Democrats must unify and channel their energy into the presidential race

There ain’t no cure for Joe Biden’s summertime blues. But there’s still hope for his party in the fall if, and when, he steps aside for another Democrat to top the ticket. Press reports indicate that the president is considering that possibility.

These are the times that try men’s souls or at least the souls of men and women who value the rule of law, diversity and the promise of America’s future. The Democratic Party represents those sacred values.

But the Democratic watchword is discord. President Biden has been under siege from not so friendly fire from fellow Democrats since his nationally televised debate against Donald Trump. The flak comes from Democrats such as Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff and liberal Hollywood activists like George Clooney and Rob Reiner. All of these heavy hitters are from deep-blue California.

The GOP slogan is teamwork. Delegates to the Republican National Convention gave the former president a hero’s welcome after a failed assassination attempt and even after he excised their cherished anti-abortion statement from the party platform.

Right on cue, Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed federal judge, launched the proceedings by dismissing the indictments against Trump for hoarding top secret military and diplomatic documents. Her decision was in turn based on an opinion in the presidential immunity case by another supportive judge, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. You just can’t make this stuff up.

The difference between Democrats and Republicans is as stark as day and night. Republicans grease the skids for their guy while Democrats setup speed bumps. Humorist Will Rogers once said, “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.” His observation was funny then but is deadly serious now.

Trump clearly has the wind at his back. A new poll by Emerson University has Trump with statistically significant leads nationally and in the key battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Two factors could give the new GOP ticket an additional bump in the polls. Trump will probably get a boost in the aftermath of his party’s convention. And the president’s COVID infection might exacerbate already prominent voter concerns about his age and health. Watch for Republicans to prey on these perceptions with attacks on the president for being weak on immigration, crime and China.

The clock is ticking, and Democrats will take a licking unless they get their act together, quickly and reset the presidential race. The moment requires unity, energy and enthusiasm which Democrats lack, and Republicans have in abundance.

Abraham Lincoln’s famous statement “A house divided against itself cannot stand” certainly applies here. Even more appropriate for Democrats is Benjamin Franklin’s observation after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. “We must all hang together or we shall assuredly all hang separately.”

The stakes for Democratic unity are as high as the noon sun in the sky on a clear summer day. If the president steps aside, a younger Democrat like Vice President Kamala Harris can push the reset button and move the party forward.

A Democratic ticket with Harris, 59, at the top and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, 46, as her running mate would give the president’s party the chance to refresh itself and turn the tables on the age problem against the 78-year-old former president.

Trump’s choice of Ohio Sen. JD Vance is a clear signal for the extremism of his second term. Vance is a strong opponent of U.S. aid to Ukraine and an avid supporter of a national abortion ban.

If the Vance nomination isn’t scary enough, take a good look at Project 2025 from the Heritage Foundation, the bastion of former and future Trump administration staffers. These proposals would deal sharp blows to Social Security benefits and the fight against the growing threat of climate change.

Trump used his convention keynote address to call for national unity. Like The Donald, Sears, Roebuck and Co. which specialized in heavy home alliances, tried to rebrand itself with its “Softer side of Sears” campaign. The ad effort was a dismal failure and the GOP nominee’s plea for unity rings hollow in the shadow of his divisive first term.  

Time is tight. The president must quell Democratic dissent quickly or step aside for another champion. Biden would leave a lasting legacy for reinventing the American economy and for leading the fight against the ravages of climate change. He would leave the White House untarnished by defeat. Finally, he would begin his promised transition to a younger generation of Democrats who would continue his fight for America’s future.

Brad Bannon is a Democratic pollster, CEO of Bannon Communications Research and the host of the popular progressive podcast on power, politics and policy, Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon.