Biden Drops Re-Election Bid
A development as shocking as it was inevitable.
NYT (“Biden Drops Out of Race, Scrambling the Campaign for the White House“):
President Biden abandoned his campaign for a second term under intense pressure from fellow Democrats on Sunday, upending the race for the White House in a dramatic last-minute bid to find a new candidate who can stop former President Donald J. Trump from returning to the White House.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” he said in a letter posted on social media. “And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Mr. Biden, who evidently plans to serve out his term through January even as he pulls out as a candidate, said he would “speak to the nation later this week in more detail about my decision” and expressed thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris “for being an extraordinary partner in all this work.” But he did not immediately endorse her and said nothing about how the Democratic Party should proceed to pick a new nominee.
The president’s decision set the stage for an intense, abbreviated scramble to build a new Democratic ticket, the first time in generations that a nomination will be settled at a convention rather than through primaries. Although he did not endorse Ms. Harris, she starts the truncated process in the strongest position, but could face challenges from other Democrats.
While Mr. Biden has six more months in office, the transition of the campaign to whomever is chosen will amount to a momentous generational change of leadership of the Democratic Party. The eventual nominee will have just over 75 days after next month’s convention to consolidate support from Democrats, establish themselves as a credible national leader and prosecute the case against the Republican former president.
WaPo (“Biden makes stunning decision to pull out of 2024 race“):
President Biden has decided he will end his reelection campaign, he said in a statement released Sunday, a decision certain to send shock waves through the political world, following a stumbling debate performance that widely alarmed Democrats about the 81-year-old president’s fitness for office and ability to defeat former president Donald Trump.
“I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the reminder of my term,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden’s exit leaves his party in a virtually unprecedented position with months until the Nov. 5 election. Vice President Harris, a former senator from California, would bring her own liabilities to the race if she jumps in. Her approval ratings have largely mirrored the decline of Biden’s since 2021, and her own campaign in the 2020 presidential primary fell apart before voting began.
The Democrats’ predicament — a candidate dropping out after sweeping mostly unchallenged through the party primaries to become the presumptive nominee — is unknown in the modern era. It caps weeks of delicate strategizing by party leaders on how to dislodge Biden, a proudly stubborn figure known to bristle at those who write him off. It signals the conclusion of a remarkable half-century political career that began when Biden won election to the Senate in 1972 as one of the youngest-ever senators and will now conclude in January with his service as the oldest-ever president.
The Democrats’ process for finalizing their nominee will be hurried, untested and fraught with deep uncertainty and the potential for further intraparty turmoil. The Democratic National Convention begins in four weeks in Chicago, although Democrats had initially planned to formally nominate Biden in a “virtual roll call” before the in-person gathering.
Wow.
We’re very much in uncharted territory here. While Lyndon Johnson also dropped out of a race in 1968, the circumstances were much different then. And it was much earlier in the campaign.
I haven’t the foggiest whether Kamala Harris—who almost has to be the replacement at the top of the ticket—will be able to beat Donald Trump. But Biden had clearly lost the confidence of his party and, increasingly, the country. I think this move was necessary.
Assuming he writes his own tweets, he has indeed endorsed Harris:
And in doing so retains his American hero status.
Well done Sir.
Be careful what you wish for.
@gVOR10:
To that point, while his statement thanks VP Harris, Biden doesn’t specifically endorse her as his replacement in the ticket.
Edit: I was wrong, he did endorse her in a separate statement, see my comment below.
Great timing, as I just returned home from some canvasing for the county Democrats.
The failure to endorse Harris is very concerning. That should have been part of his announcement.
@Moosebreath:
I can see how a man would consent to his own execution, I cannot see him helping to carry it out.
Also, if he endorses Harris and the Democratic infighting spits out another candidate, he’ll never hear the end of it.
It will be hard to tune out from now until November. Thank the muses for streaming.
@mattbernius:
I am spoke to soon, Biden announced his endorsement in a separate statement:
https://x.com/JoeBiden/status/1815087772216303933?t=HtEiMgKl8C3eG-rx1gDKjg&s=19
@mattbernius: He does if you click on the tweet.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
@Moosebreath:
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”
^From his tweet, in case you’ve only heard his speech. I’m assuming he considered this speech the last great speech and so didn’t use it to play intraparty politics, keeping that to social media.
@Moosebreath: While I will agree with you in principle, I’m not persuaded that liberals will rally behind a mixed-race woman for a job as important as President. They’ll pay lip service to the principle, though.
As always, I leave the challenge of proving me wrong open. I welcome being wrong about this. Especially about this. (And no, “we’d support another mixed race woman, just not this one because x, y, and z” doesn’t count.)
Does CRT get put to the test? The ball, as they say, is in your court.
I was kind of butthurt when King Daddy chided me for telling people to calm down after the debate. Now, I realize I failed to see the slippery slope that precipitated calls for Biden to drop out and the refusal to rally behind him. So, welcome to Trump Part Deux. It’s almost inevitable, now.
Republican governance offers nothing but a noose and the whip for Black people in this country. So, I stay armed because, though I may go out in a body bag, I’ll never go out in handcuffs. Stay safe, OTBers. I’m out.
@Kathy:
Never mind.
Real time history is too hard to keep up with.
I’ll just do petty cash, go home, and cook some rice.
@DeD:
You may be right, but you may be wrong. Let’s not surrender preemptively. Wait for the polls, and watch the money. Bear this in mind: the Trumpies are not celebrating this. Trump is facing a prosecutor now. Let’s see if Trump agrees to debate her.
Well, hell.
Well, I was in the process of writing a long comment on the immigration thread. My approach was finally taking shape. Then I got the text:
This person typically employs punctuation, so I assume this was shocking enough that she could not be bothered with such triviality.
Well, one thing is for sure.
Age is now a legitimate campaign issue.
