White America is not going to elect Kamala Harris over Trump. Dems need to quit being wishy-washy and get behind Biden as the candidate. Biden's weakest attribute is far better than Trump's strongest any day of the week. It's getting to be too silly, anymore.
White America is not going to elect Kamala Harris over Trump. Dems need to quit being wishy-washy and get behind Biden as the candidate. Biden's weakest attribute is far better than Trump's strongest any day of the week. It's getting to be too silly, anymore.
America losing democracy because voting for a black woman was too much for some folks is entirely on brand for America. And in a poetic way the way the great American experiment should end.
American’s greatness was largely more aspirational than what was practiced. Ironically MLK was successful because he challenged white America to prove more of them were better than those who were oppressors.
You would think democracy on the line would garner the same energy to rally around. But I am sadly doubtful.
America elected Obama. To tell the truth, I think the campaign against Harris would be so sexist and racist, it would no longer be possible to deny the White supremacist part of the GOP platform. But as others have said, that's not a comfort if people vote for it.
Well said Kate, trump won't be able to stop himself from the personal attacks regarding race and gender. I'll never pretend to understand young voters, but from what i have read, they will harden when hearing the screeching by trump about a black woman. He hates losing, so imagine losing to a Black Female?
Trump under stress tends to be the Trump that messes up and starts saying even crazier things than calm Trump. He's not feeling the pressure at all now, that's why he's been relatively quiet lately. The last thing in the world he wants is for Biden to drop out.
Tim made the point yesterday that all the inevitable racist crap that will be spewed by the MAGA swamp against Harris might actually help her by reminding swing voters how awful the Trump coalition is.
Tim talked with David French yesterday. He said the Right will go after Kamala in the grossest of ways. In 2008 against Obama, it was dog whistles. With Kamala it's going to be out front and center. The way that right-wing discourse has devolved over the last nine years, there's going to be no shortage of wild, crazy, bigoted things said about her.
Then he asks: Does that actually undermine the Right in a way that their own bigotry would make them more vulnerable? It's just an intuition of mine, but I think the answer is yes.
I sent this to my one conservative friend whose information sources are right-wing talk radio, particularly Dennis Prager and Ben Shapiro. He really knows nothing about politics. He just clings to grifter hacks and takes what the say at face value which somehow makes him feel good. His response was that they won't because all they have to do is attack her job performance as VP. This must be what he's hearing from them.
I said criticisms of her peformance as VP are old. What's current is she is killing it on the stump and, as Sarah said on this week's TNL (https://www.thebulwark.com/p/blue-maga), perceptions of her are lightly held and can be improved. I agree with that because I was persuaded by this podcast that Kamala, who was once known as the law and order Dem and couldn't be that in the political moment of 2020, can now be who she is - this is a different political moment: "Is Kamala Harris Underrated?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyvaxlKuOuE&list=PLdMrbgYfVl-szepgVpArP0obwYgbKdfvx&index=1).
Yes, 10 times. Of course she is underrated. She has *always* been underrated.
Do posters here expect slow-thinking voters to change their minds in a blink?
Harris will have to change their minds with her intelligence and strength. She can do it. She is the one in 2024 who can show up Trump for what he is: a corrupt fraud, a criminal convicted by a jury of his peers on 34 felony counts, a racist and misogynist, a charlatan who has created one of the most dangerous cults against democracy our country has ever known.
Yep but unfortunately I think she loses. Maybe she does better than Biden. I just don’t trust voters in this environment to vote for an aggressive smart black woman. Sad to say
I appreciate your candor, Migs, but "I just don't trust voters in this environment to vote for an aggressive smart black woman" = vibes.
You see, I agree with the basic premise of your statement, but my conclusion is the opposite: I do trust them. And yes, those are simply my "vibes."
In other words, we both need to see some hard data, some reliable poll numbers that can parse out the numbers for us and show us whose vibes are more in tune with the real American voters.
Yep. I understand that you draw a different conclusion than I do. To be fair, to be both of us we will never really know the answer.
The only thing I would add is that my pessimism of voters is based on this fact: they voted for Trump is 2016. Then more people voted for him in 2020. Now it looks like more will vote for him in 2024 after everything they have seen, heard and watched. Pretty good evidence they are idiots.
