by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
The Democrats will hold their national convention in Milwaukee July 13-16, and while the party seems to be attempting to crown a "presumptive" nominee at this point - Joe Biden - nothing is as of yet set in cement. There is still one other contentious and obstinate candidate refusing to yield the field - Bernie Sanders - and Biden has yet to corral enough delegates to claim the nomination outright.
There is still room for things to happen.
First, the political environment is in a high state of flux due to presidential primaries being delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic - and the effects that the health emergency that are rippling across society. It is impacting the way candidates interact with the public and controlling much of the political dialogue. The person who controls the nation's ability to respond to the crisis is in a far better position to attract news coverage than some noisy outsider trying to be heard above the din of the pandemic.
Second, all three of the remaining "announced" candidates - Biden, Bernie, and Trump - are elderly and statistically more prone to contracting the virus than younger individuals would be. That puts constraints on the ways that they are able to campaign, and increases the odds of a medical event suddenly interfering with their lives and their campaigns.
And third, we are operating in a different political world than the one that was in existence back at the time the early primaries and caucuses were playing out. New situations and realities make room for fresh perspectives and new voices.
This past week as Donald Trump has continued to mangle the national response to the coronavirus pandemic, he has begun to be seen in stark contrast to some Democratic governors who are struggling to contain the medical emergency in their states. In particular he has been blatantly dismissive toward the needs of the governors of California, Michigan, Illinois, and New York - all four of whom have been focused on enforcing social guidelines to protect their citizens. The Democratic governors have been showing leadership abilities far beyond anything coming out of the White House. On the other hand, Trump has been completely agreeable to the requests of the Republican governor of Florida who has done little to enforce or even suggest limitations on social interactions to the citizens of his state.
Trump's response to states for aid appears to be flagrantly partisan in nature, and he is putting a national spotlight on the valiant Democratic governors who are struggling to overcome the obstacles that he is placing in the way of federal aid to their states. Trump talks in terms of his television ratings, and the Democratic governors speak relentlessly of hospitals, ventilators, and make-shift morgues.
Political chatter regarding New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo has been on the rise this week as he and Trump have squared off snarling at each other on multiple occasions in the last few days. Cuomo is beginning to be seen as someone whom a broad range Democrats could enthusiastically support in a race against Trump, someone who has the determination - and the fight - and the fire to expose Trump for the grifter that he is, and to set him out on the political curb with the rest of the trash in November.
But, at this late stage of the process, could the Democratic convention go rogue and choose someone other than Joe Biden to head the ticket?
Of course it could.
If Biden arrives at Milwaukee without enough delegates to win the nomination on the first ballot, the super-delegates (a group originally set aside to keep the radical Bernie from claiming the nomination) could conceivably also deny Biden the nomination when they are loosed for voting during the second ballot. And if Biden hasn't broken out of his lackluster shell and pounced on Trump by that time, they could choose to go in another direction. Also most of Biden's original delegates will become "free agents" after the first ballot.
With Biden's (and Bernie's) advanced age, there needs to be a Plan B. What looks like a slam-dunk today may yet bounce off of the rim in some new and unanticipated direction. Democrats need to stay flexible and be ready to make some quick, bold moves in order to defeat the GOP and Trump in November!
Citizen Journalist
The Democrats will hold their national convention in Milwaukee July 13-16, and while the party seems to be attempting to crown a "presumptive" nominee at this point - Joe Biden - nothing is as of yet set in cement. There is still one other contentious and obstinate candidate refusing to yield the field - Bernie Sanders - and Biden has yet to corral enough delegates to claim the nomination outright.
There is still room for things to happen.
First, the political environment is in a high state of flux due to presidential primaries being delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic - and the effects that the health emergency that are rippling across society. It is impacting the way candidates interact with the public and controlling much of the political dialogue. The person who controls the nation's ability to respond to the crisis is in a far better position to attract news coverage than some noisy outsider trying to be heard above the din of the pandemic.
Second, all three of the remaining "announced" candidates - Biden, Bernie, and Trump - are elderly and statistically more prone to contracting the virus than younger individuals would be. That puts constraints on the ways that they are able to campaign, and increases the odds of a medical event suddenly interfering with their lives and their campaigns.
And third, we are operating in a different political world than the one that was in existence back at the time the early primaries and caucuses were playing out. New situations and realities make room for fresh perspectives and new voices.
This past week as Donald Trump has continued to mangle the national response to the coronavirus pandemic, he has begun to be seen in stark contrast to some Democratic governors who are struggling to contain the medical emergency in their states. In particular he has been blatantly dismissive toward the needs of the governors of California, Michigan, Illinois, and New York - all four of whom have been focused on enforcing social guidelines to protect their citizens. The Democratic governors have been showing leadership abilities far beyond anything coming out of the White House. On the other hand, Trump has been completely agreeable to the requests of the Republican governor of Florida who has done little to enforce or even suggest limitations on social interactions to the citizens of his state.
Trump's response to states for aid appears to be flagrantly partisan in nature, and he is putting a national spotlight on the valiant Democratic governors who are struggling to overcome the obstacles that he is placing in the way of federal aid to their states. Trump talks in terms of his television ratings, and the Democratic governors speak relentlessly of hospitals, ventilators, and make-shift morgues.
Political chatter regarding New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo has been on the rise this week as he and Trump have squared off snarling at each other on multiple occasions in the last few days. Cuomo is beginning to be seen as someone whom a broad range Democrats could enthusiastically support in a race against Trump, someone who has the determination - and the fight - and the fire to expose Trump for the grifter that he is, and to set him out on the political curb with the rest of the trash in November.
But, at this late stage of the process, could the Democratic convention go rogue and choose someone other than Joe Biden to head the ticket?
Of course it could.
If Biden arrives at Milwaukee without enough delegates to win the nomination on the first ballot, the super-delegates (a group originally set aside to keep the radical Bernie from claiming the nomination) could conceivably also deny Biden the nomination when they are loosed for voting during the second ballot. And if Biden hasn't broken out of his lackluster shell and pounced on Trump by that time, they could choose to go in another direction. Also most of Biden's original delegates will become "free agents" after the first ballot.
With Biden's (and Bernie's) advanced age, there needs to be a Plan B. What looks like a slam-dunk today may yet bounce off of the rim in some new and unanticipated direction. Democrats need to stay flexible and be ready to make some quick, bold moves in order to defeat the GOP and Trump in November!
No comments:
Post a Comment