I think the Dems have handled this horribly for months now, culminating in the freak out around the debate.
The nominee has to be Harris and Democratic leadership needs to fully rally around her with uproarious support. Anything less will be… disappointing is not nearly strong enough a word.
Trump has responded: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112825895959090517
Unity!
No one is really surprised, right?
I would love the same whirlwind to sweep away Schumer, Pelosi and the rest of the legacy Dem leadership (yes, the Clinton and Obama people) that has led to a climate where a buffoon is hard wired 47% support regardless of fitness for the job. Unfortunately, It will take a Harris loss to trigger this.
I will admit this about Harris, 2020 was a long time ago in terms of the reflection about what went wrong. Also, some people make terrible #2s because they are #1s. I was always an above average #2, but much better when “the guy”. You may see a very different personna emerge from Harris over the next few months that transcends her limitations.
I will not vote for anyone not named Harris and I think a Harris loss may be better in the long run to trigger the blind leadership of the Dem Party to be thrown on the garbage heap where they belong.
@Kazzy:
Gracious as always. s/
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
Liberals don’t have to be persuaded that a mixed-race woman can be President. It shouldn’t be that hard to convince liberals that today’s Republicans can’t be trusted with control of the government.
If this election is a referendum on what kind of country we want to live in, as I believe it will be and must be, then Harris is well-suited as a former prosecutor to make the case that the GOP has been corrupted by Trump.
Didn’t Steven Taylor tell us Parties were weak? Well the DNC certainly strong-armed it’s way into a new Party Head.
@Kazzy: UUUUUUUUNITYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!
Sent this to the fam: “If it’s not Kamala, the party is toast. Black voters already were pissed about Biden being pushed by the donor class, and jumping Harris would absolutely snuff out their desire to support the nom. As for it’s hopeless – Dems are always behind at this point. Trump has no marketable positives. It’s all turnout from here.
So. Knock on doors in Pennsylvania. Write postcards to infrequent voters. All the this is hopeless/we’re lost whinging is self-fulfilling.”
The one thing I didn’t point out is that Kamala’s somewhat unknown for this level of campaign, but (a) she’s been inside the Biden campaign and has all its resources and (b) she is damn smart. I wasn’t big on her during the primaries 4 years ago, but I will full-on support her here. Like Biden, she seems able to adapt to the party’s needs, and I think that means she’ll embrace minority causes much more notably than she did during that part of the campaign. Yes, she has that prison-industrial complex past, but omg does she seem like an absolute wrecking ball for a Trump type.
Quickly coalescing around her is the only play.
I don’t see why it “must” be Harris. Biden selected Harris as his VP, not the American people or the convention delegates, and he did so for strategic political reasons, as was the case for every VP selection since almost the beginning. Let everyone who wants it make their case and let the delegates vote for whom they want. If I had a vote I would pick Whitmer at this point, but I’ll 100% back whoever the nominee is.
@Jim Brown 32: It is most unwise to desire to cripple yourself with the immature desires – revolutions and sweeps universally show that experience is useful and the supposed undirtied are merely humans not having yet been put with their contradictions in full display.
@Kazzy: Disapppointing is not the word, self-harming. It is more than evident to any observer that the sole chance they have for rapid unity and mobilisation (and I think if I undestand correctly the least state-by-state headaches for ballot appearance) is her.
Make this about bloody Trump, the age issue can be exploited.
Get a VP from a Meat & Potatoes state to address the hemorraging in the non-coastal-non-urban geographies and put a bloody stake in bloody Trump for God’s sake.
Perhaps I may now turn back on my US politic news items, having turned them off since that debate and the depressing sense of doom.
I guess we’re doing this.
@Neil Hudelson:
As @mattbernius: said, that was a separate tweet, posted while I was typing my comment.
The constant drumbeat of Biden being to old will now suddenly stop, that alone is worth a couple points in the polls to Kamala who is now drawing even. I doubt Trump will debate her, the contrast is too severe. Her VP should be Shapiro or Beshear, that will help with the middle class white voter in the rust belt. Her presence alone on top of the ticket puts NC and GA into play. Her negatives are surprisingly minimal and involve mostly her style. Some people think she had been talking to Obama because her tone is more mainstream. Anyways this is all good news for Dems.
@Michael Reynolds: The persuadable margins do not care about debates or watch them.
Why is this so hard for Democrat political junkies to understand? The Zingers you’ll enjoy hearing her say are preaching to the choir..not to people outside the Church.
Andy Beshear for VP?
Make this election largely about fitness for office. Throw in Project 2025, force a debate if at all possible (why wouldn’t he debate ads), start running against Vance since Trump is 78.
@ptfe:
Full transparency, I donated to Kamala Harris in the 2020 cycle because I thought her skills would serve her really well prosecuting Trump’s corrupt, inept first term. Unfortunately, “absolute wrecking ball” isn’t the right approach in a primary when your opponents are in your own party. Now, look up some of her questioning at hearings during her tenure in the Senate. She can be brutal to true opposition.
And Trump will not take well being challenged by a woman of color. You think he’s been ugly so far? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
@Raoul: Josh Shapiro and Roy Cooper are serious possibilities.
@Jim Brown 32: They had to strongarm him precisely because the party is weak. If he didn’t drop out, they had no power to force him. The delegates are Biden loyalists.
Thank goodness we don’t have to listen to lunatics and assholes on both the Democratic and Republican side scream “Fuck Joe Biden” anymore.
@Jim Brown 32:
A majority of white Americans supporting white supremacy is not the fault of the Democratic leaders you name. This unintelligence and selfishness is not new for that majority; they have always been so. Yes, we have Donorcrats who are clueless, but this climate predated them by centuries. Democrats are not forcing a majority of white voters to pick racism and bigotry, they choose to. Not new, not surprising. This is who they are.
