Practical Politics

“Be careful what you wish for, it can come in smashing you in the mouth!” I learned that in my Southern childhood, and it’s still so.
The Republican Party organizers came for Joe Biden, and a few days ago they and COVID 2024 got him. The Kamala Harris Democratic supertrain followed right in and ran the Republicans over. Unexpectedly. They had no defense. They never saw her coming. She brought in over 100 million dollars virtually overnight for her new presidential campaign that-was-in-waiting and caught the Republican machine flat-footed and stammering. She reclaimed virtually all of the Biden pledged Democratic delegates within 2 days (and the threatened Republican Party lawsuit over it is dead on arrival). She is ready to be anointed the Party’s nominee by acclamation within the next few weeks in August. She brought in endorsements from Beyonce, Hollywood megastars and oodles of young voters. She came in ready to do serious damage to the old boys’ single wing halfback play. The Internet started a love affair with her.
Of course, the political bottom feeders will partially rebound and try to throw as much dirt and negativity as it can at her in the next few weeks. (Her father, for example, who she rarely speaks to, is a communist politician in the Jamaican government.) Some of it will stick—most of it won’t. This is a real serious ballgame now, and the tried and true Republican tropes won’t stick and stay. Trump is a prosecuted and prosecutable candidate for the presidency, and a trained, very experienced prosecutor is now on his case.
The swiftness of the Democratic Party’s response to Joe Biden’s decision to bow out of the 2024 presidential race has so far been breathtaking. The White Woman fear of powerful, sensible Black womanhood in leadership has not even been able to slow this train down yet. (Some people have even suggested establishing a “Karens for Kamala” campaign group online, and it so far has not been laughed at or shamed out of the room.) Maybe it won’t be, given the unabashedly star spangled brashness of the beginning of the Kamala Harris for POTUS crusade.
That the now single-sided old man running for POTUS can not hide behind being the youngest runner in the presidential quest, and he is certainly the less-able debater, the next 105 or so days until November 5th will be filled with both the best of American democracy and its dregs. Enjoy the show.
It was good to be alive this weekend. I, and we, really needed that.
Professor David L. Horne is founder and executive director of PAPPEI, the Pan African Public Policy and Ethical Institute, which is a new 501(c)(3) pending community-based organization or non-governmental organization (NGO). It is the stepparent organization for the California Black Think Tank which still operates and which meets every fourth Friday.
DISCLAIMER: The beliefs and viewpoints expressed in opinion pieces, letters to the editor, by columnists and/or contributing writers are not necessarily those of OurWeekly.