Navigating the Trump Biden Harris Time Paradigm Shift

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We live in a constantly accelerating world where the speed of current events is constantly increasing.

One day we have a strong opinion on a subject. The next day, or even a few minutes later, due to the rapid succession of events and new information, we feel the opposite. We go back and forth. And we don’t know if we are right or wrong. We won’t even know if breaking news suggests we were wrong. As the saying goes, only time will tell.

That’s what happened to me and others. Like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (“AOC”), who on Friday, July 19, posted a candid and frank hour-long video critically criticizing those who wanted Biden, then still the Democratic standard-bearer, to step down. Millions of people watched it. It must have seemed like a big deal at the time, but 48 hours later, Biden was no longer the nominee, and his perspective, for all its insight, was now in doubt.

I can totally understand how she must have felt.

You will recall that just hours before he withdrew from the race, President Biden was still determined to hold on. Some, including myself, had long raised the age issue and were concerned that no real succession plan had been considered. That is why, in light of that disastrous debate, I said it was time for the president to accept reality and step aside.

Weeks passed, and suddenly the president gave up. Another 180-degree paradigm shift.

By the time the news broke, I was already on the verge of publishing a piece — again calling for her resignation and worrying about Harris’ viability as a candidate against Trump.

My concerns included the fact that Trump and his formidable media machine—which portrays him as the Teflon Don to whom no legitimate criminal conviction will apply—are an almost overwhelming shaper of public opinion. With the future of the country and the world at stake, I suggested that Democrats consider and listen to other talents. Allow the delegates and the American people to consider these options.

I recommended two future standard-bearers: North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

Now that Biden is suddenly out, and despite the volatility and uncertainty of the moment, the main point was still worth making.

But after 48 hours, ideas like AOC’s, mine and others’ were simply no longer relevant to the situation.

The Democratic establishment seemed to unite and act immediately to shore up Harris’ position, silencing any discussion of alternatives; the party’s power brokers quickly rallied around Harris, and that was that.

It’s impressive how quickly and seamlessly the Biden team transitioned to Harris as the party’s nominee. But the question of the party’s need to broaden its appeal, examine the deep Democratic bench and bring in new leaders is still worth debating.

Team Harris must be prepared to counter Trump’s media machine and its tyrannical mouthpieces. And it must be prepared not only to respond to all the lies that MAGA minions are spreading, but also to offer voters an easily understandable vision of what the country would look like if Kamala Harris were president.

And we must be prepared, right now, to continue the fight for the next 100 days, as the terms of engagement change almost hourly.

Today, The New York Times The article noted Harris’s preferences for a running mate. While noting that she had already begun to look at the criminality surrounding Trump (“prosecutor versus criminal”), the article noted that three of the vice presidential candidates had, significantly, served as attorney general of their state: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and — Cooper and Beshear.

And so we set out into uncharted waters, mixing, matching, strategizing and debating, doing our best to keep up with rapidly changing events.

A lot is going to happen between now and the election, and almost certainly after. Fasten your seat belts, anticipate the bumps, and take a deep breath to calm yourself.

More soon.