive decline.” There is no doubt that powerful people in the Democratic Party were deliberately leaking this information to the press to build momentum to get Biden out of the campaign. All of this seemed to have worked. Biden is out and Harris is the “anointed” one. The news media seems to have in so many ways fallen into line with a Harris run for the presidency, and the Democratic Party is now fully behind her and with it all of the machinery of finance and campaigning expertise it has that will no doubt make an incredible difference in the months to come.
Strategically, putting Kamala Harris into the position of being the candidate for the presidency was a brilliant move. She is young (59 years old), she is an excellent speaker, she has been involved in many campaigns long before, and she can hold her own in a debate. She can draw in the women’s vote, the racial, religious and ethnic minorities vote, and she can draw in the liberal and progressive crowds as well. The fact that she is a much younger person will make it harder for the Republicans to project Donald Trump as a capable candidate because of his age (78 years old), and his cognitive decline in speaking and being able to hold his own in a debate. On all of these counts Kamala Harris holds all of the advantages. What bothers me is that the political and economically powerful within the Democratic Party made this decision and not the voters. To which I ask the questions what was the point of the primary if 14 million Democratic voters can be so easily disenfranchised? If a few select people can install the candidate of their choosing, then how is this going to protect and preserve democracy? >From what I can see, the Democratic Party as we knew it is no more. It is made up of elites who really decide everything in the end just like in the Republican Party.
Rule by the Elites – Part 2
By Daniel Nardini
In my view, there were two things happening. First, a growing chorus of Democrats wanted Biden out because he did not “look good” after the first presidential debate. Finally, there was a power struggle within the Democratic Party where progressives and the political left wanted a younger candidate who would be more amenable to their more radical ideas. It was clear that Biden would not do, and so the powers that be wanted to change amid course. They did. They chose Kamala Harris to be the new presidential nominee. But who are the people who chose Harris? The top leadership of the Democratic Party. This includes the top political figures both currently in government and “retired.” According to U.S. House of Representatives member Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, there were numerous back-and-forth meetings at the highest levels of what to do. Her account is in my view the most revealing of the secret meetings taking place at the highest echelons of the Democratic Party.
Second, clearly the U.S. news media in so many ways was making its bias known that it did not want what they described as a tired, 81 year old man whom they described as in “cognitive decline.” There is no doubt that powerful people in the Democratic Party were deliberately leaking this information to the press to build momentum to get Biden out of the campaign. All of this seemed to have worked. Biden is out and Harris is the “anointed” one. The news media seems to have in so many ways fallen into line with a Harris run for the presidency, and the Democratic Party is now fully behind her and with it all of the machinery of finance and campaigning expertise it has that will no doubt make an incredible difference in the months to come.
Strategically, putting Kamala Harris into the position of being the candidate for the presidency was a brilliant move. She is young (59 years old), she is an excellent speaker, she has been involved in many campaigns long before, and she can hold her own in a debate. She can draw in the women’s vote, the racial, religious and ethnic minorities vote, and she can draw in the liberal and progressive crowds as well. The fact that she is a much younger person will make it harder for the Republicans to project Donald Trump as a capable candidate because of his age (78 years old), and his cognitive decline in speaking and being able to hold his own in a debate. On all of these counts Kamala Harris holds all of the advantages. What bothers me is that the political and economically powerful within the Democratic Party made this decision and not the voters. To which I ask the questions what was the point of the primary if 14 million Democratic voters can be so easily disenfranchised? If a few select people can install the candidate of their choosing, then how is this going to protect and preserve democracy? >From what I can see, the Democratic Party as we knew it is no more. It is made up of elites who really decide everything in the end just like in the Republican Party.