Above, Ms Stein and Mr Kennedy.
Most Americans will not be aware of the recent general election in the UK. The UK uses the same electoral system to elect it’s representatives to the lower house of it’s legislature, called the House of Commons.
The new government has a large majority that was gain on just 34% of the popular vote. Why? Because of the presence of minor parties.
In the UK, the system is called “First Past the Post”. In the USA it is called (sensibly) the “The Two Party System” – because it only deals properly when there are two candidates or parties!
The US Presidential Election is going to be held on Tuesday 5th November 2024. This date is notable in the UK for on that day, we celebrate “Bonfire Night” in commemoration of a foiling of a plot to literally “blow up” the Houses of Parliament by stashing a huge quantity of gunpowder under the building! This was in 1605. It is called the “Gunpowder Plot”.
Now, the US Presidential Election on Tuesday November 5th 2024 will be regarded by many Americans as an internal affair of the USA and of interest to US Citizens. In this they are not wrong! However, the election has international consequences and many outside the USA are keenly interested in the outcome and have definite opinions upon which person and which party will end up winning the election!
Now the one thing that we can be reasonably certain of is this: That on Wednesday 6th November 2024 the world will know that either the candidate of the Democratic Party of the candidate of the Republican Party will be inaugurated as President on January 20th 2025.
Given this FACT, I – as a Briton – have some comments:
#1: This election is very important due to the international situation.
#2: If President Biden is a candidate on election day it is clear that very shortly after his inauguration, he will resign and hand over the Presidency to his running mate, Vice President Harris.
#3: This is clearly the strategy President Biden (and Vice President Harris) have agreed upon probably due to the electoral calculation that Mr Biden has a better chance of winning than Ms Harris!
#4: #3 above is NOT an acceptable course of action! It is disingenuous. It is also stupid because it will be clear to the vast majority of the American people that Mr Biden is deteriorating at such a rate that it is a question of “when” and not “if” he will hand over the reigns of power to Ms Harris!
It would be far better for Mr Biden to resign the presidency and to allow Ms Harris to assume it – ASAP! Were he to do this before August 5th 2024, Ms Harris would have three months in which to prove herself to the American people.
It is obvious that Ms Harris would be able to deal far more ably with Mr Trump in any debate and it is also likely that Mr Trump will likely be less than polite and attempt to interrupt and heckle Ms Harris. I can only speak to the attitudes of my fellow countrymen but were this to happen in the UK the audience would have a low opinion of Mr Trump as a result.
It would also be helpful were Ms Stein and Mr Kennedy to withdraw from the race to afford the best chance of a clear decision at this very important election.