Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, the first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
By Chido Nwangwu. Follow on Twitter @Chido247
If Joe Biden, the President of the United States, is re-elected in 2024, the man who has given African-Americans the most powerful and influential positions in government, will become the oldest person to be inaugurated as President.
Biden’s following a bifurcation strategy of fighting for votes: the gun-hugging, xenophobic, insurrectionists versus the diversity champions and abortion rights supporters.
It is that strategy that made him to say, a couple of years ago, that:
“Every generation of Americans has faced a moment when they have to defend democracy, stand up for the right to vote, and our civil rights. And this is our moment. Let’s finish the job. I know we can.”
Is he going to be able to finish the job?
Early morning on Tuesday, February 25, 2023, Biden announced that he is running for re-election.
In a three-minute video posted to his social media accounts, Biden reminded the country: “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are.”
Biden affirmed in the video: “That’s why I’m running for re-election.”
Long before Biden’s declaration and I must say, prematurely, the divisive and cantankerous former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, on Tuesday November 15, 2022 “officially launched” his third campaign for the White House. He said “In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States…. America’s comeback starts right now.”
With visually engaging scenes of the January 6 insurrection by radical elements (encouraged and partly inspired by Trump & Co) who set upon the U.S Capitol, Biden introduced the strategy for his uncertain quest for reelection. His video had images of abortion rights protesters. Biden pitched the dividing issues in the campaigns and across America.
Evidently, it could be another rough and bare-knuckle showdown between the 80-year incumbent and his aggressive, Republican predecessor Donald Trump. That is, if Trump beats the major court cases dogging him.
He highlighted his campaign as being the opposite of the Trump Republicans.
“Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take on those bedrock freedoms, dictating what health care decisions women can make, banning books and telling people who they can love – all while making it more difficult for you to vote,” Biden listed.
He requested Americans to support and enable him “finish the job.”
He summarized the consequences, impact and debate to only one choice:
“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we give more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer.”
The video directly seeks the continued support of African-Americans, women and abortion rights activists with images of Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in several locations.
There’s a powerful message with Biden walking outside the White House with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Jackson was Biden’s pick who significantly became the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the U.S.
There’s a clip of Latinos hailing him, “arriba, Biden!” — to which he replied
“I know what I want the answer to be, and I think you do, too.”
As a snapshot of this moment in history, Biden is not polling well as the NBC News poll released in mid-April 2023 showed that 70% of Americans don’t want Biden to run again (26% say he should). 60% are opposed to Trump seeking another term as President. But the election is more than one year away!
Soon, time and the trailer loads of criminal charges and court cases against Trump will tell. Or whether they will wash off his back and he will continue his quest, in the likeness of a teflon ‘Don’.
Anything is possible in politics; let’s rather say that many things are possible in politics.
Dr. Chido Nwangwu, author of the forthcoming 2023 book, MLK, Mandela & Achebe: Power, Leadership and Identity., is Founder of the first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper on the internet, USAfricaonline.com, and established USAfrica in 1992 in Houston.He has appeared as an analyst on CNN, ALJazeera, SKYnews, and served as an adviser on Africa business to Houston’s former Mayor Lee Brown. Follow him on Twitter @Chido247
