The first two weeks of the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz campaign may have been light on substance, but they provided a break from the constant fear-mongering that has characterized Democratic attacks on former President Donald Trump for almost a decade.
The Washington Post noted earlier this month that President Joe Biden’s serious messages about the state of the nation have been replaced by promises of ‘freedom’ and ‘a brighter future,’ accompanied by laughter and giggles.
However, the darkness returned during the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The event, billed as a “Thank you Joe” celebration, showcased the party’s continued obsession with apocalyptic rhetoric and messianic fervor.
Biden declared, “We’re in a battle for the very soul of America,” echoing similar sentiments from other speakers who praised his supposed ability to heal the nation’s soul. This portrayal of Biden as a benevolent figure, much like past Democratic leaders, aims to elevate citizens through their gaze.
Despite the grandiosity of the speeches, it was clear that the Democrats’ attempts to portray Biden as a caring and compassionate leader were not universally convincing. Nevertheless, the convention organizers did their best to create a warm and neighborly atmosphere, even considering having James Taylor sing “You’ve Got a Friend” to Biden.
Senator Raphael Warnock, a Baptist pastor, encapsulated the convention’s themes of millenarianism and messianism by suggesting that the nation could heal its divisions and save the planet by following Biden and Harris.
Just as past presidents have expanded the rhetorical expectations of the office, Obama’s lofty promises in his 2008 convention speech set a high standard that subsequent leaders, including Biden and Harris, have struggled to match. This trend of overpromising and portraying the president as a savior has become a hallmark of modern political discourse.
Gene Healy’s warnings about the dangers of presidential omnipotence in his book The Cult of the Presidency ring true in today’s political climate, where the president is expected to be a healer, protector, and national symbol of hope. Whether it’s Obama’s promises to slow the rise of the oceans or Trump’s pledges to revive dying industries, the modern president is often portrayed as a larger-than-life figure with the power to solve all of the nation’s problems.
And our neglected inner cities will witness a resurgence of hope, safety, and opportunity.” Or maybe not.
As Reason Editor in Chief Katherine Mangu-Ward remarked at the time, “This oddly grandiose rhetoric reflects a strangely grandiose bipartisan view of the powers of the president…. Presidents do not perform miracles. They do not reverse the course of history. They do not cure illnesses, eliminate vices, or transform the nation. They are human beings with human flaws, and one of those flaws is the inability to resist indulging in their own self-aggrandizement in moments of triumph.”
Placing our entire being into the hands of politicians is not a characteristic of a healthy civic society. Those who vie for the authority to oversee $7 trillion of taxpayer money under the threat of imprisonment are not your allies. The individuals who lead the Justice Department and command the most potent military in history are not accountable for your aspirations, your desires, your well-being. Granting elected officials such divine authority only leads to self-infantilization, disillusionment, and poor governance within the executive branch.
Presidential candidates will only cease making promises to mend our spirits when we cease demanding it from them. The arduous journey out of our national quagmire necessitates not only mocking pretentious politicians as they deserve but also refraining from projecting our own hopes onto the ambitions of those in politics.
Over the next few days, Democrats will likely frighten voters with legitimate concerns about Trump’s alarming conduct, as well as exaggerated threats like Project 2025 (or, as Sen. Jim Clyburn (D–S.C.) referred to it last night, “Jim Crow 2.0”). This fear-mongering is unfortunately common in politics on both sides. However, it is when they portray a government led by Kamala Harris as a source of spiritual healing that you should truly question their intentions.
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