Kamala Harris isn't some perfect solution to all that ails the Democratic party. But she is basically the only other plausible option, and insisting that a white or male figure untested on the national stage is somehow a safer option is telling on your own racial and gender attitudes.
We can all debate whether America will elect a Black woman as president in the abstract, but will this electorate choose a sane, competent and centrist politician who is under the age of 60 instead of a convicted felon and chaos agent? I will take those odds.
Trump is unpopular. His policies are unpopular. He has never won the popular vote. His preferred candidates down ballot go down in flames. Democrats are on the right side of a highly motivating issue swing voters: abortion. Biden has struggled to take that fight to Trump. Harris won't.
Harris would inherit what has actually been a pretty successful presidency: a strong economic recovery, a track record of major legislation despite gridlock in Congress. She would be less tied to some of Biden's missteps, like his tone-deaf, lopsided handling of the crisis in Gaza.
Again: I am not saying she is some perfect vessel. I have read the articles about her dysfunctional management style, and I know she says loopy things that become memes (that isn't always a bad thing!). I am just saying that you could do a whole lot worse.
Democrats are phrasing this election as a fight for democracy. But Biden stepping down would anoint his hand-picked successor. That is not democracy. It is not even what a VP is for.
Democracy is a brokered convention. Sure, that's messy, but it has always been. When did we become afraid of that?
Literally the job of VP is to take over in the event the president steps down or becomes unavailable.
If Biden isn't up to being a candidate, he isn't up to being president now. If he steps down, it has to be from everything.
Technically, Biden would be releasing his delegates, not stepping down. Biden and Harris would continue their administration and pass the key to the winners of the election.
If Harris wants to run, she can. All it takes is a nominating speech.
The election is for the presidential term from 2025-2029. The current presidential term concludes in 6 months.
It's reasonable—coherent, even—to be fit enough to complete the current term without committing to the next.
One is the job that's almost done. The other is a job that hasn't begun.
ptrdo if you think 1968 is the only time in the modern era where convention drama hurt the party’s candidate you are much, much younger than your Santa icon would lead one to believe. Or maybe politics is a late-life enthusiasm and you just never paid attention until recently
I'm 64, and have been an activity engaged voter since 1978—in the Pacific Northwest, New England, and Bay Area, where politics are immersive.
I know what a convention entails. It is messy. As is democracy. This isn't something to be feared or shunned. It should be embraced.
64 is the perfect age for a man! I will turn 64 in October. But I am afraid I cannot share your optimism about embracing the messiness of a brokered convention in the television age.
