(ThyBlackMan.com) There is a chance that Donald Trump, the expected eventual Republican nominee for President, might end up being forced out of the race for President due to several outstanding and severe legal issues hanging over his head. If that occurs would President Joe Biden continue to pursue re-election or would he drop out?
If I am correct, I believe President Biden stated that the only reason he was running was to ensure Trump did not return to the Oval Office. Even if President Biden did not voluntarily withdraw from running after Trump was forced out, would he acquiesce to Democratic party officials hoping to keep the White House but believe President Biden’s re-election efforts would be in danger?.
With both President Biden and Donald Trump off the 2024 election ballot, who would Democrats and Republicans select to replace them? Vice President Kamala Harris and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley would seem to be first in line for consideration to replace their respective party’s dropout candidate.
Nikki Haley is the only remaining Republican candidate still running against Trump. Would that guarantee that she would get the nod?
Vice President Harris as Vice President is next in line in succession as outlined in the US Constitution to replace the President. However, would her party’s leaders decide they want someone else?
Is there a chance that neither woman would be selected by their respective party as its nominee? I don’t have a crystal ball, but I am more than willing to bet that neither woman will end up as its party’s nominee for President in 2024.
It will not be because they are women of color, even though racism as always will be a factor. The primary reason they will not be selected in 2024 is that they are women.
Despite the US’ supposedly progressive attitudes, at least that is the propaganda that Americans like to tell themselves and others, the reality is that the US, similar to Russia, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and China, has never had a woman head of state. One can tell a lot about the company that one keeps. The US as it relates to never having had a woman head of state puts it in a somewhat interesting group.
Let’s be real despite the rhetoric, the US is not ready for a woman President. Let’s also be honest, it is not just men that are uncomfortable with a woman President. A significant number of women are not prepared to vote for a woman as President.
Women will find all types of reasons why a woman running President would not get their vote. That is not to say men would be much different. In fact, in this climate of unhappiness and dissatisfaction with people complaining about everything and nothing, I doubt if Jesus and Budda were running for President if they would win. However, that is an article for another day.
When former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ran for President in 2016, there were a significant number of Independent and Democratic male voters who did not vote for her. But the real story which is seldom mentioned is the large number of Independent and most important Democratic women who refused to vote for Clinton. They did not vote for her opponent. Nor did they vote for her.
“But look at all the women elected as mayors and members of Congress.” That is true, but what power do voters actually believe these women have? If a city is viewed as being on life support with little to no hope of improvement does it really matter who is the mayor?
If the city is vibrant and healthy will voters feel less inclined to put its administration in the hand of a woman as compared to a man? Does it really matter to voters if a man or woman is elected to Congress nowadays since Congress is such a non-functional, do nothing institution?
How does the US treat women in general beyond politics?
Recently, Congress held hearings supposedly out of concern that some of the nation’s prestigious colleges and universities were complacent in addressing what was viewed as anti-Semitic activities on college campuses. The presidents of several of the nation’s most prestigious were summoned to appear at the Congressional hearings.
The results of the hearings were that several women presidents of prestigious universities ended up losing their jobs supposedly because members of Congress and others viewed their responses to questions as being ‘weak”. Would the same have happened if the presidents of these prestigious universities had been men?
Would they have been called to appear before Congress at all? Would members of Congress and others have held them as equally as responsible for their students and faculty actions as they had held the women presidents? Would the questioning have been as personal and probing if it had been men and not women sitting at table addressing the Congressional members?
Let’s be honest, how many of us find it uncomfortable with women sitting in the pulpit? It was not that long ago when the thought of a woman not just sitting in the pulpit but actually physically walking through the pulpit was considered inappropriate, sacrilegious. How many of us are still not comfortable seeing women in the pulpit preaching?
How many of us find it distracting if not annoying to see a woman interviewing professional male athletes, managers and coaches during a game? How many of us automatically assume that the woman’s knowledge of the sport is just a tad higher than Donald Trump’s knowledge and enthusiasm for sports?
Again, let’s be honest with ourselves. How many of us were uncomfortable with the Me Too movement and were hoping for a bogus allegation to be lodged by a woman or women and backfire blowing up the movement and sending it to the trash bin of history? How many of us have no problem with how women are presented in rap?
Also how many of us feel that women in positions of authority and power are incapable of handling that authority and power? How many of us feel that women in positions of authority and power have too often shown themselves to be less fair and less compassionate than men? It would be understandable for women in positions of authority to be prejudiced against men. However, is that the case?
How many of us believe that women seem to receive the worst treatment from their women bosses? That we believe that this seems especially true at times when compassion and sensitivity are required.
That we believe that somewhere along the way someone whispered into the ear of the woman boss that “you can’t appear to be weak, you must think and act like a man. You must always show that you are in control.” That we also believe that a man in the same position because they are not preoccupied about being in control or losing control will without hesitation resolve an issue with care and compassion.
How many of us believe that this lack of care and compassion on behalf of women in positions of authority and power is on display everyday in courtrooms around this nation? That women prosecutors and judges seek to show just how tough they can be in seeking the most stringent, harshest penalties and sentences.
Whereas we believe a male judge or prosecutor might be more inclined to try and understand the circumstances that resulted in the defendant being before the court as compared to a woman judge or prosecutor feeling that they needed to show just how tough they were?
Let’s be honest, is America ready for a woman President?
Staff Writer; Al Alatunji
Question? Comment? Regarding the above article. Feel free to send a message to this address: Alatunji@ThyBlackMan.com.