Biden Drops Out of Race, Endorses Vice President Harris
Per letter posted to Xitter.
Update: A follow-up tweet endorsed Kamala.
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.
Harris accepts!
On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, surpassing the legacy of many Presidents who have served two terms in office.
It is a profound honor to serve as his Vice President, and I am deeply grateful to the President, Dr. Biden, and the entire Biden family. I first came to know President Biden through his son Beau. We were friends from our days working together as Attorneys General of our home states. As we worked together, Beau would tell me stories about his Dad. The kind of father—and the kind of man—he was. And the qualities Beau revered in his father are the same qualities, the same values, I have seen every single day in Joe’s leadership as President: His honesty and integrity. His big heart and commitment to his faith and his family. And his love of our country and the American people.
With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else.
I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.
We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.
President Biden is a great public servant who knows better than anyone what it takes to defeat Donald Trump. His remarkable work to lower prescription drug costs, fix the damn roads, bring supply chains home, address climate change, and ensure America’s global leadership over decades will go down in history. My job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising families’ costs, banning abortion nationwide, and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan. [my emphasis]
For my entire life, I’ve looked at my dad in awe. How could he suffer so much heartache and yet give so much of whatever remained of his heart to others?
Not only in the policies he passed, but in the individual lives he’s touched.
Over a life time I have witnessed him absorb the pain of countless everyday Americans who he’s given his personal phone number to, because he wanted them to call him when they were hurting. When their last hopes were slipping through their hands.
That unconditional love has been his North Star as a President, and as a parent. He is unique in public life today, in that there is no distance between Joe Biden the man and Joe Biden the public servant of the last 54 years.
I’m so lucky every night I get to tell him I love him, and to thank him. I ask all Americans to join me tonight in doing the same.
Thank you, Mr. President. I love you, Dad.
Endorsements:
The Clintons
John Kerry
Josh Shapiro
Chris Coons
Mark Warner
Tim Kaine
Elizabeth Warren
Adam Schiff
Jon Ossoff
Tammy Baldwin
Mazie Hirono
Steny Hoyer
James Clyburn
Pramala Jayapal
Jamie Raskin
Eric Swalwell
Lucy McBath
Dan Kildee
Annie Kuster
Ilhan Omar
Cori Bush
Deborah Ross
Summer Lee
Katie Porter
Tish James
Keith Ellison
Gabrielle Giffords
Alex Soros
Not endorsing:
Nancy Pelosi
Obama
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Thank you.
Why would he announce this on Twitter?
Here it is re-reported from CNBC:
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/21/biden-to-drop-out-of-2024-presidential-race.html
The source of the CNBC article:
A critical reason the Biden campaign used the former Twitter: many Black Democratic voters still use that social media platform because newer federated alternatives do not yet offer the same tools. So long as a critical mass of Black Democratic voters remain on the dead bird app, the platform retains the network effect for those users.
dear god. now what.
[yoda]”Begins, the clusterf**k does.”[/yoda] The mob that ran him out has no plan for what to do, and this is what the moneybags behind it all wanted all along. Fascism is very good for plutocrats…
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Seems to me that the Rs are the only party with an old candidate suffering from pre-Alzheimers. Trump’s father Fred, died from Alzheimers – an inherited disease.
MAGAts will attack Kamala’s blackness and womanhood, without a doubt.
Prior to Kamala becoming VP, she was very fiery. I suspect ol’ Joe tamped-down on Kamala’s fire. I look forward to Kamala’s flame reigniting and torching Trump and his MAGAt cult.
After all, who better to remind Americans everyday that there is a convicted criminal, adjudicated sexual assaulter, adjudicated business fraudster at the top of the R ticket, than a former prosecutor?
Being a woman, Kamala can remind women voters, daily, what is at stake for them with Project 2025 and another four years of MAGAt policies.
It is my hope that Kamala carries Joe’s plans forward for the country and for the recently announced SCOTUS reforms. Kamala needs to implore Americans to give her a Congress to carry these plans forward.
If the MAGA tribe members want to go after Harris for being a person of color and a woman, let them. It’s in their DNA and it will backfire on the very groups Convict-1 has been trying to reach out with his sneakers at other schlock.
Of some concern is how poorly Harris did during the 2020 campaign as a Presidential candidate. Much of that to me is about the machine and money, and the fact that she was a first-term Senator from CA and not well known. She’s been out and about more than most VPs and has the campaign machinery and bank behind her which she did not have in 2020. Whitmer’s endorsement removes a key potential rival and I should also observe that no one dared to challenge Biden in the primaries.
So, it will be up to the DNC and whether it still do the right thing. If I were completely cynical I would suspect a behind-the-scenes play by Newsome who really wants to be POTUS, has always been business friendly (on oil and water in CA, especially) and is devious enough to try it. Having him as VP is out (12th Amendment),
As VP, perhaps Inslee of WA.
I *love* Inslee. He used to be my Congressman, and when I took a trip to DC to lobby for trans rights back in 2006, he was the only one who would meet with me.
In a May 20, 2022 interview with Sophia Bollag of the SF Chronicle, Gov Newsom said he’d like to see a President Harris.
They share the same donor base and she got personally involved in fending off Huckabee and Gringrich’s “recall” campaign.
How has Governor Newsom been “devious”?