They are not idiots; well, rather, they are deluded members of a cult who have succumbed to the lies they wanted to hear by a lizard-brained conman. I'm not sure that makes them idiots.
I know so many people who have succumbed to religious cults because the conmen leading them, from rural Tennessee to Rome, offer their followers the wish-fulfillment to their greatest desires: Eternal life, anyone? Want to see your deceased loved ones again in heaven? Come this way!
Idiots cannot be made intelligent. But members of a cult can be "de-programmed." So far, Biden is not doing that. My bet is that Kamala Harris can de-program just enough of them and convince just enough of those not in the cult but wandering in uncertainty ("undecideds") to defeat Trump.
The people they hate can’t be expected to deprogram them. If people expected that then they were always going to be disappointed. Kamala won’t deprogram them. Oprah won’t deprogram. Obama won’t deprogram them. They need to deprogram themselves.
You think the "he's too old" attacks are ugly, wait until we move into racism and misogyny devised by Mr. Swift Vets for Truth! It's gonna be great!
Also -- if you -- obviously not you, Mike -- think a brokered convention or "flash primary" isn't going to completely break the Dem coalition apart, take a look at this comments section for the past two weeks and think again.
And if you think that politicians who want to be POTUS are going to pull their punches "for the greater good" I've got a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in.
1. I think Biden is too old. I think he did shitty at the debate. However I think America would rather vote for an old white guy in a wheel chair than a smart aggressive black woman. I hope I’m wrong
2. The people imagining that a brokered convention will be some type of good look for dems. I’m honestly just shocked by such a myopic take. There is no chance it will be “good” for dems. It will be one big shit sando. It will be so awful with people attacking each other and debating Medicare for all.
We keep saying a smart aggressive black woman can't get elected but we forget it really depends on the candidate. Al Sharpton would never be elected president, but Barack Obama was. Hillary Clinton didn't get elected, but maybe Nikki Haley or Gretchen Whitmer could. It needs to be the right candidate. Michelle Obama could get elected if she wanted the job, if we're to believe the polls!
Michelle couldn’t get elected now. She popular precisely because she isn’t political. The moment she becomes political her fav/unfavs will look like every other politician.
Obama was a generational politician but even he couldn’t get elected today. Timing matters just as much as political talent. A black man couldn’t be elected in the 1950s and I don’t think he could be elected now. We are partially here because of a backlash to Obama (not his fault).
Yep, there was a backlash to Obama that certainly helped Trump, but these things go in cycles. At some point there will be a backlash against Trump and Trumpism, hopefully this year but it's not looking good at the moment.
Of course Michelle's numbers would go down if she actually decided to run, but as you say that's what happens to every politician. It doesn't mean her race would prevent her from being elected.
Absolutely fair. My point is that people like Michelle precisely because she isn’t political and they can project their hopes and dreams on her. Once she comes out with positions everything flips.
There will be a backlash to Trump eventually. When? Who knows.
My prediction: Michelle will play the same role Eleanor Roosevelt played at the 1940 convention where the Dems were in revolt and coming apart on the 4th night. Michelle will unify the Dems as Eleanor did.
Eleanor said: "We cannot tell from day to day what may come. This is no ordinary time. No time for weighing anything except what we can do best for the country as a whole, and that responsibility rests on each and every one of us as individuals" (https://fdrlibrary.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/found-in-the-archives-9/).
The only thing a brokered convention does is give the media another opportunity to feast on "Dems in Disarray!" while we are once again not focusing on the convicted felon/child rapist/Rule of Law destroyer who is the nominee of the GOP.
Granted, it is a possibility that it could be a shit show. As Linda Chavez suggested; it could also show which party is the democracy party, suck oxygen from Trump, create excitement and enthusiasm for a new candidate, regain donor money.You never know til it happens.
They've already voted for an old white guy in a wheelchair with a successful record once.
Biden is too old, and I love the guy and the results. Do I wish that he'd said he wasn't running for re-election after the midterms (particularly in hindsight)? Sure. But I think an open Dem primary combined with October 7 + losing incumbency would have been another roll of the dice, particularly against Trump and the GOP slime machine. I also wish that Nikki Haley had won the GOP primary so we wouldn't all be panicking and fearing for the end of America.
