Flying Mezerkis: Maybe Trump and the media will just drop it once the convention goes around. I guess we’ll see.

It’s maddening to see skepticism of ejecting Biden treated like cultish loyalty. Some of us have been out here saying Biden’s too old for years. The problem is that what is being proposed is a shocking, almost unheard-of remedy, and every historic precedent tells us it’ll end in catastrophe.

It’s very, very clear that the loudest voices calling most excitedly for this remedy are not especially politically sophisticated or even worried about Biden losing - that’s why they didn’t freak for the months of lagging polls and why they’re doing nonsense fantasy-draft replacement picks.

I think it’s pretty clear that the worst-case scenario for a lot of them is President Harris

So it's really weird that they're taking this course of action when she's the most realistic alternative is Biden steps down. They aren't smart!

well, that wasn’t how the NYT framed it, mostly

dog caught the car

I guess I'm a weird case because I do think there's a strong case to make that Harris is the better car. But people who say their only concern is beating Donald Trump haven't made that case and have instead made arguments that would be *fatal.*

at this point I’m willing to believe Harris might be a better candidate but you do kinda have to add a grain of salt to account for the negative campaigning that right now is mostly not happening against her

like, I don’t think it’s at all a clear case and the costs of switching cars are plausibly very high

It really rests on what you think Biden's actual capabilities are, something none of us really know, but which people who know him haven't (IMO) been able to really reassure us of. Tomorrow's interview will be interesting.

did you listen to the radio one that dropped this morning by chance?

regardless I don’t think this is the actual fulcrum. Biden can resign in favor of Harris any time, and doing it ~any other time than now is likely easier. the electoral math is what matters

But you agree that the campaign has to choose to make the campaign as much about Harris as about him then, right?

People don't vote for Vice Presidents. Harris can & will be a huge asset & advocate in the campaign, but "Kamala is ready to take over" is not a smart campaign message in the face of the "Biden isn't up to the job" claims.

I don’t think that acknowledges the place that we are. It’s fine and good to say people don’t vote for VPs when it’s Clinton, Obama and Bush. But it’s just not credible in this case. The Biden campaign won’t be able to ignore that challenge.

Both GWB & Obama absolutely picked older guys who were seen as "experienced" for a reason. Gore was picked because winning in the South was still a viable strategy for Democrats in 1992. Leaning into "Kamala is as ready to run the nation as Joe", is a bad message, imo. Don't step on that rake.

Maybe Trump and the media will just drop it once the convention goes around. I guess we’ll see.

Trump won't. The media will push it as long as people seem interested. A major story about the extent of Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein is being ignored right now. The idea that things can't get worse for Trump seems underestimated.

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