One thing that's been very clear this past week is that most of those writing & pontificating about Biden's future as the party's nominee have a little to no experience in state and local Democratic Party activities. A brief 🧵:
First, support for Biden among the grassroots is still strong, especially among Black Democrats. Most of our African-American party faithful - especially the older folks who show up & vote every time - watched Biden defer to & support Obama, see him setting up Harris to be the future nominee.
Do not underestimate the power & significance of this dynamic. There is a strong loyalty there & a recognition that Biden has Black voters' backs. See, ie, targeted student debt relief & the significant funding he has directed to HBCUs.
Second, a lot of folks clearly do not understand the mechanics of party politics and the logistical challenges that would be involved with making changes. Our county and state party conventions were months ago. We have already chosen electors and delegates for the DNC.
Those meetings won't happen again. They require funding, people traveling on their own dime again, and a whole host of other issues. Could the state executive committee ask the electors and delegates to vote differently? Maybe, but each organization has bylaws that have to be followed.
Third, the idea that we could easily hold a new set of primaries is absurd. Printing ballots & organizing a primary cost money. Collecting signatures to get names on those ballots is necessary. Election dates are selected & announced far in advance because our public notice laws require it.
We have school board elections coming up in August alongside primaries for our state house. Early voting for that election begins NEXT WEEK. There is a 0% chance of holding a new presidential primary between that date and November.
Fourth, our local candidates are deep into campaigning right now. Depending on the community, some candidates are running partly on their support for Biden's agenda. Flyers are printed & distributed. Volunteers are block walking, calling, & texting. It's already happening.
All of these challenges add up to it being nearly impossible that a change in nominee will happen at the state level, unless Biden withdraws or something happens at the convention, both of which seem highly unlikely to me.
I encourage everyone who's feeling anxiety about the election to get involved at the local level. Contact your county Democratic party & sign up for some shifts. We need people block walking in the heat, sending texts & making calls from inside, & handwriting postcards to voters. It matters.
For those who feel alienated from the party - ie, that it's not far enough left - getting involved is the way to change that! I hear so many people complain, but rarely see them at our fundraisers or doing the work it takes to get good candidates elected. Come help! Move the needle! We need you!
I've been writing postcards here secure.everyaction.com/wWYzSycvi0uy.... They send you postcards for free, but you'll need to buy the stamps.
I've also done postcards through Field Team 6: www.fieldteam6.org/postcarding1. With Field Team 6 you'll need to buy the postcards and stamps.
