For starters, we saw during Biden’s ordeal that no presidential candidate runs as a solo act. You need a party, a team, a donor base and a throng of volunteers. Biden lost his support team, which gave way to the inevitable. By contrast, Vice President Harris has the benefit of a tsunami of money from reengaged donors and the enthusiasm of a belatedly united party. (She already has 94 percent support among Democrats, according to one poll, a remarkable sign of the speed with which she has unified the party.) Democratic constituent groups — from organized labor to Emily’s List — are raring to go.
The Democratic Party, not always known for unity and coordination, made the switch at the top of the ticket with remarkable speed and deftness as soon as Biden made his decision. Compared with Republicans, who seem to be caught entirely flat-footed by losing their favorite political punching bag, Democrats find themselves united, enthusiastic and focused. Maneuvering expertly, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and other senior Democrats broke through the wall of denial set up by Biden’s inner circle. By Tuesday, Harris had effectively sewed up the nomination. Not bad for a party that had been agonizing for three weeks. This bodes well for the race to Election Day. (The lightning-quick accumulation of delegates left a handful of disappointed pundits pining for a convention fight; they seemed not to realize no Democrat had an interest in taking on Harris.)
As Democrats hoped, the difference between candidates was immediately evident in Harris’s appearances at campaign headquarters and then at a Wisconsin rally. She was vibrant, full-throated and aggressive. The crowd in Wisconsin was ecstatic. Prepare for the “prosecutor vs. felon” framing. She recited her experience as a district attorney and California attorney general. “Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said at the rally.
The 59-year-old vice president can convincingly argue her case: “Our campaign has always been about two different visions for our country. One focused on the future, and one focused on the past. Donald Trump wants to take our country backwards,” she said to campaign staff in Wilmington, Del. “We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead,” she later said in Wisconsin. As a younger candidate, she now can make this election about a generational change — to the relief of voters dreading a race between two old White guys.
Finally, it bears remembering that Harris is a study in perseverance and grit. She was raked over the coals by Republicans and media critics in her first couple of years as vice president. She was blamed for things not within her control. (She was not, contrary to popular belief, charged with solving the immigration problem. She was sent to negotiate with countries on means to eventually decrease the outflow of refugees.) She never pouted or complained.
Instead, Harris put her head down and worked. She traveled constantly both at home and oversees, made the abortion issue her own and developed a bond with younger voters, especially men and women of color. Her rhetoric sharpened, her delivery got tighter, and she became more comfortable discussing a range of policy issues. Life (not to mention media coverage) often is unfair. That’s no excuse not to do your job — and get better at it.
But be forewarned — the overtly racist “DEI candidate” gibes have started. (Pundits’ focus on White male running mates actually does reflect a diversity, equity and inclusion mindset.) Journalists demean her by referring to her by her first name. (As they did with Hillary Clinton.) This reaction tells more about them than it does about Harris, who has the vice presidency, her time in the Senate and a long career as a prosecutor behind her. She will have plenty of dedicated supporters and civil rights groups behind her, but make no mistake: We are going to see just how viciously racist and misogynistic the MAGA movement can be.
Distinguished person of the week
We are so unaccustomed to politicians doing the right thing that when one does (e.g., Liz Cheney) we are left slack-jawed. Biden will be remembered for a long, illustrious career as well as a willingness to put his own ambitions aside for the good of the country. Having declined reelection in the tradition of George Washington, he has earned a unique place in history.
Biden may be among the most consequential modern presidents. He defeated Trump in 2020, leading the country through the horror of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. He rolled out a comprehensive, complex vaccination plan that freed the country from the covid-19 stranglehold. His American Rescue Plan saved thousands of businesses, spared hundreds of thousands of people from eviction, offered the single most effective anti-poverty measure for children (the child tax credit) and kept first responders on the payroll. Crime plunged, employment soared, the manufacturing sector revived and now border crossings are way down.
Biden’s legislative accomplishments include the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Chips and Science Act, the Pact Act and the Inflation Reduction Act (with a historic investment in green energy and a cap on prescription drugs). Despite MAGA antics, he kept the government open and his agenda intact. He appointed about 200 diverse, extremely qualified lower-court judges and nominated the first Black woman to be a Supreme Court justice (who has exhibited her brilliance in one dissent after another). He ended the grifting, nonstop dissembling, cronyism and misuse of the Justice Department that characterized Trump’s first term.
On the world stage, Biden reentered the Paris climate accord, rejuvenated and expanded NATO, rallied the West to Ukraine’s side, constructed new alliances (e.g., AUKUS) and stood with Israel in its greatest time of peril while insisting on providing aid for Gaza and pushing for a cease-fire. He ended a fruitless 20-year war in Afghanistan. To be sure, he had his stumbles — the process of withdraw from Afghanistan was painful, he may have indulged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu too long, and Biden was at times too parsimonious with weaponry for Ukraine. But on balance, he restored America as the indispensable nation, earning the widespread praise of our allies.
And finally, despite sniping from the media, he focused the country on democracy and the preservation of the rule of law. He defined the stakes for the election and presented the question for voters: Authoritarianism or democracy? (That, in large part, explains how Democrats did historically well in the midterms, defeating election deniers and forced-birth zealots across the country.)
For all that, Biden has earned his place among the ranks of the very best presidents.
Something different
Need to get away from politics (at least current politics)? Here are some enjoyable reads:
“The Glassmaker” by Terry Chevalier: A time-tripping novel takes you through hundreds of years in the history of Venice. You’ll learn more than you ever expected about glass making and the plagues and invaders who tormented the city.
“Shanghai” by Joseph Kanon: From one of my favorite Cold War storytellers, this novel puts you in Shanghai among Jewish refugees during World War II. It’s a steamy, thrilling crime story that blends a film noir sensibility with eye-opening historical fiction.
“The Race to the Future” by Kassia St. Clair: A 1907 car race from Beijing (called Peking at the time) to Paris? Yup. You’ll enjoy a travelogue, a motor history, a comic story worthy of a Hollywood film, and a close look at China, Russia and Western Europe at the dawn of modernity.
“A Death in Cornwall” by Daniel Silva: Gabriel Allon may have retired from the Israeli “Office,” but his art restoration business still ensnares him in gripping international crime schemes. The 24th (!) in the series brings back many favorite characters from Silva’s past books, making it a lively reunion for Allon junkies. This one also introduces readers to the Geneva Freeport, a mind-boggling operation that allows billionaires to trade art and avoid taxes. And that part is true.
“Forty Autumns” by Nina Willner: Thank you to the reader who recommended this! The true and heartbreaking story of a family divided for decades by the Berlin Wall provides a insightful examination of the paranoid, bleak and repressive rein of communism and how a population copes with a police state.
Every other Wednesday at noon, I host a Q&A with readers. Submit a question for the next one.
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