The DNC? These decisions are usually hashed out beforehand. If she has her way, Pelosi would never leave that sort of decision to chance.
If Newsom is on Nancy’s shortlist, so is Schiff. Whitmer? Maybe. One thing Pelosi is better at than anyone else is counting votes. But she seems to put her thumb on the scale for conservative establishment types.
She will have a lock on the Hollywood celeb crowd, with her spouse a former IP lawyer there. Clooney will contribute. Time and money.
Inslee is a good VP choice, but not ours to make. Besides having a stable family situation, former jock, he is available without creating a vacancy, as other choices could. No link, but I recall he’s hit the term limit for Gov of Washington. Finishing his second term.
To Clare, it is not what Newsome says but what Governor Goodhair does (remember he used to be married to Kim Guilfoyle before he was busted for an affair). Stuff like the French Laundry, the repeated attempts to resurrect the Peripheral Canal by whatever name it is called now, the vetoing of accountability legislation for Big Ag and Big Oil, letting PG&E get away with murder, among many others. I stand by my assessment.
Yes Jay Inslee is termed-out as governor of the state of Washington. He would make an excellent VP.
In 2013, Jay Inslee became the 23rd Governor of the US state of Washington. Before becoming the governor, he was a United States Congressman in the House of Representatives for more than 20 years.
Inslee graduated from the University of Washington and Willamette University College of Law. A politically active student, he became a criminal prosecutor after graduation.
Jay Inslee was regional director for the United States Department of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton.
Inslee centered his previous presidential campaign around climate change and other environmental issues. His policy positions included transitioning the United States completely to zero-emission renewable energy by 2035, and investing in the creation of a clean energy economy and additional jobs. Inslee is also pro-STEM in education. Jay has also pushed for more equal access to education for disadvantaged populations, such as undocumented immigrants, DREAMers, and incarcerated folks. Jay pushed for large investments in mental health programs, universal preschool through age four, free or reduced college tuition, reflecting the principles of the College Grant Program he implemented in Washington state.
Inslee is pro-woman, pro-LGBTQIA+, pro-environment, pro-science.
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We are going to defeat trump.
“We are going to defeat trump.”
Hear hear!
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Yes we are! We are going to attack the old man who is showing clear signs of dementia. Who calls our beloved USA a third world country. A guy who treats women like dirt and has taken away their bodily rights and wants to take away them nationally. A creep who wants to force women stay in abusive marriages. A old man who cuddles up with our enemies, Putin, Orban and Xi. Trump is a loser for the USA. Harris will make a great president and will prosecute her criminal adversary.
“…and will prosecute her criminal adversary.”
You should have stopped typing at “president.”
Harris is not a would-be fascist dictator and most certainly would not and should not prosecute anyone as president.
Trump, on the other hand, would engage in something like you describe without compunction.
Biden Drops Out of Race, Scrambling the Campaign for the White House
The president’s withdrawal under pressure from fellow Democrats after a disastrous debate cleared the way for a new nominee to take on former President Donald J. Trump in the fall. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/21/us/politics/biden-drops-out.html
Peter Baker July 21, 2024, 1:56 p.m. ET
BIDEN endorsed HARRIS.
Dems don’t have to find a new candidate for President.
Exactly this. And if there’s any resistance, especially if it’s identified as coming primarily from big donors, to Harris heading the ticket, then the whole Dump Biden movement (thanks, NYT) will be revealed as nothing more than a charade designed to advance Trump.
Primary voters voted for a ticket, knowing full well Harris might be called upon at any time to step up. She is more than qualified to do so. If those big donors don’t like her, that probably should speak in her favor to the rest of us. And the party needs to get it together *now* if we don’t want to see a fascist landslide in November.
Agree completely – they will show their hand if they don’t give full support.
Exactly. Harris is more than qualified to be president, and she will be able to run an energetic campaign and run rhetorical rings around Trump. I think that the party will coalesce quickly behind her and the running mate she selects, especially given that she has Biden’s endorsement.
Most of the big donors will probably come around, and as for those who refuse to support the ticket? It’s safe to ignore them.
I can’t remember who I voted for in the 2020 Democratic primary, but it wasn’t Biden. I think either Harris or Warren. But I sure voted for Biden in the 2020 general and again in the 2024 Democratic primary, knowing that Harris was Right There.
You bet I’ll vote for Harris in the general election.
Yes, thank you.
The fitting response to President Biden’s selfless act of true leadership is to nominate his VP who he has endorsed. If the California delegation agrees with that proposal Kamala Harris will probably be the nominee. Newsom is the key endorsement.
Warren, Shapiro, and many more going in on Harris, which covers most of the names I’ve seen floated. Digby posted Aaron Sorkin’s take where he wasn’t joking about a mini-primary, but with no candidates or organization or bylaws to support it this is a dead letter.
I also saw a report that Manchin is threatening to re-register as a D to run for POTUS, but no Ds will support a turncoat as bad as Lieberman now. Give it up, Manchin.
Dems would be committing party suicide if she’s not universally acclaimed as the natural successor. She has the say on ticket second spot, and can shop/audition. If not already arranged. This announcement did not come out until pieces were put in place. The VP selection may already be known among Inner Party Dems.
Now there is only one old man running for president. I wonder if the press will notice?
I wouldn’t bet on it. The stories you want to see do not generate the revenue they want.
