The 2024 Presidential Election race is turning out to be like no other. Readers old enough to remember, or those of us who appreciate historical perspective, need to go back to March 31, 1968. Then, Democratic Presidential incumbent Lyndon Johnson withdrew his name from consideration for his party’s nomination. The bombing of North Vietnam was in full force, divisiveness ruled the nation, and Johnson’s brief speech contextualizing the state of that war and his nation culminated with a statement that seemed to foreshadow chaos at the Chicago convention later that year:
“I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President.”
History books have produced interpretations of what happened that year and the generations that followed: anger, divisiveness, civil unrest in the streets outside of the Chicago convention that year and multiple perceived fissures.
Flash forward to July 21, 2024. President Biden is recovering from Covid and the consequences of an inept performance at his sole debate with Republican Donald Trump. Biden withdraws from the race. Vice Pres. Kamala Harris assumes his position and is officially named the Democratic nominee 15 days later.
The great Union activist song “Which Side Are You On?” spoke to the generations before and since 1968, but it’s the chant of “The Whole World Is Watching” that seems to resonate even stronger in 2024. Each Presidential election cycle we find ourselves proclaiming that the stakes have never been so high. We gird ourselves against collateral damage from the biting, incendiary political rhetoric spouted from various directions. We hold our collective breath from Labor Day until election day and hope for a reasonable outcome.
It is in this context that Sampan will welcome our readers’ perspectives. What are your major social issues? What concerns you most when it comes to our economy, and how has the migrant situation of the past 12 months affected your perspective on the ways we have (or have not) met the needs of the “huddled masses” coming to our shores “yearning to breathe free”?
Use this QR code or the survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPG-gTHQyfn7bnR36T8mlrLMe1ntiKW_QudjOK_q7j-HOqaA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0 so you can inform our coverage. This campaign season is changing at a breakneck pace. By the time of publication we’ll have seen the first of what looks to be the sole planned debate between Harris and Trump.
It is our goal to open up some space for more and diverse voices.