In a remarkably rapid sequence of events, Vice President Kamala Harris has won the support of party leaders, donors and, most importantly, delegates who were expected to back President Biden before he abandoned his quest for a second term.
It's a remarkable show of solidarity, but Republicans are mischaracterizing it as something else: a desecration of democracy.
Former President Trump, who is upset that he spent time and money campaigning against Biden and now has to face Harris, a younger and more polished woman, said: “The race was stolen from Biden after he won it in the primaries. A scoop! These people are the real THREAT TO DEMOCRACY!”
House Speaker Mike Johnson chimed in: “By invalidating the votes of more than 14 million Americans who elected Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for president, the self-proclaimed ‘party of democracy’ has proven exactly the opposite.”
These comments about threats to democracy are very enlightening coming from Trump and Johnson.
The former president’s outrageous attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election culminated in a riot at the U.S. Capitol. Johnson was instrumental in filing a brief by Republican House members in support of a Texas lawsuit seeking to have the Supreme Court block the certification of election results in four states where voters chose Biden. The court rejected that baseless lawsuit, finding that Texas lacked standing to challenge how other states conduct their elections.
One could argue that the Democratic Party should have had a more competitive process for choosing a nominee after Biden dropped out, but the reality is that no serious opponents emerged for Harris. Several of those mentioned as possible alternatives were quick to endorse her. It is understandable that Harris quickly consolidated her support, given the late hour and the imperative to prevent Trump's return to the White House.
If Harris wins the Democratic nomination, as now seems inevitable, she will have to convince voters that she is preferable to Trump. Expect the former president to level several accusations against Harris, but one that can easily be dismissed is that Harris “stole” the Democratic nomination.
A consensus is not a coup d'état or a conspiracy.