But this is the hand we've been dealt and the race we're running. Hate the GOP all you want, but they win 50% of elections even though we win 70% of the electorate with our ideas. They know how to fight and drive a narrative, while the Dems get bullied by the mainstream press. This Biden should drop out story has gone on longer than the coverage of Trump's 34 felony convictions.
If I had faith in voters to vote for Kamala I would be so down with switching Biden out.
I find people who think that a brokered convention as good for Dems living in a fantasy world. They create rules that can’t be endorsed, many times can’t happen, and create rules that just conflict with itself (we will have debates but they won’t be negative…come on. What’s the point of a debate if you don’t hammer out differences in policy)
I disagree, Holli. Why? Because the Dems united behind Biden after his SC win in 2020. Pete B won IA and Bernie NH & NV. They both did very poorly in SC. All the candidates dropped out and supported Biden because he was the best - the only - candidate to beat Trump.
My bet is the same thing happens in 2024 when Trump is even more of a threat. This comments section is a conversation, and it doesn't end until the third night of the convention. It might even end sooner than that.
I don't really worry about the WCNT (White Christian National Terrorist) voter not voting for Harris over CFT. No racist will, and, unfortunately, even some who could stomach Joe, will not go that way if they believe he is just a stalking horse to get her over the finish line.
A secondary problem in line with above: If Joe bows out before the Coronation, I mean Convention, who is going to be her No. 2?
I have no doubt that "They'll figure it out". My concern is more for the identity of the new #2 and what pros, and cons, (s)he brings to the ballot. Minority male from a swing state with a résumé and national name recognition? Pete B. certainly checks those boxes and would definitely complete the ticket as a contrast to CFT and Lackey. Democratic Diversity versus Republican Repression?
Why wouldn't they elect her? They elected Obama didn't they? If Harris proves herself to be a strong candidate who can inspire people she can win. We have to get over the narrative that "America will never elect [insert race/gender combination here]". It wasn't true in 2008 or 2012. It wasn't true in 2016 when the female candidate got the most votes but lost due to the EC.
Sure it might ber harder, but the right candidate can win, especially against someone as horrible as Trump who is disliked or downright hated by most of the country. It's looking more and more like Biden is no longer that candidate. Maybe Harris is, maybe she isn't, but I'm liking her odds better than Biden right now. I'll take a 50% chance over 10%.
Obama is a man. His demeanor, speaking style, and academic background made him almost white to some people and McCain seemed very old compared to him. A woman who "cackles", who has "done nothing as VP" is a woman and, a black woman is not going to garner much interest in low information swing voters. Plus she is smart and viscerally people react to that girl who thinks she is so smart when they are inclined to dislike her for all the other reasons.
Trump will seem very old next to Harris (and crazy too). In 2016 Hillary Clinton got more votes than Donald Trump when he was 8 years younger AND Clinton was older than Harris is now. Clinton was super smart and had an awful, hectoring voice and a phony laugh. In addition she had been demonized by the Right for decades as Bill Clinton's wife. She was a weak candidate following 8 years of a Democratic presidency, which would have made it hard for any Democratic candidate to win, and yet look how close she came to winning. Trump is not a strong candidate and never has been. The right Democratic candidate should be able to beat him easily. Biden is obviously not the right candidate, because if he was he would be leading handily in the polls by now. Getable voters (not MAGA nutcases) are sick to death of Trump.
Who is the "right" candidate? That's the sticking point for many people in a discussion of replacing Biden. Who is that "right" candidate that will move people to vote for instead of voting for Trump or sitting out the presidential slot on their ballots? Is it anybody but Biden? Can it be that simple?
We don’t know who the right candidate is, and that’s a huge risk. But if we think that Biden is not the right candidate than we should do something about it before it’s too late. I’m convinced that an average-or-better Dem candidate would do better against Trump than Biden at this point. Obviously a bad candidate would be a disaster, but it’s a huge risk staying with Biden too, because right now he is also a bad candidate (not a bad president, just a bad candidate). So there are no good options, but if we're convinced that Biden has no winning path than it makes no sense to stick with him and hope for the best.
The right candidate is the one who can beat Trump and that is not Biden. Trump is disliked by a majority of voters. They also think Biden is too old and weak. Yes, if the campaign is run well, it's that simple.
