The 2024 Democratic National Convention’s inauguration was marked with an act of betrayal. It was here that President Joe Biden embarrassingly stepped aside, handing over his responsibilities to Vice President Kamala Harris. Casting a dark cloud over the historic run, many are questioning Biden’s abrupt withdrawal from the presidential race. This concession to party members questioning his age and competency has allowed Harris to step into the field against the former President Donald Trump, the much-awaited Republican candidate.
Harris’s participation in the race was seen as a desperate attempt by the Democrats to inject life into an election they feared was losing momentum. A survey conducted by Marquette University Law School in early August 2024 noted an artificial rise in the ‘very enthusiastic’ voters, from 46% to 61% in just two months! The drastic shift was unsurprisingly majorly driven by Democrats, attempting to paint a convenient picture of renewed interest.
The unprecedented maneuver from Biden to Harris has led to a justified uproar from the Republican camp. Among the vocal critics was Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. He cogently pointed out the inconvenient truth – ‘Their coup is complete’, he asserted during a press conference held at Trump’s Chicago hotel in late summer 2024. They managed to sideline a president who had been democratically voted into power, without any primary vote backing for their new nominee.
High profile Republicans have bolstered the argument by echoing this sentiment, referring to Biden’s stepping down as a ‘coup’. Although used metaphoricially, the word carries serious implications. Traditionally, a coup d’etat refers to the forcible overthrow of a government, typically involving violence or coercion. However, in the modern context, the definition isn’t as clear-cut.
Scott Althaus, from the University of Illinois’ Cline Center for Advanced Social Research Coup D’etat Project, suggested specific criteria to define a coup, including ‘irregular means’. By this, he means that initiators of a coup deploy threats or use coercion or force to dislodge someone from power. The question begs – can what happened to Biden be seen as a political coup?
Sweeping this argument under the carpet, some theorists, such as Erica De Bruin from Hamilton College, argue that there was no threat of violence against Biden, thus refusing to delineate it as a coup. They assert that Biden faced no physical threat while succumbing to the political pressure, discounting it as a crucial element of a coup.
However, critics question these overly restrictive definitions of a coup, arguing they fall short of considering subtler, yet powerful forms of coercion. Matt Cleary, a political science professor from Syracuse University, while acknowledging the pressure on Biden, chooses to differentiate it from a coup based on the lack of overt aggression or physical threats.
Another feeble consolation was that Democrats did not remove Biden from power using irregular electoral processes, but rather ‘encouraged’ him to withdraw his campaign for a second term. Cleary noted the lack of stealth, a common element of coups, since Biden’s decision to step down was discussed publicly for weeks.
While such scholarly dissections might warrant some consideration, the fact remains that questions about the precipitous turn of events leading to Biden’s decision to exit the race are valid. And calling it a coup certainly lends itself to closer examination into the motivations and machinations of the parties involved.
Johnson’s remarks may be downplayed as mere figures of speech, as some would argue. However, the underlying sentiment resonates with many. A majority agrees that the situation does not closely fit into the traditional definition of a coup; nevertheless, Biden’s withdrawal under mounting pressures raises eyebrows.
As the Democrats move forward with their new nominee and the Republicans regroup to consider their own responses, one thing is clear: the 2024 election will be a bitter contest punctuated with unprecedented tactics. The aftermath of Biden’s departure has left an uneasy cloud hanging over the political landscape, one that might not dissipate anytime soon.
The political waters are muddied and the general public left thinking: does this opportunistic blind-eye to an undermining of democratic principles herald a troubling future for our democracy? Only time will tell.
Overall, while Harris takes the stand clutching the baton passed by a sidelined Biden, the dealings behind these quicksilver shifts are certainly questionable. Johnson’s claims of a ‘coup’ against Biden, though dramatic, force an acknowledgment and discussion of the unsettling dynamics that swept through the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Regardless of the debates around buzzwords such as ‘coup’, the uncomfortable reality remains: a democratically elected President was coerced into withdrawal for political advantage, setting a dangerous precedent for the future of American democracy.