The Democratic field feels different this year— gone are the niceties of the past
J
oe Biden looked old and Kamala Harris looked bold.
That, in one sentence, is the takeaway from the first Democratic Party debate, a contest in which the senator for California put the former vice president, and the entire country, on notice that she is a serious contender for the presidency.
The Democratic field feels different this year — gone are the niceties of the past. The tone feels more aggressive and urgent, as if a great task must be accomplished. We are witnessing a generational shift, in which elder statesmen like Joe Biden are being overtaken by younger and more woke competitors.
Biden has been a public figure for 50 years. Throughout his long career he has made his share of mistakes, stumbled over his words, and voted many times in ways that he now regrets. Yes, it’s true that he was once collegial with segregationist lawmakers. But so was nearly everyone else.
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