Biden The Incumbent
On the eve of the first 2024 Presidential debates, incumbency is not working so well for the President.
One effect of maintaining division in a democracy is to hasten a mistrust in what is considered incumbency. Incumbency and division or divisiveness become strange bed partners.
Our entertaining incumbency as a vote-getting “cause” is based on three notions,
one, transition of power in a democracy can be fraught;
two, trust in institutions which protect and ensure a peaceful transition is tested;
three, certain rights are afforded to participants of democratic transitions.
It’s an awkward trinity, which goes under the radar of some voters, but demonstrates the flexibility (or the usurping) of democracies to withstand the forces of division and dominance.
Complicating this year’s election are the presence of multiple third party attempts which are more a comment on incumbency than offering an ideological platform. (1)
Also complicating the election of 2024 is cultural issue noise. America, as well as other democracies deciding government leaders in 2024, is used to these pseudo election bombs, which make for eyeball grabbing headlines, nonetheless are buried in the 24 hour news cycle, however, cumulatively speaking, these bombs do…
