1/ I'm agnostic as to whether Biden should withdraw from the race. It's a genuinely tough question IMO.
But I have clarity on one thing: He should absolutely not step down as president.
If Harris becomes President, the Vice Presidency is empty. Under the 25th Amendment ...
He absolutely should NOT withdraw from the race.
It is NOT a genuinely tough question. It is an EASY question.
Biden withdraws, Trump wins. PERIOD. Guaranteed.
Biden is the ONLY Democrat who can be on the Wisconsin ballot. Possibly the Nevada ballot.
& his withdrawal would be a legal NIGHTMARE.
The legal nightmare, by the way - would be the endless GOP challenges in state after state.
Not any actual legitimate legal issues, per se - just the fuckery they'd pursue.
They've said as much. The Heritage Foundation has SAID they're preparing to challenge it in every state if he withdraws.
If this is true then also the fault of Democrats (especially Biden) for refusing to fight any of this for over 20 years.
If this gives cause to refuse to politically engage, then it's already over and they lost. Democrats are inept, anyone who believes otherwise is in denial.
That's what Democrats have done for decades and continue to do now.
What other options are out there? Where are the social movements in the streets? Why aren't Democrats leading in protests like Republicans do for their fascistic causes?
Because they are craven cowards.
DUH.
Why aren't YOU out there leading a social movement out there in the streets, oh guru?
MAYHAP BECAUSE LEADING A REVOLUTION ISN'T A SIMPLE & EASY THING TO DO IN A NATION OF 350 MILLION?
We are a fucking LEVIATHAN.
We are a MASSIVE SHIP, & we turn SLOWLY.
I'm not the sitting President constantly warning that democracy is on the line.
The Supreme Court didn't just give me king-like powers.
The press doesn't report on everything I say/do.
So, to try to somehow put the onus on a powerless worker shows an ignorance of social movements.
She just described a bunch of fuckery committed by republicans at the state level, and your big brain reply is to blame Democrats for not preemptively “fighting” the ability to file these challenges. 🤡
And who has been the only alternative, the only counterweight to put in a genuine effort to stop them?
If you don't like what's happening you have to ask, how did this get to this point, and why did it get here?
This isn't preemptive. It's nearly 50 years of liberals becoming the party of Nixon.
Disgust at Democrats' ineptitude is hardly a reason to consign millions of us to the fate of what a Trump victory means.
Yes, Democrats suck. THEY SUCK LESS THAN THE REPUBLICANS.
And that is what politics is. It's the sad reality of life. Dealing with the less sucky.
Sorry. Welcome to reality.
Yep! We have the same in the UK, the Labour Party sucks less the the Conservative Party who have turned the country to into a pile of pish... so that's our choice. 🙄
A vote for Tories here is like a vote for Republicans over there, a level of hell not seen outside of 1930s Germany.
Okay, fine, the Dems share some blame for this because of their fecklessness. That doesn't change the underlying fact that literally the only bulwark against full-on fascism, under which you personally will be a target for incarceration or execution for your political beliefs, is the Dem party.
There's a funny little thing. If the purpose of your side is to preserve the rules, and the purpose of the other side is to destroy them, failing to play by the rules means they win either way. There is no good solution here, but give Dems a trifecta, and see what improves.
For reference, every state with a Dem trifecta treats sexual orientation as a protected class. All but one have protections for gender affirming care. All permit abortion. No, Dems are not perfect, but they're far better than the alternative.
Agree this is a huge problem … but at least, in Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court is split 4-3 in favor of the Democrats, and that court isn’t shy about taking action to straighten out electoral politics - they tossed out the State legislative maps last year.
“Biden is the ONLY democrat who can…”
Nope, not true. Let’s stop with the Indispensable myth. Talent is everywhere, and we don’t have to rely on septua/octogenarians for everything. Let go.
(And if I’m wrong and it’s true that Biden is our *only* hope, then it’s over.)
You're right. He can legally be replaced before the convention. If he withdraws voluntarily.
Same with Nevada, I believe - though the dates are fuzzy.
It gets murkier if he refuses and they try to force it.
Nevertheless, it's death to the ticket if he does.
Who replaces him? Harris?
There goes a chunk of the white male vote. You know the misogynoir runs deep out there. They'll either sit out or vote Trump or 3rd party.
NOT Harris? There goes a chunk of the Black vote - & who could blame them?
I hear you. It's also death to the ticket if Biden stays. There goes the "president must be mentally competent" vote.
I lean toward Harris as the best option. But no good choices here.
Right, so we went from “no we LEGALLY CANNOT replace Biden” to “well we can replace him, but it’s a black woman, and well, white guys”
Uh huh. Ok. So that legal scream was just a bunch of fucking bullshit to cover up the “no not the black woman” preference. Yep. Ok.
Uh huh, no way could Harris be on the ballot in Wisconsin. Because election laws are absolutely rock solid and not subject to accommodations etc.
Uh huh.
NO OPTION EXCEPT BIDEN is, IMO, an insufficient message after Thursday. We don’t *have* to hitch our democracy to an 80 yr old in obv decline.
We HAVE hitched our wagon to him.
MILLIONS of people voted for him in the primaries. People who knew EXACTLY how old he was, who saw him at press conferences.
WE ALL KNOW HE'S FUCKING OLD.
And he is NOT cognitively impaired. Stop repeating that bullshit. He's just fucking OLD.
We have a Vice President for this very reason.
It’s fascinating that it’s obvious that replacing the President when he can’t do the job is “lunacy.” We’re…supposed to do that? Again, this is why the Vice President is *also* on the ticket.
“Abandon the rules bc black woman” is not a good look, IMO.
DeWine signed the bill on June 2nd to extend their deadline until the end of August. Dems didn't know if he was going to do that, so they've been planning a virtual roll call for end of July. They're supposedly going through with that anyway.
