The presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump occurred last week and has been discussed ad nauseam. I started this piece last week but waited to avoid appearing reactionary and rash.
As many Americans will attest, the debate left much to be desired. Though it did little to swing undecided voters, it did serve to sure up those on the right who feel that former President Trump dealt a decisive blow to President Biden. But I walked away with a different feeling. I left feeling warned.
The feeling you get across the Southern and Midwestern United States when a tornado alarm goes off. Anyone who grew up in the South knows there are two types of alarms. The first is the storm warning alarm tests that blare every first Wednesday at 10 AM. The second leaves you with a more ominous feeling—the dread of being caught outdoors or unprepared. People in my home state of Alabama understand this fear. We take these warnings seriously. Too many lives lost, too many houses and properties destroyed, too many unanswered whys. But after watching the debate and all the political commentary that followed, I felt we all just received a grave warning.
The Democratic Party hesitated to address President Biden's challenges as Candidate Biden. Being a candidate and holding public office require similar but different skill sets. A great candidate only sometimes makes a good public figure, and while someone may be an excellent public figure possessing the technical know-how, they may lack the ability to be a good candidate, lacking the stamina and ability to communicate effectively.
Many people saw this coming. They asked President Biden not to run again and celebrated what he accomplished during his first two years in office. He built a broad support base, unified a fractured but willing Democratic Party, and successfully fought back far-right attacks.
But that wasn't enough, even though President Biden in 2020 led many to believe it would be. He positioned himself as the transition or "bridge" president. This representative figure would push back the encroaching scourge of Fascism, standing up for the idea and the reality of democracy. And in 2020, many believed him.
It was 2020, a year that brought so much uncertainty, where fear and angst were rampant: the Pandemic, black death, lock-down orders, and a loss of our way of life. Craving a return to something we recognized as normalcy, and in the campaign of Mr. Biden, many found someone who could at least give them that. Positioning America to move beyond its divisions and heal "the soul of our nation."
Yesterday, I discussed America's democratic challenges with a group of young, vivacious Gen-Z leaders. As we parsed through the possibility of President Biden staying in the race and who the Democratic Party could muster up to replace him, we found ourselves wanting. Vice President Kamala Harris, for all her vigor and veracity, comes across too prosecutorial, at least to this subsection of America. Gavin Newsome, the California Governor, is largely a political unknown on the national stage and did not inspire confidence that a California liberal could win a general election with four months to go. The rest of the presumed candidates faired about the same: Pete Buttigieg, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.
The final words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s American prophetic voice were not of a dream but a question. In his final book, published after his death, Dr. King asked us, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? While Dr. King was prolific in producing substantive material, this was his best work because it clearly articulated a vision for America and those who fought for equality to move forward. I feel that same question is being asked of us today—where do we go from here?