The Fast-Moving World of American Politics

It's hard to deny that the world of current events moves quickly, and American politics is no exception. Well before Biden dropped out of the race, we'd grown accustomed to the blazingly rapid nature of political happenings within this country. Even back when the entire fate of our nation didn't seemingly hinge on each new presidential election's results, we'd become desensitized to our politics devolving into an irrepressible circus of vitriol, lawn signs, attack ads, and unsolicited campaign bombardments.

There's a reality TV sort of sensationalism to the orderly, on-schedule strife. And there's an oddly drawn-out pageantry that colors the anything-can-happen, once-every-four-years contest. It's unseemly, devoid of decorum, and leaves Americans in a predictable state of fear, agitation, and tribalism in the months leading up to Election Day. The media spectacle we create out of this regular feature of our democracy helped lay the groundwork for a personality like Trump to emerge from the world of The Apprentice and promptly begin a presidential campaign.

Once Trump assumed office in 2017, his administration cultivated such chaos that it gave way to an endless cycle of breaking news burying itself. By the time he'd left office, those "Breaking news!" buzzwords had lost whatever meaning and integrity they'd retained through the burgeoning age of 24-hour news cycles.

But even while things have remained in partial flux throughout these past four years with Biden in office, there's been a level of stability. Much of the news relevant in 2021 was still pertinent well into the summer of 2024. The climate, the border, the economy, and recurrent onslaughts of COVID-19 were each concerns when Biden assumed office - as they still are today.

Over-arching all of our domestic strife these past four years, though, was the ill-fated rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump that would take place this year - a contest that had affirmed itself in our collective minds before either of the two had officially announced their running. The reality of that match-up hovered over our heads since inauguration day in 2021 as an almost foregone conclusion. As the legal challenges to Trump's run continued falling flat, expectation began looking more like inevitability.

But that contest that seemed unavoidable until only last Sunday has abruptly crumbled before our eyes, and it's been replaced by a new one entirely. The changed momentum has proven a lot for both sides of the aisle to keep up with. The sudden wildcard that Biden dealt in dropping out of the race changed the entire political environment within this country overnight. In his absence, Kamala Harris has overseen a radical rejuvenation of the Democratic party that's left many members feeling as though we're living in a different nation than we were only a couple of weeks ago.

Each of the ten thousand articles written on the subject of the Biden vs. Trump contest has been nullified in one fell swoop. Rereading them, it's clear that the words speak to a different race.

Many long presumed that Joe Biden would pass the torch to Harris instead of announcing a run for re-election. But even while he implied during his 2020 run for office that he likely wouldn't be seeking another term, cynicism around those claims grew as he continued subtly hinting at another four years in the White House. Since as early as 2021, a large swath of the country had begun bracing itself for a rematch between the same two contenders who ran in the previous election.

In Trump's fervent refusal to debate even his Republican opponents, he'd framed himself as the predestined choice of his party, a precept with which much of his base seemed to agree.

Trump's been a figure in politics for nearly a decade now, and for so much of that time, he's returned to those same claims of a sleepy Joe Biden. Since the Democratic primaries first began, it was an argument he had begun to prepare.

But with Joe Biden out of the race completely, it's difficult to overstate what an unexpected blow Trump's prospects for retaking the White House have been dealt as he's abruptly become the oldest presidential hopeful in US history. His campaign has raced to create new messaging to attack Harris. But given Trump's lamentable penchant to confuse Biden with Barack Obama, it's likely he will forget what exactly this race has become. In the week since Biden has dropped out, Trump's attacks against him have hardly diminished in their intensity.

So far, much of the messaging Trump and his campaign have used to disparage Harris centers around the same tactics and race baits that are likely to alienate swing voters. In Trump's concerted efforts to mispronounce his opponent's very name, people hear echoes of the baseless attacks on Barack Obama's birth certificate. In the trivial condemnations of her laugh, appearance, and parentage, people see the same ills, animosity, and prejudicial thinking that's left Trump a figure of such scathing notoriety across much of the planet.

In Kamala Harris, Democrats have found an unexpected cause for hope in the figurehead who'd been lying dormant behind the scenes for the better part of Biden's administration. While she wasn't concealed, neither was her presence celebrated. In many regards, the vigor that's overtaken our party as she's assumed the top of the ticket has been unexpected. Even while she was the obvious choice, the renewed excitement in the electoral process that she's elicited has been by and large unanticipated.

Many have found a call for emotion in Biden's decision to drop out. They've found a reason to praise the leader of these past four years. Anchors, politicians, and even his family members have paid homage to the impressive legacy he's established. And more energized voters than anyone realistically expected have suddenly glommed onto the same causes he previously touted. Despite his decades-long tenure in politics, Joe Biden giving up his run for reelection may be the action that defines his career the very most.

As Secretary of Transportation and prospective running mate to Harris, Pete Buttigieg, has continually pointed out, holding such a high office and abdicating the authority is incredibly rare throughout world history.

Analysts on both sides of the aisle have likened our collective relationship with Harris to something of a honeymoon phase. Likewise, our breakup with Biden has been almost akin to a split from a kindly ex we've always known we'd be happier without.

There are few Democrats who can't acknowledge Biden's decency or merit, but it's been a long-held realization for all of us that he's not the fittest candidate for the job. And in the revelation we can suddenly have a younger, more competent candidate carrying us through this pivotal race people have found a cause for nearly unprecedented excitement.

There's an enthusiasm innate to the Harris campaign that Hillary Clinton never managed to engender, despite her qualifications. With Roe V. Wade's overturning, and after four full years of Trump in power, there's little use disputing that the race in 2016 was a different beast entirely from the one today. And with Harris on top of the ticket, the contest before us is radically different than it was when we each awoke only last Sunday.