{"id":2329008,"date":"2024-08-22T07:39:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-22T11:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-pass-the-torch-while-playing-the-oldies-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-22T07:41:43","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T11:41:43","slug":"democrats-pass-the-torch-while-playing-the-oldies-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-pass-the-torch-while-playing-the-oldies-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats pass the torch while playing the oldies &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-pass-the-torch-while-playing-the-oldies-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2329008&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the recent developments at the Democratic \u200bNational Convention,\u2064 emphasizing the\u200c symbolic transition of leadership from older\u2064 to younger \u200bfigures within the\u200d party. Kamala Harris is\u200c now the Democratic nominee while President Joe Biden has stepped back sooner than expected, marking a shift in the \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alpha-karen-with-brown-skin-msnbc-guest-ratchets-up-the-racism-to-insult-nikki-haley\/\" title=\"\u2018Alpha-Karen With Brown Skin\u2019: MSNBC Guest Ratchets Up The Racism To Insult Nikki Haley\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">presidential campaign<\/a> strategy<\/a>. This change has \u2064invigorated the Democrats&#8217; electoral prospects, allowing\u2063 them to \u200dtarget states previously thought to be lost.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this \u200dgenerational shift, the\u200c convention \u200bhas been characterized by a lineup of older, prominent figures, including the Obamas, Clintons, and Pelosi, which complicates \u2063the narrative of progress and renewal. The article\u200c highlights the tension between the party&#8217;s intention to look forward with new leadership while relying \u2064heavily on legacy figures from the past.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the piece touches on how this generational change is \u200bnot just about \u2063leadership; it reflects\u200d the party&#8217;s \u2063diminishing options in prior\u2062 elections,\u2062 which forced them to rally behind older candidates. The article points out that while Democrats seek\u2062 to project an image of \u200dmoving \u200bon, their reliance\u200c on past icons undermines this message, illustrating a complex interplay between tradition and change in the party&#8217;s strategy.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Democrats pass the torch while playing the oldies<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1735567\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Officially, the theme of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-national-convention\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Democratic National Convention<\/a> is about turning the page.<\/p>\n<p>The week will end with Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris<\/a> being celebrated as the Democratic nominee as it began with President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> being ushered off the stage in an earlier last hurrah than he had anticipated a little over a month ago.<\/p>\n<p>This switch-out has breathed new life into the presidential campaign, both expanding the electoral map for Democrats and narrowing the gap in the polls. Biden was trailing former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> by 3.1 points in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/president\/general\/2024\/trump-vs-harris\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>RealClearPolitics <\/em>polling average<\/a> when he dropped out. Harris is leading by 1.5.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of playing defense in Virginia, New Hampshire, and New Mexico, Democrats are on offense in North Carolina, Arizona, and Georgia, all states that looked irretrievably lost to Biden last month.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats also finally have a bench of young governors they can turn to in the future. After years of being battered in midterm elections, the Democratic cupboard was so bare and many of the options so left-wing that the party had little choice but to turn to an aging Biden to oppose Trump in 2020. The relative youngsters, including Harris, didn&rsquo;t seem up to the task and the top alternative to Biden was Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT), a committed socialist who was even older.<\/p>\n<p>The torch is being passed in Chicago, and Democrats are completing the generational change in leadership they began when their nearly all-octogenarian House leadership team departed after the midterm elections, led by former House Speaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nancy-pelosi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Nancy Pelosi <\/a>(D-CA).<\/p>\n<p>Out with the old, in with the new.<\/p>\n<p>Yet this message is complicated by the fact that the speakers lineup has been dominated by the Obamas, the Clintons, the Bidens, and Pelosi, with Senate Majority Leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY), who was first elected to Congress the year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ronald-reagan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Ronald Reagan<\/a> won the presidency, joining them for good measure.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans are often mocked, sometimes even by younger or more populist conservatives, for their reverence for Reagan 44 years after the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mainstream-media-and-big-techs-seismic-shift-to-the-left\/\" title=\"Mainstream Media and Big Tech\u2019s Seismic Shift to the Left\">1980 presidential election<\/a>. But Democrats have long engaged in similar behavior, venerating Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy for decades. Biden wanted to be compared to FDR, who died in office while the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-say-bidens-female-led-comms-is-a-first-trump-has-that-now\/\" title=\"Media Say Biden&#039;s Female-Led Comms Is A First. Trump Has That Now\">current president<\/a> was still a small child, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Biden compared Trump to Herbert Hoover, a line that was dated by the time he was first elected to the Senate in 1972, the same year Republican presidential runner-up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nikki-haley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Nikki Haley<\/a> was born.<\/p>\n<p>Former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-clinton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Bill Clinton<\/a> sought to mock Trump&rsquo;s perceived selfishness by framing the 2024 election as a choice between &ldquo;&lsquo;We the People&rsquo; versus &lsquo;Me, Myself, and I.&rsquo;&rdquo; If the latter is a hip-hop reference, the De La Soul album featuring that track, <em>3 Feet High and Rising<\/em>, was released in 1989. This wouldn&rsquo;t be anything new for Clinton: His 1992 campaign song, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t Stop,&rdquo; a symbol of his hipness and youth, was already 15 years old at the time.