Exactly. I’d been thinking of that very thing last night, thinking “What if?” Biden decides to hang it up.
No time for dissension.
Attack, attack, attack!
Make it all about Trump every hour of every day.
We can do this. She’ll have energy. And will get women fired up and ready to reclaim their lost rights.
The 4th estate needs to be burned to the ground and allowed to reform from its ashes.
When the best actual reporting is being done by what are essentially blogs and newsletters, they’ve jumped the shark.
Sad for me. I hope Joe chose this, and was not coerced. And I hope the dems don’t flub it all up going forward.
It seems to me he was coerced. How can he hope to motivate voters when senior members of his party are calling for him to drop out. The public rather than private expressions of concern make it coercion.
I’m sure he’ll explain himself when he thinks time is right.
Just heard Joe Scarborough say his “sources” say some top dems want an open nomination process. I hope not.
I think Whitmer would be a terrific running mate. Just do it, and hit the ground running. I think America is ready for 2 strong, well qualified and determined ladies.
I am a fan of Janet Yellen. Not exactly the obvious choice, but I think she would be a terrific president.
Of course they do. Some of them may be racist/misogynists who never wanted her in the first place.
Joe took the age thing off the table. Now, it’s up to Democrats to stop their circular firing squad, settle on Kamala, fight over the VP slot, and get the job done. Their convention starts within weeks.
earlofhuntingdon
July 21, 2024 at 2:39 pm
Harris is the only logical choice. She’s already been vetted. The Biden/Harris campaign has the infrastructure already in place. Seeing as how she already holds the office one step down from the top, Biden can allow her to take a more prominent lead in any situations that may occur. Only question is, who takes the VP slot?
Not necessarily coerced. Joe’s been in politics for more than fifty years. He knows what a headwind is and what he’ll do about it.
He’s in his eighties. He has Covid, not for the first time. With the necessary campaigning, he could have had it again before his second inauguration. Unlike Trump, he doesn’t intend to die in office. Like Jimmy Carter, he’d like to live a long time yet and enjoy the fruits of his labor. He’s committed to being a good president, but he doesn’t need it to satisfy his life – or to stay out of prison.
AFAIC all this stuff is speculative now. I’d guess he’s going to get back to work, do his job, and do his best not to be a distraction. Sometime after I expect he will explain, after everything else is settled.
I agree. Seems to me acted in what he saw was his best interest and the best interest of the country. A good leader who is still president.
Unlike Trump, Biden doesn’t NEED to die in office …
Coerced or convinced, it doesn’t really matter either way. It’s simple: politics isn’t about reality, but the perception of reality. And the overwhelming perception of Joe Biden since the debate was irreversible. This is the only way a path to victory can begin. I wish we could have had a proper primary before this, and we can debate how much of Biden’s situation was downplayed and hidden the last few years, but the debate changed everything. This had to happen to get off defense and back on offense. There was no other way to change that dynamic. And if the democrats are on defense this campaign and Trump is on offense, there is no way to win.
An hour ago it was reported that the state party chairs in ALL the battleground states sent a letter expressing full support of Biden.
Wasn’t there anyone in the inner circle able to ask them to hold on, or did they release it in secret? And how furious are they right now?
Replying to self on the first question: the staff didn’t know until 1:45.
Why the hell would they be “furious”?
You can’t do that without telling them why. In this context, if you hedge or say nothing, you enable a feeding frenzy of conjecture.
A feeding frenzy of conjecture is what got Biden out. And giving simple clear answers isn’t going to stop it now, but once the press notices that no one of any stature is going to challenge Harris they’ll move on to the VP pick. Though they will fan the spark of hope for an “open” convention as long as possible, then longer to make sure.
The only news outlet reporting this, that I can see, is USA Today which wrote:
“In a joint open letter to Democrats obtained by USA TODAY, the party chairs argued Democrats have a unified message of “freedom, democracy, and an economy that works for working people” that can beat Trump’s “MAGA threat of abortion bans, dictatorship, and giveaways to billionaires.”
“But right now, many voters aren’t hearing that from our party. We understand the anxiety. But the best antidote to political anxiety is taking action,” they wrote in the letter. “When we all lend our voices to contrasting the Democratic vision — from Biden-Harris straight down the ticket — with the MAGA nightmare, we win.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/21/dem-party-chairs-in-7-key-swing-states-reaffirm-support-for-biden/74486033007/
I’ve looked for a copy of the letter itself and have yet to find one.
IMHO, that’s a “unity” message.
I see no reason they would have to be “furious”.
Saw it in WaPo which has a copy.
I agree, “furious” was a personal over-reaction.
Link, please?
It’s in their Live Updates feed. I can’t see a deeplink. The letter itself is on Google docs but I guess the server seems to be refusing to accept even a broken link.
Baker/ NYT has the same single source:
Timing seems really odd too.
Why? This is Joe Biden. He made the announcement when he made the decision. He’s in his eighties, he’s exhausted, on drugs for Covid, and continues to do the job of being president.
Interesting conundrum. For a host of reasons, Harris should remain VP until the next president is inaugurated. So, who will ceremoniously count the electoral votes next time around?
she will still be Vice P until 1/21/25
And so (hopefully) ceremonially presiding over the counting of the electoral votes for herself. And thereby remove the exclusivity of the Trump’s reputation as a “norm-breaker”.
