A 45-second answer to complicated issues is never enough to make a rational choice, and that was the amount of time afforded each candidate during last night’s debate in Miami. California Senator Kamala Harris took the opportunity to do something with her time that the other candidates missed, she took control. She corralled the boys when she said to them, “Hey, guys, you know what? America does not want to witness a food fight. They want to know how we're going to put food on their table.” Sure, this was probably a prepared line but knowing when and how to yell at the kids in the backseat is an art every parent knows. I am not declaring Ms. Harris the next President of the United States; November of 2020 is still a long way off.
She did, however, expose the crack in Joe Biden’s breastplate with Black voters, the inability to say, ‘my past was the wrong way to go.’ Biden held a commanding lead with black voters going into last night’s debate. It reminds me of the lead Hillary Clinton initially held over Barack Obama with black voters. Mrs. Clinton conceded through her actions and deeds that Mr. Obama could win and once that belief could see light, voters of color pushed their way out of the darkness. Anyone chiseling Biden’s epitaph into political marble is sadly mistaken, just ask Mitt Romney. Romney took the measure of former President Obama during their first debate of 2012 and went home defeated in November of that same year. I am sure Mr. Biden remembers and his task will be to recapture the lessons learned.
It has become quickly apparent that a few of the candidates, “need take their leave.” John Delaney, Eric Swalwell, Andrew Yang, Tim Ryan, and the irrepressible Marianne Williamson. Whenever Ms. Williamson spoke I envisioned Tina Turner evoking the sound of Dharma and chanting away Ike Turner [Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo]. I do not mean to insult Ms. Williamson, on the contrary, her optimistic “hope” in the face of what all the candidates recognize as an “existential threat” to America, Donald Trump, was inspiring.
After two days of what tv labels as debates, an exercise that would embarrass any debate coach on every college campus in America we have learned that; Elizabeth Warren is consistent and a true populist; Cory Booker speaks Spanglish; Joe Biden finds it hard to end that phone call from 1976; and women are more than capable.
Joe Biden has a problem, but it is not unique to an America that literally wants to whitewash its’ past. It took years for parts of the government to apologize for slavery. Politicians eyes glaze over at the word “reparations.” Just last year a Republican [Wendy Vitter] nominated for a lifetime federal judgeship could not say that Brown v. Board of education was the right decision. A proven adage in politics goes something like this if you are explaining you are losing; Joe… Kamala gave you every opportunity to stop explaining and just say I was wrong. America has a big heart; Marianne Williamson and the rest of us will forgive you… just say it.
Vote in 2020 for Change.
