My first thought is that President Biden did the right thing. To be fair, I don’t think he should have decided to move forward with reelection to begin with.

I wonder if his decision to step aside doesn’t actually help the Democratic Party. At first blush it seems that it wouldn’t because there is little time to decide on a new candidate. On the other hand, perhaps not having a long drawn-out primary process does help because it would presumably limit the number of people jumping into the ring and limit the infighting within the party.

Since one of my areas of interest is disinformation, I am curious to see what the “spin” will be. I am also curious of – and expect I will be bothered by –  the vitriol that will be aimed at Kamala Harris. For me, that falls under a true “witch hunt” in that we want to take the power away from those we fear or those who threaten our dominant structure (white male).

She is already historic which makes many uncomfortable. Will we hear more about her policies and successes or her laugh, clothes, and “bossiness”? I recall seeing t-shirts when Joe Biden chose her as his running mate that read “Joe and the Ho.” That’s what I’m expecting to see, sadly. We have a difficult time seeing a woman in a position like this, particularly with the existence of Project 2025. That she is also childfree and a woman of color? Hold on!

I also champion a safety in numbers approach to conflict and conciliation. This shortened time frame could help the Democrats to truly rally behind one candidate and stand together with one common message rather than infighting.

Opportunities abound in crises. Let’s see what the Democratic Party does. I am also curious to see what the Republican Party does. What will its messaging be?

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