I just said that.
Remember that it was Pence last time so it will be Harris this time.
My point was that it is not normally legitimate to be a judge in your own case – or election. She could defer to the president pro tempore, assuming it’s a reliable Democrat.
I’m too young to have paid attention in 1988 but didn’t George H. W. Bush count the votes for himself back then? Or did he pass that ceremonial duty on to someone else?
JonathanW
July 21, 2024 at 4:50 pm
Yes
JANUARY 4, 1989
Electoral College Ballot Count
The House of Representatives and the Senate met in Joint Session to count the electoral college votes. Vice President George Bush presides over the session. After the state by state reading of the electoral votes, he announces the election of George Bush as president.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?5587-1/electoral-college-ballot-count
I assume he is not healthy and wants to concentrate on getting better.
Well, thanks aholes for stealing my vote.
THIS!
Yes!
With this supreme court, it’s not the last. I hope I’m wrong.
The DNC didn’t give me much of a vote. It was Joe Biden or no one. A real primary, one with choices, would have been good for everyone.
No time, no framework, no serious candidates but the one, a big waste of money in any case. Some things are unprecedented for a reason.
See update: Biden endorsed Harris.
Now what?
A shocker, but not a surprise. I suppose from a Democratic Party strategy perspective, there are some pluses (other than what has been widely talked about). I can imagine the huge amount of propaganda the Republican Party has been preparing against Biden. Now they are faced with…unknown. A Democratic strategy in itself, I assume.
Meanwhile, Biden can focus on the rest of his term and make important use of that time.
Repubs have been honing their messaging for this. I expect right wing media to flood their airways with whatever nausea they choose. When this possibility first surfaced about a week ago, I heard a bunch of them say she is “nothing but a DEI hire”.
I think the DEI quote came from Sebastian Gorka. IIRC.
Yes, he was one of them. Don’t recall where I saw it, but there was split screen with about 6 (including Gorka) saying exact same thing. They tend to sing from the same hymnal.
My prediction is that the sexist and racist bullshit that the Republicans will unleash (Trump, for one, will be unable to help himself) will repulse the independent voters he needs to win, especially with another misogynistic jerk like Vance on the ticket. And it will fire up Democratic enthusiasm.
But it will also be very effective in firing up the MAGA base. And I don’t necessarily have as high an opinion of independent swing voters as you seem to. I think they include plenty of moderate-conservatives liable to be turned off, if maybe subconsciously, by a woman of color at the top of the ticket.
Then again, a black man named “Barack” won handily twice, once against John McCain. I’m still amazed that happened. So what do I know?
Good move by Joe
I want a women President and Kamala will eat Trump alive on the debate floor.
here we fucking go…. at least this isn’t what the tRumpians wanted.
I don’t know you say that. The Heritage Foundation had already begun lawfare prep in the event Biden dropped out of the race.
Yes, that was apparent from several of the speeches.
i just think they wanted Biden more than anyone else.
Well there’s the the vast array of evidence showing years of investment in ratfucking Biden by every conceivable method to prove their commitment to such preference.
I was actually in favor of this until I saw who was pushing for it. If they bypass vp harris I’m going to be doubly suspicious.
It sounds like Newsom is launching a bid, but it also seems like Kamala will seal things up before that gets too far.
Newsom is a shiny new ball.
Young, male, white – going in order there of what the media wants, and it’s a guess – some donors too
Beware, in other words – if they did it once, the media will do it again.
Kamala polls better than Gavin by double-digits.
Sounds like? Where? Gavin is dumb, but hes not so dumb he would preside over the Jonestowning of the Democratic Party. A story on SFGate puts him in the race because he didn’t endore Harris before Biden did. Pretty weak.
While I would not have chosen this option I take comfort knowing the voting public has been well primed to reject the “too old” candidate.
Also, I’m terrified.
Doesn’t really seem like the media notices Trump’s age or the demented shit that he manages to slur out.
If the Dems had the ability to cynically broadcast an earworm and feign outrage at the media like R’s did, Trump’s age and cognitive ability would be the main story from now until election day.
But they don’t
Happy for President Biden and his family. They get to step out of the target-zone.
Wonder if he would consider serving as VP another time around? /s
Bittersweet. I feel for President Biden having to make this decision. He had accomplished so much in one term.
Joe BIDEN, a Team Player and True Patriot.
Yes. And a caring and compassionate man.
Since the debate, watching dems suck the air from under his wings has been, for me, hard to watch. I worried with all Joe had on his plate at work, and now with covid, how he keeps energized with 1000 pissed off ankle biting Chihuahuas chirping and nipping at his heels.
They have allowed MAGA and right wing media to define Joe’s presidency in ugly terms. This stuff discourages me. I hope they can clean up their act for the stretch run. Especially after both Trump & JD’s convention speeches, this is first time in a good while I felt like this election is winnable.
I’ve wondered if the best move might be for Biden to resign, thereby making Harris the first female president. That should keep the press churning for months and squelch the Trump megaphone.
Hate to report strange bedfellows on this idea, but Mike Johnson just specifically called for the same (this is from BBC News website live feed):
“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to serve as president,” the Republican writes on X.
“He must resign the office immediately,” Johnson adds, going on to say that polling day in the US election, 5 November, “cannot arrive soon enough”.
