The Union Hall Guy and the Professor
An ‘effectively unlikely’ pair. America needs a new duo.
The State of the Union address hit a chord in more ways than Biden’s delivery and his rat-a-tat with hecklers. For what seemed like a really long time, America got to see VP Harris Tuesday evening sitting behind Biden and next to… yeah.
Consider a wade into the 2024 ‘what if’ waters. 4 more years of ‘The Union Hall Guy (Biden) and the Professor (Harris)?’
Seriously?
Wait…didn’t we just have 8 years of The Professor (Obama) and the Union Hall Guy (Biden)?
On paper, Biden-Harris look great, seriously.
President Biden spoke with confidence about helping America out of a pandemic that killed one million Americans, rebooting a neglected infrastructure, reining in drug prices, restoring millions of jobs… to name a few… all in two years. These initiatives — despite Americans’ approval — required a President of the Senate to break more tie votes than any predecessor going back to John Calhoun… all in two years.
Give this duo ten years youth and a different office candidacy ‘success window’ and a Biden-Harris ticket would ascend to the Executive Branch for another 4. Think 2022 election party margins. Add 5 points for incumbency.
But Biden-Harris are not 68 and 48 respectively and 2024 is a unique candidacy ‘success window.’ After four years of “The Apprentice’s” fake ‘businessperson’ at the helm, America struggles yet to redeem a sense of trust in the Presidency.
So, America, what to do about 2024?
American voters have a history of steering clear of archetypal technocrats (1) Simply speaking, centrist technocrats are unappealing. Though technocrats have found a calling in government, and a few are remarkably influential post-administration service— think Larry Summers and Robert Reich — their policy “wonkery” feels stagnant and pompous.
Consider President Jimmy Carter, a technocrat candidate. He was replaced by Ronald Reagan, (2) an unabashed populist of the privileged and redistribution of wealth was suppressed under the guise of fiscal policy — for 28 years — until Presidents Obama (ACA) and now Biden (insert acronyms here).
America needs a new face and a new duo.
Oblige me the blunt knife here: our friend to the South, Chile, portrays an answer, seriously.
Less a vote of desperation than a vote for vision and leadership, Chilean voters in 2021 elected Gabriel Boric at age 34, President of Chile, defeating a Trump look-and-feel-alike candidate.
Boric assumed office as student organizer/common guy on a platform of rewriting the Constitution to ensure social and economic parity. He utters no platitudes; he lives in struggle. Resilient and able to learn, Boric’s vulnerability is Chile’s: quelling fear of the unknown. He acknowledges it. The cause of Chilean voters rejecting a new Constitution were less Boric’s age than the vicissitudes of popular social transformation. Despite a vicious disinformation campaign, and a defeat at the polls, ground has been gained in Chile. A new Constitution is afoot. (3)
Consider that like Chile, America is learning about what an executive branch of government can do, or not do. (4) The office of the executive is an institution, not a sound stage.
Consider the recent ‘what if’ Harris polls. (5) Consider what the job entails. Consider the dilemma for Democrat ‘king makers’ — at 58, VP Harris feels old. She will be 60 on the campaign trail, well beyond the projected median age of 38.75 in 2024.
“My bias has always been to speak factually, to speak accurately, to speak precisely about issues and matters that have potentially great consequence. I find it off-putting to just engage in platitudes. I much prefer to deconstruct an issue and speak of it in a way that hopefully elevates public discourse and educates the public.” (6)
‘Elevate political discourse?’…Sigh…a little too late and a little too little. Contrast this with Joe the fixer, the healer: Harris is so far behind the scenes…Biden is so far in front of her, America is left pondering, where is this duo’s show?
A surprise today, perhaps…in two years? Old news. (cite)
Consider a possible alternative show: channel the Union Hall guy’s strength — ‘I showed up’ — like you — because you came out tonight.
What are we doing here?
Let’s build something.
Want a successor to Joe Biden? Look for the ‘let’s build something’ voice in the room.
America’s candidate reckoning question for 2024 is ‘Why did we come out tonight?’
February 11
Notes
1-https://www.google.com/search?q=technocrat&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#cobssid=s
2-The 1980 Carter-Reagan popular vote spread was 6.6% for Reagan. Electoral College was 489 (Reagan) to 49 (Carter) — a comfortable 80% point spread and a compelling reason why America should get rid of the Electoral College and eliminate its role as election decider. Even popular vote outcomes are labeled landslides. At 6.6%, this wasn’t one of them.
Comment: Symptomatic of America’s ‘division,’ are the slimness of the margins between the sides. Another reason to get rid of the Electoral College. Constitutional amendment, anyone?
4-Michael Lewis, The Fifth Risk (2021)
5-Will Biden Keep Harris on the Ticket in 2024? by Caren White
6- White, ibid.
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