@Lounsbury: Experience is useful if effective…not for it’s own sake. It is clear that Dem leadership not only messages in a language many Americans do not speak…but they do not recruit and develop younger leaders that can grow with successive generations.
Experience in ineptitude is useless. Inexperience with vision and drive is much more effective.
@Jim Brown 32:
It’s not about the zingers, it’s about the clips of the zingers and the water cooler discussion of same. But much, much more: the race is now past vs. future. An angry, resentful past vs. a hopeful future. In Michigan the Gaza issue just went away. And we can now put abortion front and center.
@Jack:
Really surprised?
No-we all knew this was a possibility.
Still somewhat surprised?
Yup. I didn’t know if Biden would be willing to step down.
@MarkedMan: A vote for a 40 billion year old President is implicitly a vote for either them, or their VP, whoever is alive at any given moment. It’s voting for a team, knowing that the junior member has a decent chance of being the one who finishes off the term.
So, the American people, and the recent primary voters, voted for continuing that team.
Also, Harris has access to the Biden-Harris war chest. And contracts with vendors. And leases. And…
Hot summer in the Democrat party. Four weeks before they can anoint at the convention. And who will be the new DEI-pick VP candidate?
And this should make Chicago even more lit with protest and riot.
As I said before:
Biden, now that he has withdrawn, should abdicate the Presidency, allowing for Harris to be President.
It would be easier to elect a President Harris than a candidate Harris.
Too many people would be on the fence… black, woman, (insert fear mongering tropes here). But if she was already doing the job… much easier for the undecideds to pick the Harris / Buttigieg ticket.
Joe’s in for a penny… may as well be in for a pound. Relaxing on the Delaware coast, being able to say ANYTHING he wants to say about candidate Trump… could be fun.
There is a tactical advantage in giving the press something entertaining to cover. Trump’s ability to manipulate the press with outrageous comments for free publicity should be lessoned for a time. There is one thing he gets, perhaps better than anyone, is there is no such thing as bad publicity in show business.
Unfortunately there is very little time before some state’s ballot deadlines so they will not be able to play a “Who’s it gonna be?!?” gambit more than a few weeks.
@JKB:
Thank you for previewing all the casual racism we are about to be swimming in.
@DeD: Half this country is firmly on your side, our side. Even if Trump wins, I expect greater resistance this time. We’ll need it because they might figure out how to get things done.
@Jim Brown 32:
Early voting begins in less, than two months, and Democrats don’t have a nominee or a ticket. Cute. Parties don’t get much weaker than that, yes, Democrats need leaders who are much much stronger.
So the house needs cleaning whether or not Harris (or someone else, given there’s officially no nominee) wins. Some of these Donorcrats have got to go. I enjoyed seeing Clintonland and Bernieland unite in support of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Hillary should’ve picked Bernie as her running mate, not that milquetoast guy. Bernie was right about these corrupt Donorcrats.
@Liberal Capitalist:
Wouldn’t that burden Harris with the tasks of the office while trying to nail down her nomination?
@Jim Brown 32:
Just as a silly thought experiment, since there’s no way this happens, but what if Corey Booker were to sweep in out of nowhere and get the nomination?
I think anyone white at the top of the ticket would really hurt us with the base because it would mean stepping over our well-qualified Black woman VP. But, a Black man? I don’t know.
Of course, since we live in the stupidest timeline, I would be remiss in not suggesting Rep. James Clyburn as a compromise candidate, to keep the age issue in play.
Also, Bob Menendez might appeal to Latinos and felons…
@DK: Sorry, they are running and have been running a 20th century Offense and Defense in a 21st Century game for 20 years.
The objective of football remains unchanged but coaches that have success, yet do not evolve are overcome–see Bill Belichek
The fact that they can still articulate clearly–unlike Biden–is separate from the fact that they’ve been flawed strategically for years. Biden clearly showed he could evolve and chart strategy– but he’s the one who had to go.
@JKB:
How unsurprising that you slobber at the thought of violence,
@Tony W: And we shouldn’t overlook what Biden has done. I thank him for the good job, the steady hand, the supporter of the vulnerable. And heck, he beat Trump in 2020 which we should all be grateful for.
@Jim Brown 32: this is indeed one of your problems and challenges, finding the preaching outside of the converted or to perhaps the flicks recently lost.
And notably those in the right voting geographies.
@Jim Brown 32: I will grant you the first part although not your last sentence I have ex USA seen rather too many failures based on the naïve Youth and Fresh Face political cure all.
But that the Democrats have become captive to a highly literate and verbal but profoundly closed off fraction with the political instincts of say a European fringe Left party, that is clear as formerly solid Democratic voting geographies are written off de facto.
Of course as Prof. The Blogger has ably shown, as USA managed via poorly thought through “démocratic” reforms to create a dual part system sans the parties have operational controls, you have profound structure issues that need addressing else you are scapegoating individuals for what is in end Bad Structure.
@Liberal Capitalist: I tend to agree. A few months of the world not exploding with a Black woman president would make some people relax.
But, while we are at it, Sotomayor and Kagan should step down first, and let us jam through replacements before this incredibly risky election. Remember, Harris is often the 51st vote in the Senate, and there is no chance the House would confirm a new VP to allow that. So it would come down both to Manchin and Semina voting to confirm new justices, and I don’t think we can count on that)
(Both House and Senate voted to confirm Gerald Ford. I’m assuming the House wasn’t just doing it for funsies.)
I’m a bit surprised, but thought this was inevitable.
I think all paths continue to lead to Harris. After this period of uncertainty and infighting, Democrats will be looking to unify quickly, both because of necessity but also politically. She’s the clear and obvious choice and the collective action problem of a weak party works both ways – a challenger will need to carefully weigh their ability to beat Harris given her advantages along with the likely opprobrium they’ll receive for challenging her and going against Biden’s wishes.
