Fans of the Broadway musical Hamilton will remember a moment late in the show when, after a series of songs about Hamilton’s personal life, one of the characters asks plaintively, “Can we get back to politics?” Joe Biden’s courageous and patriotic decision to end his presidential campaign allows American voters to refocus their attention from questions of age and infirmity and get back to politics.
The question now is what kind of politics will it be?
With Vice President Kamala Harris as the likely Democratic nominee, our politics will bring into sharp relief, indeed sharper relief than ever, a choice between embracing America as a multicultural democracy or pursuing a White Christian nationalist future. Harris is the living embodiment of the best of the American experiment.
And former President Trump can’t stand it.
Another strong, accomplished woman threatens to stand between him and his ability to satisfy his lust for power. First Hilary Clinton, then Fani Willis, now Kamala Harris. It drives him crazy.
By looking at the playbook Trump used against Clinton and Willis we can get a preview of what is to come in our politics.
Before we do, let’s assess how a Harris candidacy resets the 2024 race.
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First, there is the obvious jolt of energy and excitement that helps put the recently completed Republican National Convention in the rearview mirror. That jolt of energy is reflected in the torrent of donations that already have come into Democratic coffers.
The New York Times reports that “Democrats greeted President Biden’s departure from the presidential race with an avalanche of cash, donating more than $30 million online on Sunday and making it the single biggest day for online Democratic contributions since the 2020 election — with hours still to go.
“With Mr. Biden gone and Vice President Kamala........