Okay, Linda. Considering everything -- EVERYTHING -- White people collectively have done to maintain their superiority nationally and globally, what would be your suggestion in these times of White supremacy resurgence? You'll have to put some thought into it, though, maybe even a little research. Because the things that WS has done to maintain itself are horrific.
Yes, American WS has spent the last two and a half centuries undermining every opportunity for Black Americans to succeed, from slavery to Jim Crow, from Reconstruction to Tulsa. Without the ERA and with the overturning of Roe v Wade, we are still trying to stop the opportunity for every woman in this country to succeed, too.
Let's put a stop to it. We showed the possibility of stopping it by electing Obama, by electing Wes Moore, by electing Cory Booker, hopefully, by electing Colin Allred later this year.
If we just say, "Electing a Black woman like Kamala Harris cannot be done because of WS," we are allowing the forces of WS to continue without a fight. We are succumbing to the racism, misogyny, and bigoty we are trying to end.
Be careful, Darryll. You might end up with a (white) woman on the ticket with Harris. You know, because, heaven knows a gay man (even if he is a veteran) is a bridge to far.
You would think that at this stage of your life, you would know that inherent in these conversations is the "not all" qualifier. At any rate, the majority of White voters vote Republican, so there's that. So there's no confusion, the White voting population doesn't equal the total adult, voting-eligible population but, really, it's the only stat that counts, isn't it?
White America is not going to elect Kamala Harris over Trump. Dems need to quit being wishy-washy and get behind Biden as the candidate. Biden's weakest attribute is far better than Trump's strongest any day of the week. It's getting to be too silly, anymore.
America losing democracy because voting for a black woman was too much for some folks is entirely on brand for America. And in a poetic way the way the great American experiment should end.
American’s greatness was largely more aspirational than what was practiced. Ironically MLK was successful because he challenged white America to prove more of them were better than those who were oppressors.
You would think democracy on the line would garner the same energy to rally around. But I am sadly doubtful.
America elected Obama. To tell the truth, I think the campaign against Harris would be so sexist and racist, it would no longer be possible to deny the White supremacist part of the GOP platform. But as others have said, that's not a comfort if people vote for it.
Well said Kate, trump won't be able to stop himself from the personal attacks regarding race and gender. I'll never pretend to understand young voters, but from what i have read, they will harden when hearing the screeching by trump about a black woman. He hates losing, so imagine losing to a Black Female?
His freaking head would explode.
Trump under stress tends to be the Trump that messes up and starts saying even crazier things than calm Trump. He's not feeling the pressure at all now, that's why he's been relatively quiet lately. The last thing in the world he wants is for Biden to drop out.
Tim made the point yesterday that all the inevitable racist crap that will be spewed by the MAGA swamp against Harris might actually help her by reminding swing voters how awful the Trump coalition is.
And on the Fox News and Substack sites, the Right love to accuse her of sleeping her way to the top. Another thing that women just love to hear.
Tim talked with David French yesterday. He said the Right will go after Kamala in the grossest of ways. In 2008 against Obama, it was dog whistles. With Kamala it's going to be out front and center. The way that right-wing discourse has devolved over the last nine years, there's going to be no shortage of wild, crazy, bigoted things said about her.
Then he asks: Does that actually undermine the Right in a way that their own bigotry would make them more vulnerable? It's just an intuition of mine, but I think the answer is yes.
I think the answer is yes, too.
I sent this to my one conservative friend whose information sources are right-wing talk radio, particularly Dennis Prager and Ben Shapiro. He really knows nothing about politics. He just clings to grifter hacks and takes what the say at face value which somehow makes him feel good. His response was that they won't because all they have to do is attack her job performance as VP. This must be what he's hearing from them.
I said criticisms of her peformance as VP are old. What's current is she is killing it on the stump and, as Sarah said on this week's TNL (https://www.thebulwark.com/p/blue-maga), perceptions of her are lightly held and can be improved. I agree with that because I was persuaded by this podcast that Kamala, who was once known as the law and order Dem and couldn't be that in the political moment of 2020, can now be who she is - this is a different political moment: "Is Kamala Harris Underrated?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyvaxlKuOuE&list=PLdMrbgYfVl-szepgVpArP0obwYgbKdfvx&index=1).