I tend to think the deck will be cleared for her. Let’s hope she’s up for the task.
@JKB: I would bet dollars to donuts that the DEI VP will be a white man, chosen at least in part for his whiteness and his penis, to appeal to white dickheads.
@Michael Reynolds: Gaza is not going away…neither the Chinese, Russian, and DJT troll farms are going to let it go away simply because their is a different name at the top of the ticket.
Abortion could always have been front and center–yet the Democrats remained passive while the Corporate and Right Wing Wurtziler dominated the narrative.
The fact that Democrats are weak and have no messaging apparatus that extends beyond the egghead circle doesn’t change because someone else will Head the Dem ticket.
This is what the average Dem does not feel… Your Party is effectively running the Wing T offense against modern NFL defenses.. despite having superior talent.
What is going to happen when the first few set of polls do not show Harris (or whoever) winning outside the margin of error and Dems get swamped in that narrative?
No casual racism. In 2020, Joe Biden declared before selecting Kamala that he would choose a woman of color, precluding more qualified candidates that did not meet these DEI requirements. This made it very hard to select the best qualified running mate who happened to be a woman of color since other qualifications were discounted to meet the overarching goal.
DEI does not mean on its face that the person meeting the DEI requirements is not well-qualified in objective criteria for the job, only that the objective criteria was discounted in favor of the DEI requirements.
@Jim Brown 32: in end Mr Bidens ship was irreparably holed by both that disaster of own goal debate and then weapk interviews.
While I personally have no doubts on his capacity, the fact the Democrats lack the own DNA to do the rallying as the Republicans is a given. Normally I have fond the Lefts stronger tendency to eat its own and engage in prima donna perfectionism (oh does the candidate appeal to me personally type comments of Gustopher), but in the age of Trump this comfort is inverted to depression.
Sadly if I were a betting man, I would wager that the Democrats engage in fratricide and don’t quickly rally….
@dazedandconfused: I don’t think there is any choice at this point: absent a massive rewrite of party rules, it’ll be up to delegates at the September convention to choose the nominees.
On March 19, 2024 I voted in the General Primary Election in Jackson County, Illinois. I voted for three delegates to the National Nominating Convention of the Democratic Party. Natalie Phelps Finnie, Patrick H. Skates and Brandi Bradly. All three of these delegates listed Biden as their preference for President of the United States. Now that Joe Biden is no longer a candidate what will happen to the votes for these delegates that I have cast?
Do the election laws of the state of Illinois allow President Biden to release the delegates from any obligation to vote for him at the convention? Can he suggest that these delegates vote for Kamala Harris even though I voted for them thinking that they would support Joe Biden?
@JKB:
Are you wearing a tie and cufflinks? Is it formal racism?
@Mister Bluster: He has effectively released the delegates, who are now free to vote for whomever they please.
@Gustopher: Unless he managed to become Cory Booker-Harris before November–NO
Biden and Harris are the only ticket–Ever–that promised Black people anything–that includes Obama. Thats not to downgrade the value of the imagery of Obama simply being President but he didn’t deliver much beyond that or since.
@JKB: While USA DEI mandates are terribly tedious and boring, sometimes from my USA subsidiary POV handicapping, they are not less “objective” you dim sod.
The favouritism shown in certain USA circles (and France) are demonstrably non objective – demonstrable as blind hiring test of same CV with Racial/Ethinic Minority markers and same CV without shows clear 20-30% bias against “minority marked” (name, address, etc) than presumed White Bread CV. Similar effect on blind interview.
Ergo it is clear there is a strong in-group bias, non objective to say least.
This observation does not defend ham handed bureaucracy rule sets for such, as my onw Finance Institutions perspective says that certain USG rules are real red tape.
But non objective is engaging in self lying
@JKB:
The idea of a single “best possible candidate” is already fiction. Further, in a multiethnic party that relies significantly on women’s votes, focusing on a specific race and gender mix can rationally be seen as part of what makes a good candidate.
As Gustopher mentioned, Harris will most likely be selecting a white man as a running partner (my bet is Governor Roy Cooper). And there are good racial and gender reasons for narrowing the list to just white men. Will that make them a DEI pick then?
Also, I’m curious, out of all of the potential VP nominees Trump could have selected, do you think Mike Pence was the best option? Or was he just the conservative equivalent of DEI? Likewise with Trump, why did he opt for such an incredibly young VP in Vance versus far more experienced policy makers like Tim Scott, Marco Rubio, or Gov. Doug Burgum?
But hey, we look forward for you to keep reminding us that you think Harris is a DEI candidate. Keep on blowing that dog whistle.
@JKB: Remind me again what are the qualifications for Vice President?
@Andy:
If the deck wasn’t cleared, then I expect Biden would have stayed in.
Whatever realizations he has had about his campaign, he knows it would have had a better shot than a complete fiasco of a brutal floor fight at the convention.
@mattbernius:
Well, that’s fair. But I have been fascinated by reactions since the debate.
Some of us have observed that Biden was not all there for quite some time. Propped up by media and party loyalists.
But then in the debate it became obvious the fraud could no longer be perpetrated and the long knives were out.
An example of crazed thinking: I observed that Obama and other party elders (heh) were working behind the scene and calling the shots. wr tritely accused me of the tin foil hat thing. And yet it was so obvious. Others here and in the chattering class have been in denial.
And then we had the resuscitation effort. Total fail.
That all said, even I pointed out that his removal presented problems. Now we shall see. But I have a hard time getting my head around the notion of surprise. The cake was baked.
@Jim Brown 32:
I know Jim doesn’t claim to speak for all Black folks. And I have been doing a lot of work with Black communities in Memphis and will share that I have heard statements similiar to this from community members–especially when they are talking with each other when there are not many people from outside the community in the room.
