Ricardo Pascoe Pierce
Joe Biden, the current President of the United States, has made a significant decision to withdraw from the reelection campaign. This decision, while it may bring relief to some, also ushers in a period of uncertainty and potential upheaval within the Democratic Party, a moment of great importance for the party and the world at large.
In a letter addressed to “my fellow Americans,” President Biden explained that he believed it was in “the best interests of my party and the country” to withdraw from the campaign and devote his energy to defending the country in times of significant challenges. He also thanked Vice President Kamala Harris for her support.
The Economist magazine’s tracking of polls reported that, due to Biden’s disastrous participation in a debate with Trump, the Democrat is falling behind the Republican. The setback came when they had been tied for many previous months, even with Democratic advantages in so-called “key states.” These key states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, are crucial in the U.S. election as they have a significant number of delegates. In those states, the fight for the presidency is conclusive because of the electoral system of counting delegates per state, which defines the outcome, not the popular vote.
The Trump campaign, recently anointed by the Republican Party as its presidential candidate for the third time, would have preferred Biden to be the Democratic candidate. It considered him to be the easiest candidate to beat in the race.
After releasing his letter indicating his resignation from the presidential nomination, Biden proposed that the Democratic Party adopt Kamala Harris, the vice president, as its presidential nominee. Several traditional Democratic leadership figures, including the Clinton couple, began to express their support for Kamala’s candidacy.
In four weeks, the Democratic Party will hold its convention to decide who will represent it in the November elections. This convention is particularly significant in the wake of Biden’s withdrawal, as it will determine the new Democratic candidate. At this moment, the internal debate among Democrats is about whether the Democratic convention should have several options to define the presidential candidacy or whether they should support Kamala Harris without discussion and go to the campaign at once.
Defining who replaces Biden is crucial for the Democrats (and the world) to defeat Trump in November. America’s leading newspapers have expressed extreme alarm at Trump’s speeches and his vice presidential nominee at the Republican convention. Extremism, populism, and threats against his opponents, in addition to dividing the country into good guys and bad guys, placed a possible future Trump administration in the path of authoritarian leaders such as Putin, Xi, Orban, Ortega, and Maduro, among others. The New York Times and the Washington Post have expressed their opposition to the Republican candidacy, considering that this party breaks with the traditional ideology it held by leaning towards an extremist right-wing with fascist traits.
Kamala Harris announced that she would “win the nomination” of the Democratic Party and was preparing for the presidential campaign. The Democratic Party has yet to define the route for the nomination at the convention, which will be held in a month.
The upcoming U.S. election holds the future of the world in its balance. It’s a pivotal moment in the global debate between the liberal and democratic world and the authoritarian and anti-democratic world. The outcome of this election will have far-reaching implications, and the uncertainty that currently reigns in the United States is felt across the globe.
[email protected]
@rpascoep
Further Reading: