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Lynn Schmidt is a columnist and editorial board member of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Democracy is on the ballot in 2024. Many in the pro-democracy coalition have been sounding the alarm over the threat of a second Donald Trump presidency for some time now. It is long past time for President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party to wake up and start acting like they understand the dangers ahead.
The current Democratic ticket just isn’t cutting it. It’s time to acknowledge that and seek a new ticket.
Biden has addressed the perils, but only rhetorically. During his recent D-Day speech in Normandy, France, Biden declared: “Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it, and fight for it. That’s the test of the ages.”
He continued: “Let us be the generation that when history is written about our time — in 10, 20, 30, 50, 80 years from now — it will be said: When the moment came, we met the moment. We stood strong. Our alliances were made stronger. And we saved democracy in our time as well.”
While Biden was addressing our NATO allies about the rise of authoritarianism around the world, he was also speaking about what is happening in America.
But actions speak louder than words. And at a time when the race between Biden and Trump is essentially tied, the time for a new strategy is now.
The fact that Trump — who incited the violence of Jan. 6, 2021, refused the peaceful transfer of power, is a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist, and has been found guilty of business fraud — remains in a dead heat with Biden seems unfathomable.
That is, until you understand just how weak of a candidate the elderly Biden is.
An ABC/Ipsos poll conducted in February showed that 86 percent of Americans think Biden, 81, is too old to serve another term as president.
According to a CBS News/YouGov poll, only about a third of voters think Biden has the cognitive ability to serve as president. (While this argument is not about Trump, it should be noted that only half of voters think Trump has that cognitive ability.)
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Biden’s polling has not really seen a bump post Trump’s recent felony conviction.
Harris’ approval ratings are even lower than Biden’s. A recent Politico/Morning Consult poll highlights Harris’ liabilities. Only a third of voters think it’s likely Harris would win an election were she to become the Democratic nominee and only 40 percent overall think she would make a good president.
This election is likely to be decided by a small number of voters in five or six swing states. Biden is currently losing to Trump in those battleground state polls.
The block of voters called “double haters” — voters which hold unfavorable views of both Biden and Trump — has nearly doubled since 2020. Data from Pew Research suggest they now represent 16 percent to 20 percent of the electorate.
With the margin being so close in the swing states, a winning campaign needs to peel many off the “hater” list. To think the people in this group are going to decide that Biden is not too old is foolish.
Whether Biden, Harris or the Democratic Party understand the urgency or gravity of this electoral problem remains to be seen.
It is irresponsible for the only sane and competent major political party in the United States right now — the Democratic Party — to not take the threat of a second Trump term seriously. They seemingly did that back in 2020 by coalescing behind Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary. And they can do it again.
Let me be clear: None of this is fair, to either Biden or Harris. But recall the proverb: “All’s fair in love and war.” We are certainly in a battle to save the fundamentals of our democracy.
Other pundits and political operatives say it is too late to change course. No doubt, time is running out, but I say there is still time to right the ship.
The Democratic National Convention is not until Aug. 19. Imagine how the narrative of this race could change, while also drowning out the potential protests on the far left, if there was a shake-up of some kind on the ticket.
The Democratic Party’s bench is pretty strong. There are young, energetic, and moderate candidates from swing states; a few are governors with executive experience.
While many of the possibilities for either the top or the bottom of the ticket may not have strong name recognition, there is time for them to hit the ground running.
Americans are yearning to vote for someone and not just vote against someone else. A majority of voters couldn’t be any more clear on that. The Democratic Party should attempt to transform that “double hater” hate into love, or at a minimum, like.
Biden has been making the case to the American people that democracy is on the ballot this November. While I agree with him wholeheartedly. Which is why the Biden/Harris ticket should not be.
