Simply barely over every week in the past, the political panorama in the US went 180 levels with the announcement by President Joe Biden that he was withdrawing from the presidential race. Earlier than then, Biden had been recalcitrant that he wouldn’t withdraw from the race. He insisted that he was robust and wholesome and was the one one who might defeat the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
Regardless that Biden had given the American public many indicators that indicated that he was mentally and bodily unfit for the job, it was in the course of the first presidential debate that his shortcomings turned indeniable. Biden spoke in a raspy voice with none power. He seemed feeble. However that was not all. He recurrently misplaced his practice of thought and combined up the names of individuals and incidents. Even his opponent at that debate, Trump, had events when he was shocked on the lack of coherence in what Biden was saying. At a degree within the debate, Trump stated, whereas responding to a solution Biden gave to the moderators: “I actually don’t know what he stated on the finish of that sentence, and I don’t suppose he did, both.”
Biden’s efficiency was embarrassing. Opinion polls confirmed that Trump was widening the hole between them. Many Democrats, together with legislators, started to brazenly ask him to withdraw from the race and save the occasion from not simply shedding the presidency but in addition shedding a few of their strongholds in Congress to Republicans and turning into weakened. To point out their seriousness, many sponsors of the occasion withdrew their help.
However the extra Democrats requested Biden to withdraw, the extra he stated no and insisted that he was the one who might defeat Trump simply as he did in 2020. The Democratic Celebration was divided and confused. The morale of members was low. Their case was worsened by the truth that Biden was (and nonetheless is) an incumbent president. In consequence, he didn’t face any robust problem for the ticket of the occasion earlier this yr.
One other issue – not often publicly mentioned – was the truth that Biden’s deputy, Vice President Kamala Harris, is a girl in addition to an individual of non-White race. Regardless of the excessive stage of human rights in the US, it has by no means elected a girl. It took America 232 years to elect a non-White individual in 2008 within the individual of Barack Obama. And it was as a result of Obama had an incredible persona and confirmed distinctive promise with no dangerous story related to him. It could be disastrous to sideline Harris due to her gender and race to select a White male as Biden’s alternative on the polls. However with lower than 4 months to the presidential election, even when Harris turned the candidate of the Democratic Celebration, it was not apparent whether or not she might make any impression.
Conversely, the Republican Celebration was upbeat. The morale of members was excessive. The missed assassination try on Trump some weeks in the past drew him sympathy and helped to shoot up his score. On the Republican Celebration’s conference, the place Trump was formally confirmed because the presidential candidate and the place he named his operating mate, the occasion was as united and assured because it had not been in a few years. All polls confirmed that Trump was forward. It was apparent that Trump would rout Biden within the presidential race in November.
Then on Sunday, July 21, Biden introduced his withdrawal from the presidential race and help for Harris. Inside 48 hours, the presidential bid of Kamala Harris acquired over $100 million in donations: a document. (Inside one week, it raised $200 million). The Democratic Celebration was rejuvenated. Consideration shifted from the Republicans to the Democrats.
The marketing campaign dynamics additionally fully modified. Earlier than that Sunday, Trump was the youthful and more healthy candidate, whereas Biden was the previous and feeble candidate. That was meant to be the focus of the marketing campaign. Instantly after Biden’s announcement, Trump turned the previous candidate: the oldest candidate in American historical past to run for president. The Republicans could be pressured to alter their marketing campaign message and focus. Opinion polls confirmed that Harris had gone narrowly forward of Trump, despite the fact that it’s nonetheless inside the margin of error, which makes it an open sport.
The Republicans consider that Trump will rescue the US from the harmful grip of Biden and the Democrats. The Democrats consider that Kamala Harris and the Democrats will save America from falling into the harmful arms of Trump a second time.
One other factor that occurred after Biden’s announcement was the resignation of the Director of the American Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle. Because the try on Trump, Cheatle had vowed to not resign. Final week, she was grilled by Congress and each Democrats and Republicans tore her to shreds and instructed her to jot down her resignation letter instantly. She refused. However the subsequent day, she resigned.
This is the reason warts and all, the US is an exemplary and thrilling democracy. The system is above everybody. One individual doesn’t determine what occurs within the nation. Folks take accountability for any lapses below their watch. There isn’t any room for excuses. In the event that they refuse to do this, they’re put below strain till they do the fitting factor.
Biden is the president of the strongest nation on the earth. Subsequently, he’s the strongest president and particular person on the earth. However he needed to succumb to the strain from his occasion members to withdraw from the presidential race. The distinction between the US and the Nigerian state of affairs is that in instances like this, the Nigerian president wouldn’t resign. It occurred when Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was in poor health. It occurred when Muhammadu Buhari was additionally in poor health. It occurred when Bola Tinubu was contesting for the presidency. Moreover, there have been many allies of theirs who got here out and spoke strongly of their help, giving all types of the reason why their well being state of affairs was not a problem.
One other level is the significance Individuals place on presidential debates. Any candidate who refuses to attend a presidential debate is seen as displaying disrespect to the American populace. The presidential debate is the avenue by which the American folks, in addition to residents of all developed international locations, gauge the bodily and psychological acuity of those that want to lead them. They use it to seek out out who appears ready for management. However in Nigeria, politicians snub debates and all makes an attempt to reply unscripted questions. Tinubu didn’t take part in any presidential debate earlier than the 2023 election. Earlier than him, Buhari did the identical factor. Likewise, Goodluck Jonathan, Yar’Adua and Olusegun Obasanjo both prevented presidential debates or participated within the one they created. There have been at all times individuals who defended them and argued that speaking just isn’t the identical factor as management.
Nigeria copies most issues from the US. The present presidential system of presidency which Nigeria practises was copied from the US after the First Republic failed and it was blamed on the British parliamentary system. The presidential system has not succeeded in delivering a dependable system that creates progress and stability. That proves that Nigeria’s governance failure has no reference to the system of presidency in place. The issue of Nigeria is that of a nasty workman who repeatedly quarrels together with his instruments.
Nigeria doesn’t copy the transparency that the American system is thought for. It doesn’t copy the proclivity of Individuals to place the curiosity of the nation earlier than their private and parochial pursuits. Resigning from positions is nearly unthinkable. People are most instances above the legislation. This makes it tough for democracy to provide the specified dividends which might be related to it. The one dividend of democracy that has accrued to Nigeria is the truth that no president has stayed in energy for greater than two phrases like what obtains in international locations like Russia, Rwanda, Cameroon, and many others, which purport to practise democracy. Nigerians stay up for the time their politicians will begin copying the great examples from the US.