Yes, 10 times. Of course she is underrated. She has *always* been underrated.
Do posters here expect slow-thinking voters to change their minds in a blink?
Harris will have to change their minds with her intelligence and strength. She can do it. She is the one in 2024 who can show up Trump for what he is: a corrupt fraud, a criminal convicted by a jury of his peers on 34 felony counts, a racist and misogynist, a charlatan who has created one of the most dangerous cults against democracy our country has ever known.
Yep but unfortunately I think she loses. Maybe she does better than Biden. I just don’t trust voters in this environment to vote for an aggressive smart black woman. Sad to say
I appreciate your candor, Migs, but "I just don't trust voters in this environment to vote for an aggressive smart black woman" = vibes.
You see, I agree with the basic premise of your statement, but my conclusion is the opposite: I do trust them. And yes, those are simply my "vibes."
In other words, we both need to see some hard data, some reliable poll numbers that can parse out the numbers for us and show us whose vibes are more in tune with the real American voters.
Yep. I understand that you draw a different conclusion than I do. To be fair, to be both of us we will never really know the answer.
The only thing I would add is that my pessimism of voters is based on this fact: they voted for Trump is 2016. Then more people voted for him in 2020. Now it looks like more will vote for him in 2024 after everything they have seen, heard and watched. Pretty good evidence they are idiots.
They are not idiots; well, rather, they are deluded members of a cult who have succumbed to the lies they wanted to hear by a lizard-brained conman. I'm not sure that makes them idiots.
I know so many people who have succumbed to religious cults because the conmen leading them, from rural Tennessee to Rome, offer their followers the wish-fulfillment to their greatest desires: Eternal life, anyone? Want to see your deceased loved ones again in heaven? Come this way!
Idiots cannot be made intelligent. But members of a cult can be "de-programmed." So far, Biden is not doing that. My bet is that Kamala Harris can de-program just enough of them and convince just enough of those not in the cult but wandering in uncertainty ("undecideds") to defeat Trump.
The people they hate can’t be expected to deprogram them. If people expected that then they were always going to be disappointed. Kamala won’t deprogram them. Oprah won’t deprogram. Obama won’t deprogram them. They need to deprogram themselves.
We can agree to disagree
Agreed.
Racism is a huge problem, and adding misogyny makes it even worse!
You think the "he's too old" attacks are ugly, wait until we move into racism and misogyny devised by Mr. Swift Vets for Truth! It's gonna be great!
Also -- if you -- obviously not you, Mike -- think a brokered convention or "flash primary" isn't going to completely break the Dem coalition apart, take a look at this comments section for the past two weeks and think again.
I still remember the Hillary Barak fights in 2008. A mini-primary will leave some factions feeling left out.
And if you think that politicians who want to be POTUS are going to pull their punches "for the greater good" I've got a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in.
I know. God I know. It’s like these people want an outcome so bad that they just completely ignore what will happen and create some fantasy world.
They did so in 2020. Why is 2024 different?
How about the London bridge in Arizona? :)
Honestly I’m at a loss for the 2 things:
1. I think Biden is too old. I think he did shitty at the debate. However I think America would rather vote for an old white guy in a wheel chair than a smart aggressive black woman. I hope I’m wrong
2. The people imagining that a brokered convention will be some type of good look for dems. I’m honestly just shocked by such a myopic take. There is no chance it will be “good” for dems. It will be one big shit sando. It will be so awful with people attacking each other and debating Medicare for all.
We keep saying a smart aggressive black woman can't get elected but we forget it really depends on the candidate. Al Sharpton would never be elected president, but Barack Obama was. Hillary Clinton didn't get elected, but maybe Nikki Haley or Gretchen Whitmer could. It needs to be the right candidate. Michelle Obama could get elected if she wanted the job, if we're to believe the polls!
Michelle couldn’t get elected now. She popular precisely because she isn’t political. The moment she becomes political her fav/unfavs will look like every other politician.
Obama was a generational politician but even he couldn’t get elected today. Timing matters just as much as political talent. A black man couldn’t be elected in the 1950s and I don’t think he could be elected now. We are partially here because of a backlash to Obama (not his fault).
Just July opinion though
Yep, there was a backlash to Obama that certainly helped Trump, but these things go in cycles. At some point there will be a backlash against Trump and Trumpism, hopefully this year but it's not looking good at the moment.