Who needs to hear that Mike Johnson is representing Donald Trump, not the House, his party, or the American people? He’s among the last people qualified to opine on who’s fit to be president. Next we’ll hear the same, orchestrated meme from Lindsey Graham. Ignore it.
Good luck with that Moses.
Not gonna happen. It’s not Joe. It’s not necessary. Naming a new VP would be an exhausting distraction. And because as President, Harris wouldn’t have as much time to campaign.
Yes. Good points.
And as Marcy has already pointed out, if Joe resigned as president, that puts a big target on Kamala’s back and puts Moses Mike next in line until a new VP can be chosen and sworn in. Not a good strategy. Plus, as President Biden, not candidate Biden, Joe can keep an eye on any election related shenanigans that Trump is sure to orchestrate.
reply tp christopher Rocco:
Exactly right. She will certify her own win. No shenanigans will be accepted from republicans, but they will try. There will be a fierce post election fight when she wins…..and traitor Trump loses.
I prefer ‘Weasel Johnson’ to any other moniker. The little bastard is the epitome of ‘dickishness’. He has zero ‘redeeming qualities’.
Thank you, Mr. President, for your extraordinary accomplishments! You have actually caused me to get all choked up with some tears. Nobody else but you, Joe Biden, could have done what you have done. I am so proud of you.
I said a prayer last night before I went to bed, something I very, very rarely do. I prayed for you and your family and for the well being of the nation and the world.
The primary reason I have been participating in Marcy’s blog is because of a terrible nightmare I had as a young child. In my nightmare the USA had become a place of fascists who committed horrifying cruelties. My whole life, in my small way, I’ve tried to warn and fight against that and to promote democracy.
I believe you will have a very honored place in history throughout time. Thank you so much. I agree with you, too. We can do this together. You have done so much to make us stronger.
Thank you for sharing (genuinely!) your thoughtful, personal post.
Perfect – I could not have said it better. Thank you!
Thank you for your message straight from the heart. I love what you have always brought to this blog, and have never said as much before. And here is another wonderful contribution to this special community.
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President Biden has been the most effective president since I started voting in 1972. His successes and his agenda need to be front and center in the campaign.
I would love to see a Biden/Harris/?VP team branding, with Biden positioned as being a “Senior Policy Advisor” to the new team. I would love seeing him out getting the praise and love he deserves from adoring crowds.
From a VP choice I have seen Mark Kelly’s name mentioned. I do not know exactly where he is on the liberal-moderate spectrum but I think he has some pluses for balancing the ticket.
Swing state with Democrat governor to fill the seat until a special election.
Astronaut
Air force
Can talk about Gun Violence and it’s impact on families.
In any event time to roll up the sleeves and get to work!
Yes, and now he’s up there with George Washington as preserver of democracy — assuming we win, of course, but the narrative should be pushed now.
The VP pick should be invigorating as well. Pete Buttigieg comes to mind, but Mark Kelly might be good too if that senate seat isn’t too vulnerable. The biggest thing now is to make sure all the big $ people hear loudly and clearly that no one but Kamala at the top is acceptable. This is not the time for trying to get our dream candidates into the fray.
https://unitedforharris.com/
As mentioned by an above poster, I’m also a fan of Inslee. I supported him in the run-up to 2020, and, unfortunately, he was the ‘best candidate that nobody ever heard of’. His one fault, in today’s political climate, is that he isn’t a ‘showboater’, but he’s faultlessly progressive, smart as hell, and he’d take Vance apart in any debate.
But I’m not the one that chooses.
A few weeks ago a media outlet was trying to “gotcha” Senator Stabanow regarding Joe Biden’s age/ dropping out, and resorted to shouting ‘but what if it was for Harris/Whitmer?’
To which she spontaneously replied ‘wouldn’t that be something!’
A powerful female ticket might be the ticket needed to shake up the old boy network.
That would be something.
MsJennyMD wrote:
“That would be something.”
I freely admit that when I heard her say that while moving off camera, I repeated her words with a positive, emphatic profanity attached.
[If Joe Biden were to succumb to the pressure campaign]
Wow. I was hoping he’d stay in, but once he got covid, more knives came out. Oh, well… I’m voting for Harris.
Me, too.
Me too.
Me three!
I am sad to see the Irishman go.
I like Joe Biden and would have supported him.
But the age issue had become baked in after the debate. Unfairly.
I hope that the big donors and senior Democratic elected officials have a ticket in mind.
And I laugh at how much time, energy, and money Trumplicans have wasted pursuing Biden. Waiting until after the convention was great tactically.
NYTimes has exacted its pound of flesh from Biden. Now let’s hear it banging the drum to get the “unfit” Trump to withdraw.
And I laugh at how much time, energy, and money Trumplicans have wasted pursuing Biden. Waiting until after the convention was great tactically.
That’s a good point!
Agree 100% that it was baked in. It’s a rare person in their 80s who remains strong and robust enough to work a full time job. Biden gave enough plain evidence that he was not one of those rare individuals.
It seems to me that what was sapping Biden’s strength was trying to work TWO full time jobs – being President and campaigning.
I’m not happy he withdrew, but I think that having him devote his attention to governing will be good for the country.
I’m even more afraid than before, but I will certainly vote (and work) for Kamala.
We do NOT want Trump out. He is a much easier candidate to beat than a younger fascist.
