William Henry Harrison, who served as the ninth U.S. president, holds an interesting record of distinctions including the last to hold birthright as an English, the first to bring the Whig Party to power, and the one to give the longest inaugural address in history, spanning approximately two hours. His presidency holds the record for being the shortest, lasting only a month, as he succumbed in office to his demise.
Harrison stands as the last to lose his initial presidential battle and win in the subsequent one, a feat previously achieved by the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. Nixon, for instance, tasted defeat only to triumph in the long run, with distinct cases such as Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump winning, losing, and winning yet again. Since Harrison’s time, those who were unsuccessful in their initial presidential run and tried a second time in the subsequent election, suffered a defeat.
The scenario is not at all bright for Democrats. Candidates who ran twice, like Democrat Adlai Stevenson and Republican Thomas Dewey, were twice defeated. Similar fate awaited Henry Clay and William Jennings Bryan who lost in their three consecutive runs. The electorate, it appears, has no fondness for repeated losers.
Recent developments concerning Kamala Harris refusing a governorship run for California, incites conjecture linking her potential second shot at the presidency. However, the Democratic Party is hardly in a favorable position with its net popularity hit plummeting to an all-new low, standing at minus 30 points, outdoing the GOP’s deficit popularity of 11 points.
Democrats face an identity crisis, having ingrained the tag of the ‘unpopular party’; a title earned from three and half decades worth of lost trust and belief. The Democrats are in a sticky situation as they are facing the wrath from within. From losing out to Trump to their profile as feeble opposition ever since he took office, disgruntled Democrats see their own party as the offender.
Harris is caught in a peculiar situation where she epitomizes the internal Democratic discontent. It’s a layered issue. The opinion divide within Democrats is marked. Progressives believe that the party lacks the necessary grit, while the moderates claim that the party is on a culture and identity politics tilt, deviating from the real issues.
Yet, what unifies various factions within the party is the deep-rooted aspiration to reign supreme. Harris’ only claim to a possible 2024 nominee was owing to the ‘diversity card’ – a clear sign that Biden was to select a woman and subsequently an African American as a running mate.
However, Harris’ woes don’t lie in her racial ethnicity or sex. Her inability to connect with the voters to add newer dimensions to the Democratic voter base is evidently the issue. If the Democrats wish to make a comeback, they need someone who can convert Trump supporters.
Harris cannot pin her failure on low Democratic turnout. Her unpopularity lies in her inability to resonate with the changing demographics of the voters. She came across as a figurehead in an insubstantial liberal arts college to the electorate, more than an aspirant for the top job.
Her arguments lacked authenticity and sounded more like an outcome of calculated focus groups. Furthermore, agreeing to Biden’s decision of not distancing herself from him worsened her case. Her appearance on ‘The Late Show’ with Stephen Colbert served as a testament to this.
Such publicity stunts only play into the hands an already devoted audience who are ideologically tethered. However, these are not the voters Democrats need to claim victory. Fourier consequences of such a trend indicate that in the event that Democrats nominate her again, she might only get remembered as an answer to a trivia question.
And that question surely won’t be, ‘Who was the 48th president of the United States?’ This serves as a cautionary tale for the Democratic Party which is already undergoing a severe identity crisis, losing touch with the voter base and failing to consolidate their factions.
The Democrats need to step back, take a hard look at their internal dynamics and conflicts, and devise a solid plan to win back voter trust and support. Only then could they hope to reclaim their identity and field a compelling candidate capable of reconstructing the Democratic coalition.
The post Harris’ 2024 Hopes Dwindle As Democrats’ Popularity Hits Rock Bottom appeared first on Real News Now.
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