In 1944, the American people went to the polls and elected two Presidents – although they did not know it at the time. Only the Democrat leaders at the time knew it. President Roosevelt was terminally ill when he was elected to a fourth term. Missouri Senator Harry Truman was selected to be the next President.
Is Vice President Harris scheduled to take over the presidency sometime between now and 2028?
Admittedly, there is a lot of difference between Roosevelt in 1944 and President Biden in 2023. Biden is not terminally ill – and has obvious vigor for a man his age. Also, medical care has vastly improved. We are all living longer and healthier lives.
However, … only 11 percent of American men will reach the age of 86 – Biden’s age at the end of a second term. (🡨 Read that again.) And that is the expectation if they are born today. For guys born in 1942 — like Biden – that number is lower.
Then there are the health issues. Almost no one reaches 86 without serious health issues – mental and physical. Some are manageable – others debilitating.
The Biden fans reacted in horror when former UN Ambassador and presidential candidate Nikki Haley suggested that Biden may not complete a second term. They accused her of saying he would be dead before the end of a second term.
Of course, that is not what she said – only that he may not complete a second term. He could die, be debilitated or resign. At his age, Haley’s suggestion is not an unreasonable conjecture.
There is also the issue of Biden resigning early in order to elevate Harris to the presidency –regardless of any health issues. It would be just the kind of history breaking move that Biden would like attached to his legacy.
So … is a vote for Biden a vote for a Harris presidency?
We cannot predict the future with certainty, but it is a distinct possibility. In fact, I personally rate it as better than a 50/50 chance.
I will also predict that the issue of Biden’s age and the potential of a Harris presidency will be a MAJOR issue on the minds of voters – and they both work against the reelection of the Biden/Harris team. I would argue that the fear of a Harris presidency may even be more of a factor than Biden’s age, in and of itself.
Biden is not a popular President, and Harris is viewed even less favorably. Her own presidential campaign crashed and burned on the launch pad. Her polling numbers have never been good. She has so far proven to be unaccomplished in the various tasks assigned to her – the border and voter rights, to name two. Her speeches have been bizarre at times.
And there is that cackle that bursts forth at inappropriate moments.
Democrats can claim all the criticism is because she is a woman … and Black. Those overused cards may not resonate with the voters this time. Virtually all the concern and disdain for Harris – and the fear of a Harris presidency – have nothing to do with gender or race. President Obama crushed the old canard that being Black is a barrier to the Oval Office. (Perhaps Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, Muslims, and Jews should wonder why they have been left out of the presidential contests for the past 234 years. But I digress.)
The Harris Fear Factor may not play out in the headlines as much as the economy, abortion, crime, the drug epidemic, the border crisis, or the war in Ukraine, but it may have more impact on voting decisions than any of them. Given the actuarial statistics on aging, voters will have to want BOTH Biden and Harris as their President in order to cast a ballot for Biden.
Harris is such a threat to Biden’s reelection that we should not completely disregard a change in the second spot sometime in the next year.
So, there ‘tis.