A politician most people hardly ever think about got an enthusiastic reception in New Orleans last weekend, leading to speculation in some quarters that this could be the next president of the United States.
The road to the top is a long and winding one, and our visitor last weekend would have little chance of winning a presidential election.
But that may not be necessary this time around, because both parties have taken leave of their senses, and seem intent on a rerun of 2020.
If that means that voters once again rate Joe Biden as somewhat less of a disaster than Donald Trump, and Kamala Harris returns as second Democratic fiddle behind Biden, she will have an excellent chance of moving up once the inauguration is all over.
Harris was warmly greeted when she appeared at last weekend's Essence Festival, which was hardly surprising, Many of those present would love to see a Black woman, such as her, in the White House.
A vacancy in the top spot is certainly in the cards. The media have spent the last few years watching Biden for signs of increasing decrepitude and dementia, and he does not disappoint. He will fall over occasionally, and then, say, get the New Zealand rugby team — the All Blacks — mixed up with the ragtag British force that terrorized the Irish citizenry during the war of independence a century ago — the Black and Tans.
Evidence continues to mount that Biden, who turns 81 this year, is too old to handle the job, but the Democrats seem stuck with him. In normal circumstances, Trump, at 77, would be regarded as too long in the tooth as well, but Biden is by far the more doddery, so Trump's age is hardly ever held against him.
Of course, Trump, having been trounced by Biden last time around, and with prosecutors ganging up on him, is not a good bet for this presidential race either. But he has a hold on the GOP that any cult leader would envy, and it is hard to see anyone beating him for the nomination.
There is apparently no shortage of feminists and political agitators who don't want to see Trump, Biden or any White man in the White House. But they are not so consumed by reformist zeal that they think they can get their way through the simple expedient of supporting a candidate in the presidential primaries and the general election.
Such an approach would involve a great deal of hard work, and chances of success would be slim. The smart way to get a Black woman president is by automatic promotion, and an opportunity to prepare the way for that now confronts us. Here's how it would work.
The Democrats keep Biden out of sight as much as possible and teach him how to make a gaffe-free speech. Meanwhile, campaign functionaries draw attention to Trump's legal woes and the string of bankruptcies that give the lie to his claims of business acumen. Harris, who is quite a personable candidate, keeps smiling through.
Democrats keep Biden propped up in public and spend hours prepping for the televised debates, which he just about manages to negotiate without falling asleep or saying anything too dumb.
He wins the election, but death or incapacity intervenes and Harris makes history.
Email James Gill at gill504nola@gmail.com.