PS. As I said awhile back, I have no use for JB. I think he’s completely corrupt. Incompetent and wrong on policy. And now impaired.
However, he has been a US senator, VP and President. It’s a sad ending. I think the party did him a disservice.
@Jack:
Personally, I think the issue is there is a difference between putting pressure on Biden to step aside and “calling the shots”–making the decision for him. In my experience you, like other Trump supporters, have been pushing the narrative that Obama has been the real president this entire time.
I think that’s what most of us think is crazed thinking–or rather really really motivated by partisanship.
@Jack: One question is whether the idea that Trump is not all there will take root. And that not only is he not all there, but he’s a 77 year old man who’s not all there. Maybe Harris should challenge him to a battery of cognitive tests, followed by some basic civics tests. I’ll give you three to one that trump couldn’t name the three branches of government and give a basic summary of their functions.
@Jack: You say Biden is corrupt. Yes or no question, do you think that Trump is corrupt?
@Jack:
Can you show us some proof of this that exists outside of your imagination?
@DeD: I mentioned that I found the people who stated matter-of-factly that Biden couldn’t win annoying, but this is the other side of the same coin. Don’t be so defeatist.
One thing I’m expecting out of this mess: a serious discussion about the primary system. Whatever benefits it once had, it’s nothing but a waste of money.
Since we are in the land of “anything is possible now”, I’d like to moot Wes Moore, governor of MD. I’ve been super impressed. I voted for him with modest expectations and he exceeded them at every turn.
The biggest thing Trump has going for him: People like authoritarians.
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/183866/americans-want-authoritarian-president-trump
@Jim Brown 32:
Gaza goes away in the Michigan Arab community – the only place it mattered – which already wanted to vote D. No one GAF about what MAGA will have to say about it because Trump is all-in on Bibi.
Abortion cannot be front and center with a candidate who could not even manage to address the issue at the debate. Trump raved about post-natal abortion and Biden said nothing. He was not going to get better on the issue.
The age issue now belongs to us. The declining mental acuity issue now belongs to us. And we can talk about the future in a way we could not with an 81 year-old candidate.
And it’s not up to the ‘Democratic Party’ to carry a message in a presidential election, all eyes and all ears are on the candidate.
TBH, I heard this same defeatism from Black voters in 2008. And yet, a Black president served two terms and left with pretty strong ratings. 59/37.
There’s reporting that Jim Clyburn is getting ready to endorse Harris. Jeffries will as well, I imagine. So will Obama. They are not the chattering class, they’re serious professional politicians.
@Jim Brown 32:
No objection to going to lots of state funerals.
@MarkedMan:
It’s not going to be a Black Veep candidate, or a Jew, or a gay (much as I love Pete) or most likely a woman. It’ll almost certainly be a White male. Beshear, Roy Cooper or Mark Kelly. (Though I don’t suggest that list is exhaustive.) Can Cooper bring NC, or Kelly Arizona? Usually Veeps don’t matter much, but in a game of inches, they might.
@Gustopher:
For two weeks I was wearing hospital gowns. Am I still allowed to vote?
@Bill Jempty:
No. I am personally disenfranchising you.
One thing to think about: Harris isn’t just Black, she’s Asian Indian. There are 578,000 Indians in TX, 180,000 in Georgia, 165,000 in PA, 134,000 in NC, 133,000 in MI, 69,000 in AZ and 18,000 in NV. I have zero knowledge of Indian-American political leanings, and I don’t think Indians have been broken out in polls, but it’s interesting.
ETA: I forgot WI. 39,000.
@Kurtz:
WHY?
Have you determined that he is incapable of his duties now, or soon?
Whether Biden would be fully capable to complete another 4.5 years, is a legit question. But you are suggesting it should be done soon; do you have some knowledge as to Biden’s current capability?
You’re a better person than we deserve, Joe.
Tulsi NOT for Kamala
I would have thought Tulsi a good VP running mate for Tump
@Kylopod: “Josh Shapiro and Roy Cooper are serious possibilities.”
I originally read that second name as Ry Cooder, and that sounded really cool…
On Friday I thought about commenting again (I still read the site–only via RSS, so I don’t see any of the comments). The gist of my post was that Biden needs to step down to show that the left is about democracy and rule of law, whereas the right is a cult of personality (people wearing fake bandages on their ears at the DNC in MKE?? Seriously?!)
My position was that I had lost all faith in Biden because he wouldn’t step down. It was all about him, not about what’s best for the country.
And then he proved me wrong. And I’m very happy that he did.
There’s been a lot of talk that the Dems can’t build a strong campaign for another candidate (presumably Harris) in a few short weeks. Anyone who thinks that has never paid attention to brand marketing.
* Hire Aaron Sorkin as a speech writer
* Reach out to stars and influencers (George Clooney? Taylor Swift?) and get them say “I support Harris”*
* Hire top-rate marketing and PR firms to build and present an identifiable, engaging, simple, and cohesive message that resonates with the majority of Americans. (Yes, it can be done)
* Minimize the fact that Harris is a) a woman, and b) not white. Every mention of those two facts by the right becomes ammunition to use against them.
This would, however a) require the Dems to have a coherent and cohesive message and approach, b) require the Dems to have any clue about what the populace actually wants (hint: it’s not student loan forgiveness). and c) learn how to talk to swing voters in swing states (hell–swing voters in ANY state).
Trump is going to win in 2024. Not because he’s a better candidate or is presenting better policies (he’s not)–but because he knows how to play the crowds, and the Dems absolutely suck at speaking the language of the people that believe in the goals of the Dems, but don’t know it.
I will now go back to lurking. I will not see any replies to this comment.
