Statecraft takes time: Kamala Harris & Gavin Newsom

For people who care about democracy, this has been a good week. Many of us are feeling, maybe for the first time in a while, optimistic—or at least hopeful—about our political future. This warm feeling is made possible because a bunch of civic leaders, journalists and others, working individually and together, executed a master class in statecraft.

“Statecraft,” in its broadest and driest definition, is the art of governance. In a democracy, the term can be used to describe the way our elected leaders and others involved in politics wield power. Note that the skillful execution of political power is an art and not a science—it has been likened to “listening for the footsteps of God and catching his coattails as he strides by.” 

In his five decades as a public servant, Joe Biden wielded power effectively and gracefully, but, in his Covid fever last week, he may have heard those footsteps heading away. He definitely also heard from leaders of his party, and finally heard a message that he had not allowed himself to hear for at least a couple of years. 

As we’ve seen, the wave of gratitude that followed the president’s courageous decision to step aside and anoint his successor immediately morphed into a storm of enthusiasm, proving the collective wisdom of the longtime friends and allies who gently but firmly pulled the levers that dislodged him. 

And here we are, with Kamala Harris making a strong bid to be the first Californian since Richard Nixon to serve as president of the United States. So the word of the week: Statecraft!