World News: The Republic’s View of the 2024 Presidential Election

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Category: World News - Europe

Published on Monday, 04 March 2024 10:33

Written by Olivier Longhi

As the 2024 presidential election looms, two contenders are emerging to occupy the White House. But are they the best representatives of their parties and do either have all the abilities to sit in the Oval Office?

At an impasse because for the time being without an alternative solution, the Democratic Party will probably once again turn to Joe Biden to face Donald Trump, a declared candidate for a new term in the White House.

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However, the question facing the Democratic Party today is whether this choice is dictated by necessity, obviousness, or resentment? The question makes sense when we take a closer look at Joe Biden's term in office, but it is even more important when we look at his age and cognitive abilities. Let's go back.

As far as necessity is concerned, it is clear that no Democratic candidate has so far posed as capable of evading Joe Biden, let alone confronting the ogre demagogue Trump. The obvious, however, is more nuanced because, in the light of the previous arguments, Joe Biden is the only one to present a record at the head of the White House and for good reason, he is the only Democratic elected official to have beaten Donald Trump in November 2019.

There remains the question of spite. The worst of all, because it sends the nominated candidate back to a passive and non-active role, chosen by default and not by conviction, who will not be blamed for defeat because he is integrated into the nomination process.

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Questions and Credibility

So here is an upcoming election (November 2024) with a whiff of déjà vu, but above all of questions about the vitality of North American democracy and its ability to generate political actors younger than the two expected contenders and able to fully mobilize their respective camps. Because if Donald Trump is far from unanimous among Republicans, the same is true for Joe Biden, about whom questions and comments are running about his overall health.

The recent loss of memory at press conferences or his confusion about the leaders of allied countries are all elements that are pushing voters and major voters to question candidate Biden. Surely. But who will replace him? Kamala Harris, a vice-president who kept a low-profile during Joe Biden's tenure, could have, or even should, have grown up in the shadow of her mentor in order to position herself as a credible candidate.

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This was not the case, leaving the floor clear for Joe Biden and others, but again, which ones? Seen from Europe, the situation is most paradoxical because if Joe Biden embodies everything that a majority of Europeans appreciate in terms of social progress, international cooperation, and openness to the world, Donald Trump's demagoguery ride stuns the Old Continent in view of what the real estate magnate's mandate was.

And as such, always flanked by this astonishment, many wonder about the inability of the Democratic Party to present one or more candidates likely to compete with Joe Biden. A conclusion seems to be drawn. In Europe as in the United States, and in many contemporary democracies, politicians are a reflection of the populations that are supposed to be led or guided by them.

Without questioning the intrinsic qualities of each of the actors involved in public action, it must be noted that the overall weakness of this action, which sometimes borders on mediocrity, pushes electoral bodies to turn to candidates judged, rightly or wrongly, to be more dynamic because they are quick to develop theses imbued with demagogy and populism filled with ideological shortcuts.

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Bio: Olivier Longhi has extensive experience in European history. A seasoned journalist with fifteen years of experience, he is currently professor of history and geography in the Toulouse region of France. He has held a variety of publishing positions, including Head of Agency and Chief of Publishing. A journalist, recognized blogger, editor, and editorial project manager, he has trained and managed editorial teams, worked as a journalist for various local radio stations, a press and publishing consultant, and a communications consultant.