Biden’s exit and quest for White House

Last Sunday, the incumbent President of the US, Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race to the White House. His exit was hugely anticipated as there were widespread calls within the Democratic Party for him to withdraw from the contest after his embarrassing performance at the first presidential debate last month. 

The debate fully exposed the cognitive decline of the US President and the American voters realised that the octogenarian no longer has the required mental and physical stamina to be their Commander-in-chief. During the debate, the veteran politician demonstrated confused rambling, abrupt loss of concentration halfway of a sentence, and loss of memory, forcing prominent medical practitioners in America to call on the 46th US President to undergo detailed cognitive and neurological testing and share the results with the public.

It must be borne in mind that Biden is exiting from the election not due to his old age, but because he no longer possesses the mental acuity and physical capacity to execute the tasks associated with presidency. As stressed by this column few weeks ago, age must not become a barrier for political leaders to seek public office and continue serving the citizenry provided they are mentally and physically fit to fulfil the obligations of their posts. Even the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is 78 years old, but he is in a better shape both mentally and physically than Biden. The Republican voters during primaries had the option of choosing a much younger candidate like Nikki Haley (52) – a former governor of South Carolina, but they overwhelmingly voted in favour of the controversial former president who will become an octogenarian two years from now.

Meanwhile, the departure of the incumbent from the presidential election has provided an opportunity for his political opponents to call for his resignation from the post, arguing he is no longer mentally and physically fit to be the leader of the most powerful State in the world. With Biden quitting the race, Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as the frontrunner to become the nominee for Presidency from the Democratic Party. Since World War II, three sitting Vice Presidents have lost as presidential candidates and only one, George Bush Senior won in 1988. Born to two immigrant parents (a Jamaican-born father and an Indian-born mother), Harris is the first woman to become Vice President of the US in its history. The African-American lady, a champion of abortion rights of women, represents the very antithesis of Trump, whose election campaign conveys hostility towards migrants and minorities.

Harris is considered as more liberal than Biden, and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is enthusiastically backing her candidacy. She is also perceived as more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause than the current occupant of the White House. The former California Senator has also been vocal in terms of stressing the need for Israel to protect civilians in the course of its offensive against Hamas.

Nevertheless, the Vice President will face a tough fight against the eccentric former President in her quest for the top post, as the latter’s supporters have been galvanised consequent to his former rival’s exit and the failed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania two weeks ago. Republicans have already begun to attack Harris, claiming she was fully aware of the cognitive decline of Biden as his deputy and no doubt she would be seriously questioned on the matter during the campaign. According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, Harris is leading her rival 44% to 42% and it would be interesting to see whether she could maintain that lead continuously.

No woman has ever been elected President of the US. Will Kamala Harris finally break the glass ceiling next November? Or will she suffer the same fate as Hillary Clinton? Whatever happens, the 2024 American Presidential Election would be a truly landmark event.