With President Joe Biden talking within the headlining position, the primary night time of the Democratic conference appeared prefer it was going to be about passing the torch. And it was — not that the Democrats on stage made that express.
Biden’s handle was late. It started round 11:30 pm Jap time, so late that some pundits determined the DNC had buried his speech on goal (a idea conference officers denied). When the president lastly spoke, he totally disregarded the plain query raised by his presence: Why her and never him? Biden spent the huge bulk of the speech touting his personal report in workplace, casting Harris as a champion of his legacy with out spending a single phrase explaining why he wanted a champion within the first place.
On this, Biden was hardly alone. All through the night time, Democrats made certain to not acknowledge the unprecedented transfer that led to the sitting president giving the leadoff speech as an alternative of the conference finale. The conference mainly acted like Biden was a second-term president legally barred from operating for workplace, not a president pushed apart by his personal occasion.
This may appear awkward. Nevertheless it was in all probability the absolute best method to deal with the state of affairs.
The elephant within the donkey room?
Political conventions are, in idea, multiday infomercials for the internet hosting occasion. They’re speculated to be fastidiously calculated to current the occasion in its finest gentle, highlighting its strongest points, most gifted politicians, and clearest factors of unity.
For the time being, the Democrats do have a reasonably good story to inform. Harris is surging within the polls, buoyed by a degree of enthusiasm among the many occasion base not seen since Barack Obama topped the ticket. The economic system is robust, crime is down, and there are not any American troops dying in large-scale international wars. Issues are so good, in truth, that election fashions and prediction markets alike now have her as a slight favourite to beat Donald Trump in November.
The very last thing you need to do is destroy the occasion by dwelling on the current previous — particularly the nasty, still-fresh inner struggle over whether or not to switch Biden with Harris. But might Democrats actually keep away from acknowledging that the occasion had simply made historical past by swapping out a presidential nominee after the first?
Sure, it seems — they might.
For a lot of the night time, this felt pure. The programming centered on the selection dealing with voters in November, contrasting Harris (good!) with Trump (unhealthy!). There was little have to dwell on Biden as a result of he isn’t on the poll.
This solely began to really feel unusual when the night time moved towards Biden’s handle, with speeches by Biden-world figures: Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, first girl Jill Biden, and the president’s daughter Ashley. There are experiences that the president stays indignant and resentful about the entire thing, and it’s laborious to think about that his speech getting pushed until late didn’t really feel like salt within the wound.
“That is terrible. He actually arrange a marketing campaign and handed it over to them—have they got to chop him out of prime time?” a Biden aide griped to Axios reporter Alex Thompson.
But when the time got here, Biden caught to the script. He talked about himself, after all, however didn’t say or do something that might be perceived as apparent bitter grapes about Harris. He, like everybody else, simply ignored the succession query. And the issue roughly took care of itself.
This acquiescence displays Biden’s extra basic political fashion.
“Biden actually did construct and rely on a coalition as an alternative of a cult of persona, to a better diploma than nearly any trendy POTUS,” writes Georgetown political scientist Matt Glassman. “He’s simply not beloved the best way Obama or Clinton or Reagan or, effectively, Trump was. That comes throughout in his method to coverage making, his method to public relations, and his relationship with the factions of the occasion.”
Arguably, this is the reason Biden stepped apart amid occasion strain when Trump wouldn’t (after the Entry Hollywood tape, say, or the January 6 Capitol riot). Nevertheless it additionally explains why Biden might resist the temptation to dwell on his personal ouster and transfer on prefer it by no means occurred.
He’s, in the long run, a celebration man.