Politics and Religion
Re: This was a stunning deflection, . . . .(Dem Powers That Be)
What can Biden do to mitigate the political liability of his age? He can pick a new running mate who is more popular, more comforting to voters who suspect he might not serve a full term, and more likely to help him win key states. That's Gretchen Whitmer.
The right question is not "should Biden fire Kamala?" it's "who *should* he pick for VP?" If you make a list of what makes a good running mate -- popular, credible as a future party leader, helpful in key states -- you'd never say Kamala is the #1 choice.
Kamala Harris, unfortunately, is not an excellent candidate for the vice presidency. There are better options available and he should pick one of them…
… As Nate Silver noted last week, Harris has run worse than Biden in every national poll conducted since the midterms that asked respondents about both Biden-Trump and Harris-Trump head-to-head contests. On average, she’s put up a margin four points worse than his, which is a lot…
… there is little in Harris’s pre-vice presidential career to suggest that she would be a strong national candidate. She has never run a race by herself in a politically competitive jurisdiction. Well, that’s unless you count California — in 2010, she very nearly managed to lose a statewide race in California to a Republican, when she was elected attorney general by a margin of less than one point. And her 2020 presidential campaign, famously, flamed out before she entered any of the nominating contests
The objections roll in:… As Nate Silver noted last week, Harris has run worse than Biden in every national poll conducted since the midterms that asked respondents about both Biden-Trump and Harris-Trump head-to-head contests. On average, she’s put up a margin four points worse than his, which is a lot…
… there is little in Harris’s pre-vice presidential career to suggest that she would be a strong national candidate. She has never run a race by herself in a politically competitive jurisdiction. Well, that’s unless you count California — in 2010, she very nearly managed to lose a statewide race in California to a Republican, when she was elected attorney general by a margin of less than one point. And her 2020 presidential campaign, famously, flamed out before she entered any of the nominating contests
Sorry Josh, this would would almost certainly come across as Biden "firing Kamala" (in addition to many seeing it as a personal betrayal, a disgusting insult, an act of profound cowardice etc by many voters) I should explain by "many" I didn't mean "most voters" I meant "a numerically large number of voters" say 5 million (or insert a number of your choosing) would be pissed about this and in a close election that could make all the difference.
Barro responds: Where is the evidence of this mass voter emotional investment in Kamala Harris? Certainly it's not in her electoral track record.
Then there’s the worry about how dumping Kamala would fill the news cycles… Barrow:
The use of the term “news cycle” is right here. After a day or two, the news would be about who is on the ticket (Whitmer, who, as a reminder, is well-liked by Democratic partisans!), not who’s not on the ticket.
All in all, a very compelling piece. Well worth the read.
Related Link: Biden Should Pick A New Running Mate - Gov Whitmer
Incredible moment on CNN. Pelosi won't endorse Kamala Harris. Anderson Cooper: Is Vice President Kamala Harris the best running mate for this president?" Nancy Pelosi: "He thinks so and that's what matters" Cooper: Do you think she is the best running mate, though? Pelosi: She's the Vice President of the United States and people say to me, ‘Well why isn't she doing this or that?' I say because because she's the Vice President, that's the job description. You don't do that much. You know, you, you know, you're a source of strength, inspiration, intellectual resource, and the rest. And you, and she, I think she's represented our country very well at home and abroad.
Related Link: Video: Nancy Dodges Cooper’s Question Three Times
‘You Are Doing What Speaker Pelosi Did’: Tapper Calls Out Dem Who Tries To Dodge Question On Kamala
“Congressman, you are doing what Speaker Pelosi did, which is not answering the question. Do you think Kamala Harris is the best running mate for President Biden?”
"It's a pretty simple question — do you think Kamala Harris is the best running mate for Pres. Biden? Yes or no?"
Raskin is such a weasel. At one point, he pointed out the convention wasn’t until the summer of 2024. Sounds like he’s hoping for a non-Kamala contingency plan. Raskin continued. “I don’t know whether President Biden has named his running mate. We’re going to a convention next summer. It’s, you know, a year away from now, and we’re going to go through that process. So—
