It is official. Biden has dropped out of the race after the village heads of the Democratic Party went on pilgrimage to Rehoboth to tell the President that the troops were no longer at ease. He got the message.
He went one step further to endorse Kamala Harris. That is a good thing. It assures that there will not be a bloodbath in starting from scratch to find a candidate. Kamala has been thoroughly vetted. They have one month to look for a Vice Presidential candidate.
The game changes. The outlook changes. The rhetoric will change. The dance steps will change as the music changes.
It’s Kamala time.
The question is: Can Kamala win?
Here’s my response to that question.
Harry Truman was largely overshadowed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Death took him away. Truman stepped up. He brought the Second World War to an end. He went on to declare those famous lines: “The Buck stops here.” He won re-election in his own right in 1948.
Lyndon B. Johnson was no match for John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s panache and showmanship, not to talk of his charisma. Again, death took him. LBJ went on to accomplish the Civil Rights legislation in 1964, and Voting Rights in 1965, followed by the Great Society body of legislation that helped lift millions of people out of poverty. In 1964, LBJ won re-election in his own right. You have your answer right there.
Go Kamala.
Biden has taken a bow. No man is indispensable.
We do not create ourselves. Some people age well. Others do not. Some die young. Others live far into a largely lucid old age. Life is a gift. Good health is a gift. We own nothing. Did Shakespeare not famously say that “we are mere underlings?” We are clay. We come, and we go as the Potter desires.
Joe Biden has been in politics since 1970, first as a member of the Newcastle County Council, and then, as US Senator from 1972. God has been kind to him. Biden must step down so that Kamala can step up.
Another President forgot to duck.
In 1981, President Reagan was shot at by a would-be assassin. He survived. When his wife, Nancy went to visit him in the hospital, he echoed the boxer, Jack Dempsey’s famous line—“Honey, I forgot to duck.”
Trump is a lucky man. He reminds one of the movie, “Day of the Jackal”. In the movie, President Charles De Gaulle barely missed being killed as he bowed to accept a bouquet of flowers from a little girl.
Trump lives on to tell his story. John F. Kennedy was not that lucky. On November 22, 1963, whilst riding in an open motorcade near Dealey Plaza in Dallas, JFK was felled by the bullet of an assassin.
The Olympics.
Paris is agog. The world has gathered amidst deep security concerns. We do not deny that there are bad people everywhere, determined to inflict maximum suffering on as many people as possible. The world has barely moved a notch since Munich 1972 when PLO terrorists unleashed mayhem at the Munich Olympics, killing two Israeli athletes, and abducting nine. German police launched a rescue operation that failed, leading to the deaths of the nine hostages. Not much has changed since then. Everywhere you look in Paris, there are heavily armed men on duty to secure the public space. Those who have invested heavily in their athletes will reap medals whilst those who pray to win medals without the rigor and the investment will be mere spectators. It is as simple as that.
God is not unjust.
Hamas, hostages and Israeli intelligence.
Whilst it’s quite easy for writers like me to write and postulate and criticize the IDF for its brutal retaliation in the Gaza war, the truth may be far from clear. Last month for example, Israeli forces rescued four hostages from Gaza. These hostages were kept in the homes of regular Gaza folks like a medical doctor who led prayers at the local mosque or a journalist, or a local businessman. What Hamas has done largely is to draw Israeli troops into areas occupied by civilians, thus creating worldwide outrage when Israeli forces invade and casualties mount. Hamas started this war. Hamas made the decision to keep hostages in civilian homes. Hamas must take responsibility for the deaths among its civilian population.
Minimum wage.
It appears the Federal Government and Labor Movements have reached an agreement on the minimum wage crisis. This is commendable. The elephant in the room, hyperinflation, remains unyielding.
What are we going to do to bring down prices? A minimum wage of N70,000 or any number for that matter is only meaningful to the extent that prices are reasonable and stable.
Dear Governors, you must mobilize resources and get your people to face the bush. We must produce what we eat. Food security is a sine qua non for general security.
The Internet, the good and the bad.
Every time I am on an airplane, I marvel at the wonderment it represents and how it has affected our lives for over 120 years. It’s changed many things. And so, I always ask whoever is sitting next to me what they believe to be the greatest invention of all time. Some say the automobile. Some say electricity. Some say the telephone. Others say the airplane, but only recently, I’ve begun to hear—the internet. What do you think?
The internet is so ubiquitous in our lives now so much so that a small disruption in faraway Iceland disrupts life in Benin City. In the last few days, flights have been grounded because of a malfunction somewhere. People are stranded at airports all over the world. If you have ever missed a flight when you had just enough money for your journey, you will have a story to tell.
Magnus Progressus!
In the final analysis, it is sad to hear a Nigerian official putting down Dangote refinery in a video that has gone viral. He slammed the company for substandard product and seemed to be quite inclined to continuous importation of fuel. I wonder what role this gentleman has played in the revitalization of refineries owned by the government, and I also wonder where his loyalties actually lie. President Ahmed Tinubu must hear this.
Mr. President sir, the suffering in the land is dire. I hope your handlers are telling you the truth. People are in peril. Universities are shutting down faculties for inability to pay Band A electricity bills. Even the rich and affluent are afraid to turn on lights in their homes. The poor are being driven to further desperation. We are in the throes of the dilemma of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner: “Water, water everywhere,” he cried, “but not a drop to drink.”
My prayer: May the 4th Republic not crumble on your watch.
Dear reader, until we see again in two weeks, I wish you Godspeed.
Ovienmhada, author, playwright, poet and public affairs commentator, cann be reached via [email protected].
