Yes, it happened. I've seen it, your dog, and your friends have seen it: President Biden had dropped out of the presidential race. Just four months shy from the official Presidential election, America has been left wondering: What is next for America?
Is this a terrible last-minute decision? However, citizens did not waste time to answer this question. From AANHPI Zoom meetings to the voter registration amongst Gen Z increasing, America has swiftly gotten to work to redefine what it means to be a "United States". What does this mean for democracy, and how have citizens supported in making a change? President Biden's decision did not shake up America, but rather: helped us band together to protect the state of democracy. Here's a recap of how America is redefining the 2024 presidential election.
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What Does This Mean For Democracy?
In the wise words of our generation: Chat, is our democracy cooked?
Many believe that due to Biden’s old age and questionable performance during the recent debate, he is not fit to serve another term in the Oval Office. As a possible result, Biden subsequently ended his run. As of August 1st, Kamala has been officially nominated as the presidential candidate of 2024 at the Democratic National Convention, also known as DNC.
With 4,600 delegates ensuring her nomination, this swift save has left many wondering if this idea is good for democracy, as such short notice could lead to a sudden drop in support just four months away from the presidential election. With such a hasty decision, the idea of endorsing Kamala led to doubts, due to America’s historical past of mistreating black women. Is America capable of shedding its racist past to protect democracy from a possible threat to the nation?
However, Biden’s decision and America’s history did not deter citizens from getting straight to work. Shortly after Biden’s withdrawal from the race, it is no surprise President Biden immediately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. Former Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton immediately endorsed Harris as a nominee as well. Not long after, former president Barack Obama was excited to announce his support for his 20-year friend.
“But we couldn’t be more excited for her -- or more thrilled to endorse Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.” - President Obama
With influential backing from the largest political leaders, Kamala’s support did not end there. On July 24th, I attended the AANHPI’s “Women for Harris” Zoom campaign, curious to see a brief insight into how our political leaders are responding to this abrupt shift in power.
A few honorable mentions include Congresswoman Grace Meng, Congresswoman Judy Chu, Senator Mazie Hirono, Congresswoman Mazie Strickland, and President of NARAL Pro-Choice America Mimi Timmaraju. After gaining inspiration from their black female coworkers for hosting a Zoom endorsing Harris, the turnout for AANHPI’s Zoom received over 1,426 attendees. Senator Hirono mentioned the racist and sexist attacks against VP Harris, but followed up with a powerful quote:
“We as the AAPI community know what it’s like to be attacked, and we need to push back. Not just for our community, but for Kamala.”
However, the zoom was abruptly halted.
Our attention swiftly turned to Biden, who was giving an address to America. With an end to his era, Biden pulled out of the race to "Unite my party in this critical endeavor." To save democracy, he placed his ambition to the side and emphasized the choice is now up to us to decide if we want Kamala Harris as our first black female president. Now is not the time to be divided, to debate on if his decision is justified. In President Biden's own words, "We just have to keep faith," and we must band together to "preserve our democracy" as a nation.
Oh boy, we are alright.
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One Nation, Under God.
The heartfelt speech of President Biden came at the perfect time. With our politicians banning together to protect our democracy, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal revealed an outstanding statistic: 35,000 new voter registrations within 48 hours, where 83% were young voters between ages 18 and 34. This is a huge achievement, as Congresswoman Strickland noted nearly 80 million people did not vote as of last year.
However, communities are attempting to make a change to this number. Wasting no time, the Divine 9, historically black fraternities and sororities, has raised 1.5 million dollars in a 44,000-occupied Zoom call in support of VP Harris's new journey. As VP Harris is an AKA herself, there was no doubt that her sorority sisters would extend their arms out in support of her campaign. The Divine 9 also aided VP Harris in increasing voter turnout, especially amongst the black community.
"This campaign will activate the thousands of chapters and members in our respective organizations to ensure strong voter turnout in the communities we serve. This nonpartisan coordinated voter mobilization effort builds on our shared legacies of social action and service to our communities. The Divine 9 stands in unity to Get Out the Vote. We are stronger together."
However, we cannot forget Gen Z's efforts to unite America in support of VP Harris. Admittedly, we have been begging for a younger voice for a while. With Kamala now being a younger choice, her presence could greatly influence our vote. To solidify our support, Voters of Tomorrow partnered with 17 youth political organizations to increase youth voting turnout, according to USA Today.
Amongst social media, trends of remixing Kamala's “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” have erupted. In fact, I've seen one recently of Britney Spear's "Gimme More.”
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Here’s How You Can Determine What’s Next for America:
Get out and vote. If you are under the age of 18, pre-register to vote. Shortly before my 17th birthday, I signed up to pre-register to vote.
My first election will be this November, and I educating peers on why voting is important, and how to prepare for the election. During the Zoom meeting, Mimi Timmaraju included different ways to volunteer for your community. If you text “VOLUNTEER” to 59791, you can sign up to fight for reproductive freedom in this upcoming election. You can also visit the Reproductive Freedom For All website and sign up for the “Countdown to 2024: National Member Meeting.” If you want to see a change in your community, and in your country, it must start with you. Whether through donating, informing friends how to register to vote, or volunteering, Biden wants to hear “New voices, fresh voices,” and yes - our “younger voices”, now is the time to do so.
Image Credit: Michael - Unsplash
In the strong, wise, and moving words of Senator Hirono:
“KAMALA IS BRAT.”
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