That statement almost had me rolling on the floor. :) Evokes silliness of a “Know your fascists” category in a game show.
Trump is the feral instinct fascist,
JD Vance is the zealous noviciate fascist
Harris-(B) Obama 2024?
Harris-Cheney 2024???
Harris-Whitmer 2024?
Harris-Shapiro 2024?
Harris-??????? 2024?
Roy Cooper (Governor of NC) or Andy Beshear (Governor of KY) would both be great choices. Choosing Obama would almost be worth it to watch Republicans’ heads explode, but it could potentially put a Republican Speaker of the House in line to become president.
I don’t think Barack Obama as VP would advance Johnson or whoever is Speaker in the line of succession. The 22nd Amendment precludes an individual from being *elected* President more than twice (once if they served more than two years of another’s term). The 24th Amendment says that if the Presidency become vacant, the VP “shall” become Preisdent.
You’re right. Thanks for the correction.
Please stop. WTF would Barack Obama want this? WTF would Harris want to be overshadowed and second guessed with a former president as VP? Michelle Obama would be a different kettle of fish. She has significantly more experience than Vance, but no time in govt. So that should be a non-starter.
And with this Supreme Court, why would you invite lengthy litigation about the ability of the VP to assume the office?
Lots of good D governors, but don’t overlook Jay Inslee of WA who quietly has managed his state well without the drama in OR or CA even with all of the nuts in the Palouse coming over from Idaho. I think he’s termed out as well so unlike Shapiro or Whitmer the Ds would not be trying to backfill a recent hard-won office of great importance. Whitmer or Shapiro should stay where they are.
While discussing female options, why not Jennifer Granholm (also of MI) who also has Cabinet experience?
I believe she was born in Canada and is ineligible.
She was born in Canada.
Inslee for sure is a class act. Maybe presidential in the future.
But if my phone rings and Kamala is on the other end, I’ll tell her I’m a Whitmer guy all the way!!! Aside from being smart/intelligent/classy with great track record, she is battle tested. I think going against these MAGA goons, that counts for an awful lot.
Pity about Granholm, but IIRC the GOP was all hot and bothered to carve out an exception for Calgary Ted Cruz back in the day so their hands aren’t clean on that topic either. However, there is no way the current SCOTUS majority lets that happen.
Even if Granhom were eligible to run, she has a lot of baggage (deserved or not) from her time as Governor. Whitmer would be a better choice.
WA state doesn’t have term limits. Jay Inslee could have run for a 4th term for governor; he just chose not to (and, to be sure, I don’t know of anybody who’s done 4 terms as governor). Though even the 3rd term was a bit unprecedented; I think the pandemic was most of the reason he did that.
He’d be great as President, but you may recall he did actually run and nobody noticed. Not exactly the most exciting as a candidate (not I that actually want exciting, but I do want someone who can win).
I hate to pull sitting Dem governors out of red states before they are forced out by term limits — no telling who would replace them.
Roy Cooper from NC. He’s term limited. 67yrs, white man. 4 time AG and good relationship with Harris, 2 term gov, has never lost an election. Has been dealing with NC MAGA GOP who stripped power from governor before he took office. Has won in NC with Trump took the state. Worked w/ MAGA GOP to get Medicaid expansion. Well liked and would put NC in play big time.
We should not be poaching good Dems from swing states. Inslee
Wouldn’t bring any EC votes to the ticket.
Cooper also has unfortunately low profile nationally. He may help win his state but he won’t provide much boost for the rest of the US.
Buttigieg?
His performance in the job and as a communicator warrants a look, and it would be a daring choice. I suspect the DNC’s political calculation will be that this election will be too close to add more GGG factors into the MAGA message. Also, Buttigieg has not been as ‘deferential’ to big business as they would like so like Biden became a problem for big donors for actually making them pay their taxes (the NERVE!! Harrumph!), Pete would be as well.
On a side note, I wonder how Sulz is gloating right now.
Not this time.
The ticket would be too progressive: black female POTUS + gay white married guy
Kamala + a seasoned white guy = Middle America can handle that
Jamie Raskin.
Oh, I like that idea! I don’t want to lose my governor, Shapiro
While decrying all the malarkey to push Biden into the position of stepping aside, it seems to me the the focus now for the Democratic Party and all pro-democracy activists should be unity behind Harris as the presumptive candidate. Further infighting would be to give aid and comfort to a political opponent who is wholly unfit for office and unworthy of any assistance, and a clear and present danger to democracy.
The Harris ticket is going to face the worst that the racist misogynists in MAGA world can manufacture and throw at her. The pro-democracy forces need to be 100% behind her. The pro-democracy movement cannot afford the distractions of infighting over the ticket, nor over who did what to whom to get to this position, or bitterness over who betrayed Biden.
Yes, Trump and his henchmen will not be able to help themselves in using the worst racial and misogynists directed towards Harris. This will hopefully completely turn off any suburban voters who may have doubts about who Trump is and what he stands for.
I note that Harris has made a statement that she “plans to earn and win the nomination”
And while it may be a matter of Democratic Party rules and inner democracy that she is not technically the presumptive nominee, and astute of Harris to expressly acknowledge that process, IMHO it would be a disservice to their Party and to democracy for there to be any displays of divisiveness and a prolonged period of uncertainty to resolve any questions over Harris as candidate.
Their racism is going to cut both ways, now that Vance is on the R ticket with his Indian immigrant wife. It’s going to be a bit tricky to swing the racism bat at Kamala without smacking JD on the backswing AND the follow-through. Are they that smart, and is the public that stupid?
Usha Vance was born in the US. Her parents are immigrants.
That hasn’t slowed the far-right fringe down a bit. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/18/rnc-convention-usha-vance-maga-attacks/
Oh, I KNOW it…
I, too am an American born [citizen] child of immigrant parents.
These FVCKERS are coming after US.
I think of J.D.V. as choosing to ride the face-eating tiger.
Made me sad at first, but there are very few downsides. The major upside is as Biden himself says, that he can just work (not work and campaign) for the next 6 months. I also think that this takes away some oxygen from his opponent. Trump has been campaigning exclusively against Biden for five years. If the Democrats do decide to hold an open nomination in September, that’s an entire month+ where Trump is not campaigning against any-one. He’s just the old man yelling at the clouds.
An open nomination is a terrible idea. It should be Kamala, period.
100% agree. Now is the time for complete Democrat Unity. We must defeat Trump and Republicans.
One of first things I did after the new broke, was contacting my federal reps and expressing that sentiment strongly.
Sometimes things happen that you aren’t quite sure how you feel about them until they happen.
This is one of those things.
Reading Biden’s letter he posted, I find myself incensed that Biden has been publicly pushed out by the clamoring din of the media and big donors while giving Trump yet another free pass- the latest example as has been pointed out here is his lack of real health information following his almost assassination.
Now that it’s done it just feels like Dems have shot themselves in the foot.
If the Dems had just closed rank instead of freaking out and called media out on their favoring of Trump and their hyper focus on every little misstep of Biden at the expense of focusing on his accomplishments, with NATO for example, none of this would be happening.
I do not feel a sense of relief at all. Chaos is not a ladder Dems climb well.
Don’t do that.
Forward!
FiestyBlueBird-
Point well taken!
Took a break from the news for a few hours and feel much better that it seems like a good chunk of folks are lining up behind Harris. That makes me feel a little better.
There’s no time for a brokered convention and no war chest for anyone other than Harris.
Now I just need to see NYT STFU and bang the drum for Harris and to start treating Trump as the existential threat he is.
I understand your point of view, and sympathize with it to some extent, but I think you give the Dems too much agency for media decisions here. I think a lot of it is that the media, like all of us, want to feel as though they really make a difference, not just putting stuff out into the ether; this gave them a real, highly visible, opportunity to do so (whereas no amount of focus on Trump would cause him to withdraw.) And, TBF, if Biden is starting to fail mentally, that’s a real issue! It’s not even close to being the biggest one compared to Trump, but it’s not a non-issue either.
Now is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of their country by GOTV (well, the pro-Democratic vote) in swing states!!
I have seen no reason to think Biden is failing mentally.
He is not failing mentally.
Well, the Democrats and Republicans have caught the car they’ve been chasing. I can’t wait to see the brilliant plan the Democratic Party has devised over the last few weeks of calling for Biden to step down. I imagine it’s a Swiss watch…
Great comments all. Long time reader and love the comment section. Remember Marcy back in the early TPM days being a slayer in the comment section
The nominee has to be Harris. Did the dems shoot themselves in the foot? I don’t read t leaves but to me this has been a shitshow for sometime. I would vote for a ham sandwich for president over Trump and his side. Anyone who says different clearly has fundamentally different views on civil rights, liberty’s, executive power, human rights, environmental law, education, and fiscal responsibility than I do. Joe Biden has been a great president who inherited a shitty economy just like Obama did when he inherited GW. The GOP is an Ad Agency operation as a political party who lives and decides things from an emotional standpoint with a strong distaste for experts in their field.
Harris and whoever for VP has my vote, I hope Joe gets well, I hope Putin is stupid enough to try something between now and November as I am sure Europe
Is counting on it, I wish for both sexes to be represented equally under the law, go America.
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And it wasn’t Harris who pissed off the people who feel for the people in Gaza.
Be positive, people.
She will bring energy. And I doesn’t matter that maybe she would not have been my first choice had it been a clean slate primary where Biden early on decided to get out before primaries.
I believe this is winnable. Believe it.
This is winnable. I do believe it.
The problem is that Biden has gotten an astounding amount done as president, but doing all that AND running a campaign is very hard at 81. COVID was probably a sobering moment.
Now she can campaign 100%, while Biden gets the job done.
Intrigued by the comments about Obama being a VP – would that really be possible? Thought it was constitutionally prohibited…
I too think Harris can win against the old man Trump. She has already been hammering him and his party on women’s right, abortion, healthcare and climate change. She’s young, smart, knowledgeable and feisty. Trump is already hedging about debating her. He is afraid. He knows she will prosecute and convict him in a debate.
And she’s got everything the magat’s hate hate hate. She’s an intelligent, accomplished, mixed race Democratic female, married to a white Jew. The pops you hear are racist nazi heads exploding.
The vibe I always get from Harris is joy. I think she’s an upbeat and joyful person. Even when she is speaking seriously, it’s right there below the surface.
I think that’s why MAGAs hate her and make fun of her laugh. They can’t stand her joy because it makes them feel their own lack of it.
Nancy Pelosi has been pushing hard for this outcome. Who is she pushing for the ticket?