Of course Michelle's numbers would go down if she actually decided to run, but as you say that's what happens to every politician. It doesn't mean her race would prevent her from being elected.
Absolutely fair. My point is that people like Michelle precisely because she isn’t political and they can project their hopes and dreams on her. Once she comes out with positions everything flips.
There will be a backlash to Trump eventually. When? Who knows.
My prediction: Michelle will play the same role Eleanor Roosevelt played at the 1940 convention where the Dems were in revolt and coming apart on the 4th night. Michelle will unify the Dems as Eleanor did.
Eleanor said: "We cannot tell from day to day what may come. This is no ordinary time. No time for weighing anything except what we can do best for the country as a whole, and that responsibility rests on each and every one of us as individuals" (https://fdrlibrary.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/found-in-the-archives-9/).
The only thing a brokered convention does is give the media another opportunity to feast on "Dems in Disarray!" while we are once again not focusing on the convicted felon/child rapist/Rule of Law destroyer who is the nominee of the GOP.
Granted, it is a possibility that it could be a shit show. As Linda Chavez suggested; it could also show which party is the democracy party, suck oxygen from Trump, create excitement and enthusiasm for a new candidate, regain donor money.You never know til it happens.
Yep. Absolutely.
We use to have brokered conventions all the time. Do you know why we don’t anymore? BECAUSE THEY WERE COMPLETE SHITSHOWS!!!
I can’t understand why people can’t see that the reason we went to primaries is because brokered conventions hurt the dems.
They've already voted for an old white guy in a wheelchair with a successful record once.
Biden is too old, and I love the guy and the results. Do I wish that he'd said he wasn't running for re-election after the midterms (particularly in hindsight)? Sure. But I think an open Dem primary combined with October 7 + losing incumbency would have been another roll of the dice, particularly against Trump and the GOP slime machine. I also wish that Nikki Haley had won the GOP primary so we wouldn't all be panicking and fearing for the end of America.
But this is the hand we've been dealt and the race we're running. Hate the GOP all you want, but they win 50% of elections even though we win 70% of the electorate with our ideas. They know how to fight and drive a narrative, while the Dems get bullied by the mainstream press. This Biden should drop out story has gone on longer than the coverage of Trump's 34 felony convictions.
Migs, you sound like Rick Wilson (via Mike Steele's podcast)
If I had faith in voters to vote for Kamala I would be so down with switching Biden out.
I find people who think that a brokered convention as good for Dems living in a fantasy world. They create rules that can’t be endorsed, many times can’t happen, and create rules that just conflict with itself (we will have debates but they won’t be negative…come on. What’s the point of a debate if you don’t hammer out differences in policy)
There is a line in a song by America, "You never know til you try" *Lonely People
But I’m looking for people to make a case now if they want Biden to dropout. That’s on bill
I disagree, Holli. Why? Because the Dems united behind Biden after his SC win in 2020. Pete B won IA and Bernie NH & NV. They both did very poorly in SC. All the candidates dropped out and supported Biden because he was the best - the only - candidate to beat Trump.
My bet is the same thing happens in 2024 when Trump is even more of a threat. This comments section is a conversation, and it doesn't end until the third night of the convention. It might even end sooner than that.
The racists aren't going to vote for Biden anyway.
They'd vote for Biden over Harris. You don't think there's closet racists and misogynists in the Democratic coalition?
There aren't enough of them. If Obama and HRC could get their votes, Harris can too. IF she is a strong candidate (that's a big if).
I don't really worry about the WCNT (White Christian National Terrorist) voter not voting for Harris over CFT. No racist will, and, unfortunately, even some who could stomach Joe, will not go that way if they believe he is just a stalking horse to get her over the finish line.
A secondary problem in line with above: If Joe bows out before the Coronation, I mean Convention, who is going to be her No. 2?
It's not a problem. It's part of the process every time there's a new nominee. They'll figure it out.
I have no doubt that "They'll figure it out". My concern is more for the identity of the new #2 and what pros, and cons, (s)he brings to the ballot. Minority male from a swing state with a résumé and national name recognition? Pete B. certainly checks those boxes and would definitely complete the ticket as a contrast to CFT and Lackey. Democratic Diversity versus Republican Repression?
