In the aftermath of the first presidential debate of the 2024 cycle, we have been left with more questions than answers. The Democratic Party is wondering who will be their nominee for the next four months. Americans wonder who will be their president for the next four years. Yet no one seems to be asking a critical question; who is president now?
What the entire world witnessed on that debate stage was jaw-dropping, and I’m not just referring to how President Biden’s mouth remained permanently agape. They saw a feeble man who was unable to complete sentences, handle basic questions, or deliver simple lines after weeks of prep. It didn’t take long for the panic to set in and for panelists and strategists to openly question if the Democrats should replace Biden on the ticket.
As the talking class has been spun up with all the possible theories and replacements for President Biden, one of the first names to come up in these conversations, and that makes logistical sense, is Vice President Kamala Harris. Donations made to the Biden/Harris campaign would still be able to be spent without a messy refund and recontribute situation, and she could attempt to harness excitement for the first female President. But that’s about it. Everything else about having Kamala Harris as the nominee would be a nightmare for the Democratic Party.
From her time in San Francisco to the vice presidency, Kamala Harris has left a wake of questionable decisions and cringe-inducing clips. Key examples would be moments on the debate stage when other candidates like Tulsi Gabbard zeroed in on her policy record or clips from speeches and interviews where she gets so twisted up in a sentence that it would take a map, compass, and seeing-eye dog to find the point she was trying to make.
Other names thrown around include Gavin Newsom, who is ready to export his extreme policies in California to the rest of the country, and Gretchen Whitmer, whose claim to fame is that she forced her entire state to stay inside and that she was almost kidnapped in a plot that involved undercover federal agents.
As a proud political nerd myself, I understand how this is interesting to contemplate and compelling in many ways. Still, the Democrats replacing Joe Biden on the ticket would be acknowledging they were complicit in perpetrating one of the biggest frauds in recent American political history.
If they concede that President Biden isn’t fit to seek another term in office, why should anyone believe he was fit to serve his current term? This will open up a line of questioning, most likely done under oath, that they are not ready to face. How long has President Biden been like this? Who knew about his state? Who is actually running the country? Who made the decision to lie to the American people about the president’s ability to run the country? Why did the Democratic Party deny their voters the right to select a capable nominee through a primary? Why should anyone trust an administration or candidate who has lied to the American people about the critical issue of the president’s mental and physical fitness?
The drumbeat of questions about the president’s health is growing with each passing day and bungled speech. Recently, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fended off questions about why a Parkinson's specialist has visited the White House eight times in the last eight months, as the press corps clearly became frustrated with the double speak and obfuscations that continue to come from the White House.
Elsewhere, they are beginning to circle the wagons around Biden, showing the arrogance and hubris of national Democrats. This is how they ended up with Biden as the nominee for the second time, and it will also be their downfall. They believed they could fool the American people again and continue this charade of the Emperor’s New Clothes. It seemed like they could get away with it until Joe Biden shuffled onto the debate stage in Atlanta and the world saw what Democrats had been trying so desperately to hide for the last four years.
Joe Biden is not fit to hold office. They knew it. We saw it. And now they are stuck with it.
Katie Frost is an Atlanta-based GOP strategist with over a decade of experience, at the national, state, and local level. She currently serves as Chair of the 3rd District Georgia Republican Party.
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