====
* I find it very interesting that people here refer to Joe Biden as “Biden” and Donald Trump as “Trump”, but refer to Kamala Harris as “Kamala”. I sort of understood it with Hillary Clinton as a way to differentiate her from Bill, but… Why doesn’t Kamala Harris deserve the same level of respect that Biden and Trump do? I can’t think of any other VP that wasn’t referred to by their surname.
@wr:
Cooder is currently driving around Hollywood, hoping he don’t run out of gas…
@JKB: “No casual racism.”
Yeah, really, there is nothing casual about JKB’s racism. It’s clearly a tightly-held value for him.
@Mu Yixiao: “* Hire Aaron Sorkin as a speech writer”
Hey Yixao (Mu’s the last name, right?),
Nice to see you popping in to comment again. Today’s a big news day all around!
Anyway, I agree with much of what you have to say, but I’m pretty sure that Sorkin talked himself out of any role in this campaign by publishing his ludicrous op-ed in the Times today pushing the Dems to nominate Mitt Romney…
ETA — Probably shouldn’t have posted before finishing MY’s message. Turned out I only agreed with the top part!
@Mu Yixiao:
Can we call the ear bandages the “stigMAGA of the cross”?
@JKB: Tulsi being the Russian tool she is, would have made her perfect for Trump.
Whelp better prepare for a Trump presidency as Democrats in disarray becomes the key word for the next several months…
@Moosebreath:
It sure looks like Biden endorsed Harris.
@Mu Yixiao: I know you said you wouldn’t see the comments, but thank you for commenting! I’ve been a little worried this whole time you were kidnapped in China. Good to see you again!
Paging de Stijl!!!!
@Jim Brown 32: I would note that the DNC did not remove him. He had to voluntarily choose to go.
@mattbernius: Indeed.
@anjin-san:
Except this time, honorable captain pilot, the violence won’t be one-way, nor one-sided…
@Mu Yixiao:
I often refer to Biden as Ol’ Joe.
I think it’s just that Harris is a difficult name. Is it two Rs and one S, or the other way around? And there are too many different vowels. It’s hard, man.
Glad you’re not dead tho’
@Matt: It is possible that there will be disarray, which is why this route concerns me. However, if the party can coalesce around Harris fairly quickly, then we might see the opposite story.
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
Pretty much by definition, liberals will. Noting that liberals =/= Democrats.
@reid:
I’m being realistic. White dudes up here in the Texas Hill Country are mean mugging and stink eyeing me like I was the one who shot at Boo Boo the Clown that day. I’m just preparing myself to meet violence with swifter, more excessive violence.
Elizabeth Warren has endorsed Harris, so I have decided that I will move my general assessment from “I guess we’re doing this” to excitement.
Lots of other people (and Clintons) are endorsing as well, so I think we are seeing the Dems pretty quickly coalesce around Harris, and that actually excites me. If we’re doing this, at least we’re doing this without immediately tearing apart the party.
@MarkedMan:
The Biden’s pledged delegates are now released and free to vote as they wish at the convention. I believe it will wind up Harris because no big names will want to get in this late with no campaign organization in place, Harris is the only one who can inherit the massive Biden-Harris campaign that is already in place.
None of the names you might think of will want to tank their future political careers screwing this up.
@Liberal Capitalist:
Terrible idea. You saw the Merritt Garland precedent, the GOP will not allow Harris to get a VP confirmed. A VP is needed to do what Mike Pence did last time, otherwise you get someone like Chuck Grassley being named President Pro-Tempore of the Senate and doing (or not doing) it.
ETA: In any case, a big confirmation battle over a named VP would be a totally unnecessary distraction.
@Matt Bernius:
Ironically less although such analysis could cause JKB to have an epileptic episode.
@Matt Bernius:
Well, you would be wrong. But mind reading seems quite prevalent here.
I don’t think Obama has been calling the shots all along. I believe Lunchpale Joe became Progressive Joe because of the people around him.
But I do believe that when the fraud was impossible to contain, the party people stepped in and assassinated him
@Lounsbury: bollocks that should read ironically yes…. not less
I have to be honest, I’m kind of getting tired of living in interesting times.
@charontwo: If the delegates coalesce around Harris, great. But no matter what happens I’m all in on the Dem candidate. I’m 64 years old and have had exactly one candidate I was whole heartedly behind (Obama). But I recognize this isn’t a game I get to pick the players.
@Lucysfootball:
If you ever have a serious question I will reply, you poor dear.
Oh, my. He knows she’s a ditz. But just think, all we will know about Venn diagrams. She is Sarah Palin.
https://nypost.com/2024/07/21/us-news/barack-obama-doesnt-endorse-kamala-harris-says-dems-will-pick-outstanding-nominee/
@Jack: I wouldn’t imagine anyone particularly is, no. But trolls gotta troll with what they got so carry on.
@Scott F.: We’ll see. As I noted, happy to be wrong on this.
@Jack:
That’s fine. I have been wrong before, I will be again.
I just explained the way I interpreted the “calling the shots” part of your comment. Clearly you meant something different by it.
It’s a pretty human thing to do. In fact, reflecting on many of your posts, it seems like something you do as well. For example:
Glad to see you know what former President Obama thinks. That seems like… dare I say… mind reading.
Others might suggest this fits into his long running record of trying to avoid publicly advocating for a specific political direction for the party (see 2016 and the early 2020 primary as examples of this). BTW, that’s also why a lot of Democrats and, in particular Progressives, have mixed feelings about Obama.
@DK:
Indeed! That’s good news for everyone.
Except Jack maybe, but who care about him?
@DeD: I’m sorry to hear that, and you have to do what you have to do. I hope it doesn’t come to violence.
My comment was entirely about the “oh woe, Trump has now won” talk. Let’s back Harris or whoever to the hilt and ensure that doesn’t happen.
Harris was not my choice in 2020, but I was impressed by her composure and messaging in her post-debate interview. Felt a bit like when Obama would speak and you felt you could sleep better at night.
