Irrational Exuberance Is Not Always Fleeting

"Is the delight over Harris a temporary phenomenon, a species of irrational exuberance?" asks @sbg1 "Maybe, but for Democrats it was a hell of a lot better than the I’d-vote-for-Biden-even-if-he’s-dead discourse that has thus far permeated their 2024 election season."…

— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) July 25, 2024

The question is: where does this enthusiasm come from?

MAGA wants desperately to say it comes from nowhere. That Harris couldn’t generate this interest on 2020 in the Democratic primaries, that she doesn’t have a record to run on (and Trump’s record in 2016 was…? 🤷🏻‍♂️ And his record in 2020 caused him to lose.) Basically, they got nothin’. They’re whistling as loudly as they can past the graveyard they suddenly find themselves next to.

Watch: Kamala Harris overwhelmed by applause during speech to teachers https://t.co/Ytrk4X0olL

 — Raw Story (@RawStory) July 25, 2024

I watched this speech live on local TeeVee (fortunately not on FoxNews, who cut it off early.) She’s a good speaker: very natural, very comfortable on her feet, and making it sound like she’s just talking, not reading. But the enthusiasm in the room reminded me of the early days of Obama. She literally had to get people to calm down so she could speak, and they broke into chants while she was speaking.

A lot of the excitement stems from that dramatic shift: from an old, white man stepping aside not because he couldn’t win (LBJ), but because he was passing the torch.

I know enthusiasm is supposed to fade; but this same enthusiasm turned Obama from a one-unfinished term Senator into the POTUS. I’m not discounting it now.

'Kamala just broke Zoom': 136K white women overcome glitchy call to raise over $1Mhttps://t.co/zuAAhmauh1

— Raw Story (@RawStory) July 26, 2024

And it wasn’t just at an AFT meeting in Houston.

This was a race between two old white men, both known quantities and neither generating much enthusiasm. I mention race and gender because those things matter more to younger generations than they do to aging Boomers, and not just because of “identity politics.” Which is just another way of saying “white men should count more.” Something younger generations learned from Boomers before their attitudes ossified.

A lot of the excitement stems from that dramatic shift: from an old, white man stepping aside not because he couldn’t win (LBJ), but because he was passing the torch. (I know the pundits don’t like that story, but the voters clearly do. They’re putting their money and their energy behind it.) The way is finally cleared, and the non-Boomers are sprinting ahead to take advantage of it.

I remember this when Kennedy ran as the avatar of a “new generation.” He wasn’t a Boomer (none were old enough to be President until 1980), but he wasn’t an old man, and that made all the difference.  Ironically, “Kamalot” reflects that same enthusiasm.

Republicans really are on the back side of history again. This new wave is going to swamp them.