A country that failed to produce the next leader

People are lamenting that there is no alternative presidential candidate in the U.S. Democratic Party among its many politicians as current President Joe Biden is put under pressure to step down due to issues related to his age. However, one might remember that there were 30 candidates who ran for the Democratic presidential primary four years ago. As 20 candidates met the qualifications for debates to be broadcast, the debates were divided into two sessions over two days with ten candidates each. Each candidate tried their best to maximize the short amount of time given to them to highlight their strengths.

Among those candidates, barely anyone is currently being mentioned as an alternative to President Biden. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who was the youngest candidate at the time, is the only one whose name is sometimes mentioned as an alternative presidential candidate, but he is facing limitations as a sexual minority. Being seen as candidates who lost the primary and the flaws revealed during the race are part of the reasons that prevent the former Democratic candidates from running again. Even if some candidates are willing to try again, it isn’t easy for them to make a move as they need to keep their positions in Congress since the House of Representatives is run by the Republican Party and the Senate is at risk.

There are seven or eight new names that are being mentioned as potential presidential candidates by those who are in and out of the Democratic Party belatedly looking for a new candidate. They are mostly governors who have no verified political capabilities in the central government or lack country-wide recognition. Vice President Kamala Harris is a relatively realistic option, but she has a lower approval rating than President Biden. In fact, former First Lady Michelle Obama, who announced that she had no intention to enter the political world, is placed No. 1 in a virtual race.

A national leader is not produced overnight. A significant amount of time and effort is required to receive leadership training and build support in order to survive in a political jungle despite some initial shining potential. Work should be done to give them opportunities to stand on the central stage, assign important projects to verify their capabilities, and expose them to the media to expand their support base. The story of the Democratic leadership selecting and training former President Barack Obama as the party’s presidential candidate immediately after he came into the spotlight with his speech at the 2004 party convention.

The U.S. Democratic Party in a dilemma has significant implications for the South Korean National Assembly. Multiple leaders of the ruling party whose potential garnered attention were dropped out recently due to suspected intervention by the presidential office. The People Power Party’s conference is on the brink of collapse due to the scandal about Han Dong-hoon, a candidate for the party’s leader position, ignoring text messages from First Lady Kim Keon-hee. The wounds suffered by candidates during the process of fighting and blaming each other won’t be easily recovered. There are few promising political candidates who can aim for the next opportunities. If things continue as they are now, South Korea is very likely to find itself in a similar situation to the current U.S. three years from now.