Joe is a good politician in a back-slapping and “let’s work for the American people” kind of way, but he was never someone who made me feel reassured after he spoke. It was more like, “Whew, no gaffes!” I thank him for his service–truly–and believe he will be on the right side of history. Perhaps more so than Obama, our first POTUS of color. Obama’s wad was shot after the ACA passed and Bin Laden was terminated because of Republican unwillingness to work across the aisle. Biden produced legislation for a longer period of time AND he got us out of Afghanistan (although in a very painful way).
Whoever is the nominee, I hope they can communicate as well as Clinton. Clinton spoke simply, clearly, and folks understood why they should support his efforts. Obama’s messaging about the ACA and how health insurance works made me angry every time I listened. I worked in the the health insurance problem domain. Insurance is complicated, but it can be explained in a way that helps people understand the issues. Never once heard a satisfactory explanation of why larger risk risk pools and standardization of health care administration processes and business rules lower costs.
I do believe (deeply) in civil liberty for Americans of all colors, orientation, ethnicity, and religion. But I also believe that we need to continue focusing on improving government services, dealing with climate change, infrastructure, returning jobs to America, national/international security (including border control), and the economy (ergo…the Biden agenda).
MAGA has arisen in my view as a conservative backlash against so many changes that protected the rights of minorities–plus uneducated white men floundering when women and minorities entered the workforce in every profession. It may be tempting to say, “Buck up, buttercup!” but on the other hand I don’t believe society (primarily their employers) helped white men understand, prepare, and adapt to this huge societal change. Instead they shipped jobs oversees and shuttered factories.
Finally, I believe in America and the American people. Call me naive, but I believe we can come together in a short period time to choose and get behind whoever the Democratic POTUS/VPOTUS candidates may be. I’m praying for Democratic leaders to inspire us and help us win in November.
@CSK: Yeah. I read that article. Interesting observations and not a lot to find fault with.
Joe Manchin wants to re-register has a Democrat to challenge Harris.
@Bobert:
I am bolding the part that directly answers your question. Feel free to scroll down.
It’s still early in the process.
I may very well change my mind. It was an idea I had the other day, and briefly discussed in with Bernius in a recent thread. At the time, I thought Biden was more likely than not to stay in the race. Though, I didn’t think it was far-fetched to think he would drop out.
I am trying to work through the arguments for and against in my mind and writing helps. I also am trying to expose it to criticism from outside.
—
So, one of my worries was that there would be significant intra-party fights. I was concerned, especially this close to the election, that it could damage the replacement’s chances of winning.
I also thought that it is possible that it would force skeptics among big donors to open wallets.
But it seems as if the party is willing to rally around Harris and most of the work now is figuring the best process.
—
It’s not so much about Biden as it is about Harris. Not my personal feelings about Harris. In fact, early in the 2020 nomination cycle, Harris was my first choice. Though it was a somewhat weakly held preference.
Rather my worry is centered on how the broader electorate perceives her, or female candidates in general, and perhaps more so, a woman of color.
If some of the backlash to H. Clinton was latent sexism, couched as ‘concerns’, then having Harris handling the responsibilities of holding the office can allay those concerns. If she is seen doing the job, it demonstrates, even for a short time, that those worries are silly.
I don’t see a lot of downside risk, but a lot of upside in this approach.
@Gustopher:
Yes. This.
@Jsck: “I believe Lunchpale Joe”
At this point I’ve got to believe that the misspelling is deliberate, and just another part of your so-tired schtick.
Is there anything about you that’s honest?
@CSK: “Joe Manchin wants to re-register has a Democrat to challenge Harris.”
Vote for me because I’m willing to be a Democrat again if you make me president.
Impressive stuff…
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/21/us/politics/clintons-kamala-harris-endorsement.html?smtyp=cur&smid=bsky-nytimes
@Just nutha ignint cracker: “Except Jack maybe, but who care about him?”
If “Jack” had anyone around who did care about him, do you think he’d waste his life trolling?
@Kurtz: Ok, I now interpret your suggestion as a strategy rather then a necessity b/c Biden is incapable of maintaining his duties through the next six months, (this is the assertion is being made by Republicans today).
I may disagree, but understand WHY you take that position.
https://x.com/TheRealHoarse/status/1815123549151166566
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/49d60a562d4a592d3d20103583a82db8e683de751688e409d73b38720b7b66a9.png
@Michael Reynolds:
Anecdotally, as I have dated two different Indian-American women (not concurrently), mostly Dem. But, there is a significant and vociferous conservative pocket. Business and/or religious conservative.
One of my exes described it as “shared hatred for Muslims.”
There was a controversy, I think in Seattle, about immigrant Indian communities adhering to caste traditions here. I’ll see if I can dig up the article.
I know Pew has some surveys that breaks out South Asians. I can try to find it. Give me a bit. Perhaps will need a reminder tomorrow.
@Kurtz:
Your downside risk is that it is burdensome in execution time, adminsitration and a distraction from pressing campaigning.
There is no upside as the only people such a manouever mere months before election are the Pre Convinced.
It will otherwise have zero effect – months of election season semi-Presidenting will do absolutely zero to sway those inclined to doubt a woman or a black woman or an Indian woman.
It is typical partisan self-deception.
@Bobert:
Sorry that wasn’t clear. I’ve been heavily involved in this particular discussion over the past week or so. I just kind of kept going without giving a signal. Totally my fault.
I was running out the door as well, so I posted without checking for explanatory holes.
@Michael Reynolds: Siiiigh, this is exhibit 1 of how you and other Democrats arent up to speed on how any of this works– and why you always battle to stalemates at best with the RW. The troll farms stirring the pot will come from Left Sympathetic personnas.
Americans live in media bubbles–you have to be IN THE BUBBLE to sow discord. The RW is IN left wing bubbles while Dems still just for Debate Zingers.