Why wouldn't they elect her? They elected Obama didn't they? If Harris proves herself to be a strong candidate who can inspire people she can win. We have to get over the narrative that "America will never elect [insert race/gender combination here]". It wasn't true in 2008 or 2012. It wasn't true in 2016 when the female candidate got the most votes but lost due to the EC.
Sure it might ber harder, but the right candidate can win, especially against someone as horrible as Trump who is disliked or downright hated by most of the country. It's looking more and more like Biden is no longer that candidate. Maybe Harris is, maybe she isn't, but I'm liking her odds better than Biden right now. I'll take a 50% chance over 10%.
Obama is a man. His demeanor, speaking style, and academic background made him almost white to some people and McCain seemed very old compared to him. A woman who "cackles", who has "done nothing as VP" is a woman and, a black woman is not going to garner much interest in low information swing voters. Plus she is smart and viscerally people react to that girl who thinks she is so smart when they are inclined to dislike her for all the other reasons.
Trump will seem very old next to Harris (and crazy too). In 2016 Hillary Clinton got more votes than Donald Trump when he was 8 years younger AND Clinton was older than Harris is now. Clinton was super smart and had an awful, hectoring voice and a phony laugh. In addition she had been demonized by the Right for decades as Bill Clinton's wife. She was a weak candidate following 8 years of a Democratic presidency, which would have made it hard for any Democratic candidate to win, and yet look how close she came to winning. Trump is not a strong candidate and never has been. The right Democratic candidate should be able to beat him easily. Biden is obviously not the right candidate, because if he was he would be leading handily in the polls by now. Getable voters (not MAGA nutcases) are sick to death of Trump.
Who is the "right" candidate? That's the sticking point for many people in a discussion of replacing Biden. Who is that "right" candidate that will move people to vote for instead of voting for Trump or sitting out the presidential slot on their ballots? Is it anybody but Biden? Can it be that simple?
We don’t know who the right candidate is, and that’s a huge risk. But if we think that Biden is not the right candidate than we should do something about it before it’s too late. I’m convinced that an average-or-better Dem candidate would do better against Trump than Biden at this point. Obviously a bad candidate would be a disaster, but it’s a huge risk staying with Biden too, because right now he is also a bad candidate (not a bad president, just a bad candidate). So there are no good options, but if we're convinced that Biden has no winning path than it makes no sense to stick with him and hope for the best.
Agree with this!
The right candidate is the one who can beat Trump and that is not Biden. Trump is disliked by a majority of voters. They also think Biden is too old and weak. Yes, if the campaign is run well, it's that simple.
Uh GREE!!!
Some will say going along with Biden unquestionably is wishy-washy.
Do we always have to fear white America? Is that an endless proposition maybe it’s time to stop doing that.
Okay, Linda. Considering everything -- EVERYTHING -- White people collectively have done to maintain their superiority nationally and globally, what would be your suggestion in these times of White supremacy resurgence? You'll have to put some thought into it, though, maybe even a little research. Because the things that WS has done to maintain itself are horrific.
Yes, American WS has spent the last two and a half centuries undermining every opportunity for Black Americans to succeed, from slavery to Jim Crow, from Reconstruction to Tulsa. Without the ERA and with the overturning of Roe v Wade, we are still trying to stop the opportunity for every woman in this country to succeed, too.
Let's put a stop to it. We showed the possibility of stopping it by electing Obama, by electing Wes Moore, by electing Cory Booker, hopefully, by electing Colin Allred later this year.
If we just say, "Electing a Black woman like Kamala Harris cannot be done because of WS," we are allowing the forces of WS to continue without a fight. We are succumbing to the racism, misogyny, and bigoty we are trying to end.
Be careful, Darryll. You might end up with a (white) woman on the ticket with Harris. You know, because, heaven knows a gay man (even if he is a veteran) is a bridge to far.
And you know this how, Darryl? Have you talked to all of us in white America???
You would think that at this stage of your life, you would know that inherent in these conversations is the "not all" qualifier. At any rate, the majority of White voters vote Republican, so there's that. So there's no confusion, the White voting population doesn't equal the total adult, voting-eligible population but, really, it's the only stat that counts, isn't it?
OK, how many of us in white America have you talked to?