Chicago
‘There are no disasters,’ said Boris Johnson, who was born in America. ‘Only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters.’
That quote speaks nicely to the story of the Democratic party’s 2024 election campaign. The first televised presidential debate, in Atlanta, Georgia on 27 June, seemed to have been an absolute disaster. President Joe Biden’s clear and present feebleness had been exposed for all the world to see. His opponent, Donald Trump, became the favourite to win back the White House – then, 16 days later, Trump survived an assassination attempt, and his stock rose even higher.
Harris is a pop-up nominee in an age of diminished attention spans, which gives her candidacy a strange power
Biden was going to lose, but most Democrats were reluctant to remove him because his obvious replacement, Kamala Harris, was the least popular Vice President in history.
Fast forward to today, however. Biden is out, Vice President Kamala Harris is in, and she has overtaken Trump in the polls.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in