2020 the Campaign Chronicles

Book excerpt: The 2020 campaign began with the 2016 election of Donald J. Trump and effectively rendered a verdict on his presidency. The Democartic Party sifted through a small army of worthies to defeat Trump and in former Vice-President Joe Biden they found their champion. Biden claimed the nomination following a phoenix-like rise propelled by a miraculous South Carolina primary victory. Backed by the party establishment and the mainstream media, Biden’s weak campaign proved sufficient by a handful of votes in a handful of states and leaving Biden with little mandate other than to avoid being like Trump. The story of the 2020 election is in part a story of America and the Trump presidency, a stormy marriage of highs and lows shaped by contrived investigations into Russian government interference, a failed impeachment, a welcomed intolerance for sexual harassment, the exposure of deep racial divisions highlighted by widespread and often violent rioting accompanied by a re-examination of the role of the police, a strong economy until crushed by the coronavirus pandemic, and then the pandemic tragedy itself. The Trump presidency’s four years astounded, for better or for worse, depending on point of view. This book chronicles the 2020 election and thus the events that shaped the election over the course of four years, written contemporaneously to capture the flavor of the moment, praising and criticizing Trump and his many antagonists in equal measure. Those enamored of the former president will find succor and outrage, as will those who delighted in his defeat. Those seeking to understand what happened will find the reading interesting, infuriating, and perhaps in places, illuminating.