Biden Out of 2024 Presidential Race, Harris Steps Up

By Marc W. Polite
Good afternoon, my readers. I am sure most of you have heard by now that Joe Biden has bowed out of the 2024 presidential race. This news broke early Sunday, after weeks of speculation. Due to a less-than-stellar performance at the first debate against Donald Trump in late June, and interviews following it, questions about Biden’s ability to carry forth with the campaign just got louder and louder. Concerns about the extent of his cognitive decline would not relent. After weeks of pushback, Biden decided to step out, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. With slightly more than three months left between now and the general election, this development is without precedent. While not an exact analogy, the last time a major political shake-up in U.S. presidential election occurred was in 1968.
What compels me to write this post, is to draw out some of the historical parallels this moment has to that tumultuous summer of 1968. While then President Lyndon B. Johnson also bowed out of re-election, he did so earlier- in March of 1968. At that time, the ongoing protests against the war in Vietnam and the urban rebellions sparked during the civil rights movement confounded the Johnson administration. These events played a role in his political undoing. The Biden administration, in an imperfect comparison, has the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the Ukraine war. In funding both of these conflicts, the Biden administration expressly did so against the will of many Americans. Inattentiveness to the pressing domestic issues facing Americans, like inflation and higher housing costs, ended up doing lasting damage.
The parallels are there, but there are some important differences here too. Looming in the background of this election cycle is Project 2025, the conservative policy objective to undo much of what was gained during the struggles of the 1960’s. While the 2024 election is no longer a rematch, it’s too early to tell what will occur. In terms of the direction of this country, we are in uncharted territory. As the situation unfolds, in the next few weeks and months, we will see how this plays out.
To learn more about the 1968 Democratic Convention, visit this History.com page about it. 1968 Democratic Convention