<\/p>\n<p>The only non-boomer on either ticket this year is Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>J.D. Vance<\/a> (R-OH), which is probably why Democrats have scoured conservative podcasts for evidence that Trump&rsquo;s running mate is the second coming of Tomas de Torquemada.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, Pelosi and former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/barack-obama\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Barack Obama<\/a> played as large a role in forcing the switch from Biden to Harris as any of the younger Democratic leaders to whom they had ostensibly passed the torch themselves. And this probably understates their influence. Pelosi is at least still elected by the voters in her mostly San Francisco-based congressional district.<\/p>\n<p>It is nevertheless critical for Harris and Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tim-walz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Tim Walz<\/a> (D-MN) to be presented as the candidates of change. Trump already served one term in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>White House<\/a>. Biden became so unpopular that a plurality of voters seemed prepared to brush aside warnings about the impending death of democracy to give Trump another term.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Democrats are always seeking an association with vigor, freshness, and youth, which they can more easily obtain through pop culture and A-list celebrity endorsements, whatever the actual ages of their candidates. But they are constantly searching for a new New Deal, new New Frontier, or new Great Society just as surely as Republicans seek to imitate the Reagan tax cuts. Harris has floated price controls in response to the economic conditions that preceded Reaganomics in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>The more things change, the more they stay the same.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1735567\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1735567\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats hand over the reins while reminiscing about the past. The Democratic National Convention&#8217;s official theme focuses on moving forward. The week will conclude with Vice President Kamala Harris being honored as the Democratic nominee, following President Joe Biden&#8217;s unexpected early exit from the spotlight, which he hadn&#8217;t anticipated just over a month ago. This transition has revitalized the presidential campaign, broadening Democrats&#8217; electoral prospects and reducing polling gaps. When Biden withdrew, he was trailing former President Donald Trump by 3.1 points in the RealClearPolitics average; now Harris is ahead by 1.5 points. Instead of defending states like Virginia, New Hampshire, and New Mexico, Democrats are now actively campaigning in North Carolina, Arizona, and Georgia\u2014states that seemed lost to Biden just last month.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Democrats have cultivated a new generation of young governors for future leadership roles. After facing significant losses in midterm elections that left them with few viable candidates\u2014many of whom were seen as too far left\u2014the party had little choice but to rely on an older Biden to challenge Trump in 2020. At that time, younger figures like Harris appeared unprepared for such a role; even Bernie Sanders was an older alternative.<\/p>\n<p>In Chicago this week, Democrats are completing their generational shift in leadership initiated after their nearly all-octogenarian House leadership team stepped down post-midterms under Nancy Pelosi\u2019s guidance. However, this message is somewhat muddled by a lineup of speakers dominated by established figures like the Obamas and Clintons alongside Schumer\u2014a congressman since Reagan&#8217;s presidency.<\/p>\n<p>While Republicans often face criticism for their continued reverence for Reagan decades after his election win in 1980\u2014sometimes even from younger conservatives\u2014Democrats have similarly idolized leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy for years. Biden has sought comparisons to FDR and Lyndon Baines Johnson while likening Trump to Herbert Hoover\u2014a comparison that feels outdated given its origins dating back to when he first entered politics.<\/p>\n<p>Former President Bill Clinton attempted to frame Trump&#8217;s approach as self-centered compared to a more collective vision represented by &#8220;We the People,&#8221; referencing hip-hop culture with an album released back in 1989\u2014a nod not unfamiliar given Clinton\u2019s own use of music from previous decades during his campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>The only candidate this year not belonging to the baby boomer generation is Sen. J.D Vance (R-OH), prompting Democrats to scrutinize conservative media for any signs suggesting Trump&#8217;s potential running mate could be authoritarian-like.<\/p>\n<p>Crucially though, both Pelosi and Obama played significant roles in facilitating Biden&#8217;s transition out and Harris&#8217; rise\u2014notably influencing younger leaders who were thought to be taking charge themselves but still remain under their shadow due largely because Pelosi continues representing her San Francisco district electorally.<\/p>\n<p>For both Harris and Gov.Tim Walz (D-MN), it\u2019s essential they are perceived as agents of change since Trump has already held office once before while public sentiment towards Biden has soured significantly enough that many voters seem willing\u2014even eager\u2014to overlook concerns about democracy at stake if it means giving Trump another chance at power again.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats consistently strive for associations tied closely with youthfulness or freshness through pop culture endorsements regardless of actual ages among candidates they field; yet they remain on constant quests seeking new iterations akin either toward New Deal or Great Society initiatives much like how Republicans emulate Reagan-era tax cuts despite economic conditions reminiscent prior times returning again today through proposals such price controls floated recently by Harris herself!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2329009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/democrats_generational_oldies.webp.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3685,37797,4762,5894],"class_list":["post-2329008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-democrats","tag-generational-change","tag-legislation","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/democrats_generational_oldies.webp.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2329008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2329008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2329008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2329009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2329008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2329008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2329008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}