@Skookum: Harris would never be my choice, ever. But 1) I’m not a Democrat (or a Republican for that matter) and 2) I’m simply reflexively opposed to prosecutors in higher office. Yes, I realize that’s unfair and hold everyone free to decide this issue for themselves.
Fortunately, Oregon was Democrats +16 in the last election, so democracy is safe even without me.
@Kurtz: It looks to me as though the party is circling the wagons pretty well. I’ll be happy to be wrong, and it’s looking more and more that way. Be happy!
@Kurtz:
That would be interesting. It’s an invisible demographic in political terms. When I lived in Tiburon my neighbor was a prosperous Indian businessman. He asked me what party he should support. Thus endeth my knowledge of Indian-American politics. Most of those state distributions aren’t huge, but a few thousand here, a few thousand there. . .
@wr: Good point!
And no, I don’t think anything about Jack is any more honest than his screen name.
@Jim Brown 32:
Here’s where we’ve been these last few weeks: between us we have some reach in social media. We were trying to figure out how to sell Joe to our teens (and their parents and older sibs) and librarians and teachers and authors. Granted that’s not a tough demo. We couldn’t find a way to do it without acknowledging that Biden was too old. (And as an aside, I get frustrated by short-handing this to age. It’s about the effects of age, which vary widely.)
In any case we’d have a much easier message to sell now. Much easier. As it happens, sigh, the other issue is about putting our trans daughter in the crosshairs. We have to talk to her.
I was fascinated by this Trump text, for an odd reason. First, the text:
Why is it fascinating? I’m willing to bet dollars to nickels it isn’t him. The use of commas, the unusually (for him) complexity of the sentence structure, the “Just askin’”. None of that matches Trump’s texts. Not sure what to make of it, other than to wonder how many people have been given posting rights on Trump’s accounts.
@MarkedMan:
I enjoyed it for another reason. They’re still fighting Biden. Let’s see how long it takes them to shift target.
@Michael Reynolds:
This is not the study I remember reading, but it is more recent. The one I was thinking of was a more in-depth study of party and ideological ID.
From 2023.
Asian voters in the U.S. tend to be Democratic, but Vietnamese American voters are an exception
2020, from Carnegie Endowment
Way more at the link, but these sections caught my eye.
This reminds me of the claims that Black and Latino voters, especially males, are abandoning the Democrats because of Trump. Also, see the attention paid to Amber Rose during and after the RNC.
But nope, just standard election season BS:
Let’s hope this still holds:
From the You Don’t Say? Dept.:
I’m shocked, I tell you! Shocked!
@JKB: You mean it’s overt, vile, animus-filled racism? You surprise me; I wouldn’t have given you credit for being willing to own your racism that way. Good on ya!
@Michael Reynolds: The GOP character assassination machinery is effective, but it takes time to work. And it’s about all they have. Expecting Hillary to be the nominee in ’16, they spent years tagging her with her emails, Benghazi, and her foundation. (Aided and abetted by the supposedly liberal MSM.) Part of the reason Biden won in ’20 was that he caught the GOP’s attack machine a bit flat footed. Now they’ve had four years to work on Biden; slow Joe, old Joe, Hunter Biden, Chinese and Ukrainian money, etc. They’ve worked a bit on Harris, but they know they don’t have time for their character assassination to be effective. No wonder they’re frustrated.
@Michael Reynolds: There’s a significant population in my locale, a liberal college town. While I’ve heard complaints about taxes, which might indicate a bias, most of the south Asians I’ve associated with (including a few that I’ve dated) are very smart and thoughtful. And very educated. I haven’t talked a ton of politics with any of them, but I have a hard time imagining many of them voting for Trump. Like Kurtz said, maybe for business reasons.
That said, most people in my town vote blue, so I’m not sure my anecdotal experience means much.
@Kurtz:
Wow, thanks for that. So it looks like we already have most of the Indian-American demo, but still may boost turnout a bit. A pretty wealthy group on average, too. I imagine Harris will be making the right phone calls.
I am pleasantly surprised to see Democrats coalescing. I gather there is to be an undefined ‘process’ to nominating Harris, but from the vague bits I’m hearing in the media, the fix will soon be in. I was just on ActBlue and all Biden donations have already been switched to Harris. So, at least that much is working.
@Mu Yixiao:
“Kamala” is a much less common name than “Harris.” When people refer to Kamala, there can be no doubt who they’re talking about.
It’s not that different from the way Bernie Sanders is referred to as Bernie. Even though that’s not anywhere near as unusual a name as Kamala, it’s still quite a bit less common than Sanders.
I don’t think most politicians find this disrespectful; on the contrary, it helps them come off as folksy and more relatable to voters. Indeed, I think that’s why Biden is sometimes referred to as Joe. But because Joe is such a common name, it’s harder to use that without creating confusion: are we talking about Biden, Manchin, Lieberman, DiMaggio, etc.? You work with what’s available.
@charontwo:
A little late to the comment train, but your comment made me think of yet more BS that the Republicans will throw at the wall to distract and tarnish the the candidate’s and Democrat’s reputation through scurrilous accusations:
Harris (see what I did there?!) should resign, since she will have to lead the counting of the electoral votes, so she will be biased and/or corrupt, somehow. She can’t count votes as a direct candidate, for some reason. [Hypocrisy alert!]
Anyone else maybe say predict this already, in other comment threads?
Let’s get a pool going before Mike Johnson make’s this objection!
@Robert in SF: I never pondered that they would do that, but…..of course they will. :-/
@gVOR10:
They spent the entirety of the Republican Convention bashing Biden…now it turns out, all those words are no longer useful.
Let’s see how long it takes them to start attacking Harris.
@JKB: why do you think that Chicago will riot? Just because a convention in Chicago earlier had problems?