Why this Election Shake-Up is Bigger than Kamala Harris
Now that Joe Biden has exited the 2024 presidential race, much has been said about the implications of his decision. Despite the vigorous enthusiasm that has surrounded Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, I’ve heard whispers about why she can’t win and how the past tells us so.
While I believe Harris can and will be victorious in November, I also realize that history repeats itself. However, history also serves as enlightenment to prevent us from making the same mistakes.
The skeptics point to the 1968 election year, when Lyndon B. Johnson shocked the nation by declaring he would not seek reelection.
The Vietnam War was raging and the Civil Rights Movement was loud. My father was in his early forties at the time, an officer in the US Air Force. He was stunned by Johnson’s announcement, but maybe not totally surprised, as I’ve described here in the following excerpt from The Weather Officer:
On March 31, 1968, a Sunday evening, President Johnson delivered a televised address that interrupted the broadcast networks’ regular programming, surprising America’s prime-time viewing audience.
Alonzo watched and listened attentively as the military’s commander in chief announced that he was suspending the fighting campaign against North Vietnam and was aiming to negotiate a peaceful settlement to end the war. The president’s words went against everything his administration had been telling the country-that the US was winning.
And that wasn’t all.
“I shall not seek and will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president,” Johnson said at the close of his speech.
Alonzo almost fell out of his chair. The country was at war, and an incumbent president just said he was quitting?
Perhaps Johnson had finally succumbed to the blows that plummeted him from both sides of the political spectrum. It was an election year, and the antiwar criticism from Democratic presidential hopefuls, Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy, was damaging.
On the Republican side, Richard Nixon was quickly emerging as the leading candidate by using racially tinged anticrime statements, which were disturbingly effective.
Even before Tet, Alonzo surmised that a victory in Vietnam wasn’t possible. In one respect, it was a relief to hear the president all but admit that. The North Vietnamese had been unusually crafty and relentless, always appearing to be one step ahead of the Johnson administration’s war strategy. Nevertheless, the president’s announcement was no less shocking, and little did anyone realize this was only a precursor to darker days.
Well, we know those darker days ushered in the election of Richard Nixon. It was an extremely close race, yet by unleashing his ‘ southern strategy,’ Nixon eked out a victory, beating Vice President Hubert Humphrey.
The Harris 2024 naysayers need to consider that Nixon also took advantage of the very pubic discord within the Democratic party.
In August 1968, the DNC Convention in Chicago was a hot mess. Thousands of anti-war protestors, mostly young people, flooded the streets and clashed violently with police outside the International Amphitheatre. The recent assassinations of MLK and RFK also contributed to the tense climate.
Inside the arena, Democratic delegates went at each other’s throats, shouting and arguing about who should become their presidential nominee. Humphrey prevailed, but not before a blanket of resentment had enveloped the party.
After watching the televised mayhem over the course of four days, voters settled into a state of disenchantment. I can only image how my parents and other Democrats felt, watching this public disarray erode their chances of winning.
I’ll admit it. I was skeptical about what would happen when I first learned of Biden’s decision to step aside. But as the day went on, I grew hopeful and excited about the new energy I was seeing and hearing.
The circumstances are turning out to be much different than back in 1968. An example of lessons learned, perhaps.
On the evening of July 21, 2024, I was among the over 40,000 Black women who participated in a Zoom strategy call. The excitement and spirit of determination was palpable. The following night, my husband joined over 50,000 Black men on another call. These two events generated over $2 million in fundraising for the Harris campaign.
All over social media, White women and men from across the country, including ruby red states, declared their support for Harris with the hashtag, I understand the assignment. And as I write this, more Zoom meetings are being planned by Asian and Latino supporters, White Women Against MAGA, and White Men Against MAGA.
Everyday people are rallying behind Kamala Harris in a way I’ve never seen before, forcing the Democratic “powers that be” to get in line or get out of the way. Yes, Harris is incredibly accomplished and a formidable candidate (and I might add, a Howard University graduate-you know!), but this moment is bigger than her.
Quite frankly, this moment is about everyone who’s fed up and has decided to fight for our democracy.
Like I wrote in my last post, those who choose to be on the right side of history have the advantage. Kamala Harris has stepped into her purpose, but we the people are claiming our collective power. And as a fervent believer in prayer, I would also argue that this is the manifestation of the conversations I and many others have had with God.
I don’t know what’s ahead, but I do know that for the first time in months, I’m optimistic (and my dad would be, too).
The Weather Officer will be available Fall 2024.