She should throw her hat in the ring. After all, she’s only 2-1/2 years older than Biden. /s
That will be a big reveal for sure. My rep Ro Khanna was stumping for Biden as recently as yesterday (which is a moral improvement for him) but also include Schiff and Zoe Lofgren from CA in that backing.
It really has to be Harris and any RWNM backlash will backfire with the groups Convict-1 needs to get back in the WH. The good thing is that neither they nor Convict-1 will STFU.
I would guess that Barack and Nancy are going to push for someone who is more corporatist and acceptable to the conservative wing of the party. Joe Manchin comes to mind.
The top of the ticket needs to be Harris. The bottom should be the 50/60 something year old white guy who can put JD in his place. My suggestion (which is probably a bad one) is Tim Ryan since he already knows Vance (and lost to him) – he ticks off the union credentials which will be helpful in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
OMG…he’s not even a Democrat!
Tim Ryan on the ticket would be an own goal, if ever there was one. There are plenty of ConservaDems to go round, they don’t need to draft a Republican. Frankly, naming a ConservaDem as VP would be just as much an own goal. Go big or go home, Dems.
Agree 100%.
Go big or go home, Dems.
Is there someone VP Harris and former President Obama could agree on as a VP nominee?
The usual question is what VP does Harris want on her ticket.
Dean Phillips.
Silly me! I thought Harris would get to pick her own Vice President.
Harris/Clinton 2024!
lol
Marcy, just wanted to say I love the picture you posted with this article on your main page. Really expresses the “picture is worth a 1000 words” thought in wonderful way. Captures everything hopeful about this moment, for both Joe and Kamala. Its things like that gives me confidence Kamala is ready.
It’s the one Biden used in his Twitter announce.
Ok, thx. It looks so very authentic. Authentic, describing people… one of my favorite words. Especially in this moment, handing off the baton.
Just returned from the Post Office where I ran into a Black member of our City Council. We exchanged pleasantries, and when he asked how I was, I said, “Upset! About Biden dropping out.” He agreed, but he said, we have to keep going ahead. I told him I had been wearing a Biden/Harris pin until a few moments before, and said I would have to throw it away. He replied, curiously, “not to do that just yet.” It made me wonder if this is a hint of what kind of surprises may yet be in store for us.
I am depressed beyond anything I could have imagined. My 1940’s PTSD is coming back, full force. When you are about to turn 84, it doesn’t take too much to send one into despair.
But, mostly, I am angry that the Oligarchy here and abroad has won the first round. The betrayal by the NY Times, especially rankles, because they did not expose Trump when he was running the first time, and they continue to glamorize him this time. A liberal newspaper? Hell, no! Just for revenge, I will still vote Democratic!
Magbeth please don’t tell me despair gets worse the older you get. I’m 75 & live in a red section of a blue state & married to a republican. I have set myself up for despair but I keep fighting it. I guess I need to fight harder. I always find growth within this comment section.
Even though I had come to believe that Biden stepping back was inevitable, it still makes me incredibly sad. He has been a great president, especially when considering the narrow majorities he had in the House and Senate. The infrastructure bill and the inflation reduction act have made very positive changes. I like Harris very much, and I hope the Democratic Party infighting can stop now…but I don’t expect it will. I saw that the Clintons have come forward to support Harris. It would be great if more influential Democrats would do the same. What happens in the next week or two will determine the direction of the country–and may have enormous impacts on my family and friends. I desperately hope Harris can lead us to a victory in November.
Agreed. Thank you for your succinct post!
ditto.
Harris in 2019:
with video: https://x.com/KamalaHarris/status/1197243216132804608
Looking forward to the debate.
Yes!!!
Yes. Prosecutor vs Felon.
Oh, that is wonderful. Thanks for posting it. But I honestly believe there will be no second presidential debate. TFG will do everything in his power to avoid a debate with Kamala.
[Moderator’s note: see your comment in this thread at 11:04 a.m. ET. /~Rayne]
Harris’s statement:
Note her emphasis on Beau. They were part of a mortgage settlement together, as AGs.
I hope that today’s announcement means that now Joe can enjoy National Ice Cream Day in some relative peace.
any bets on which white guy(s) will try to push Kamala to the back of the bus?
No, but there’s one white woman already doing so: Marianne Williamson. Apparently she’s calling for an open convention and hoping to snag a few delegates. Just for laughs.
As a politician, Marianne Williamson is a joke looking for a punchline.
As a comedian, Marianne Williamson is a punchline looking for a joke.
Newsom, for one. I doubt anyone else has the stomach to try.
“The California governor repeated that he would not run against Harris, standing by a comment he made last year that has new relevance after President Biden’s performance in the June presidential debate left many in the party calling for him to leave the race.”
Taryn Luna
LA Times
July 12, 2024 3 AM PT
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-07-12/as-kamala-harris-rises-gavin-newsoms-short-term-presidential-prospects-fall
Good if he sticks to that announcement.
Let’s think and write about qualifications. I think no one has been better prepared to be President than VP Harris.
…except maybe Joe Biden in 2020. Harris was my first choice in 2020 but I wasn’t disappointed when it was Biden either and he turned out to be a great President. And though this development in 2024 is bittersweet, fate and karma are being given a chance. I hope America is up to the challenge and does the right thing by electing her.
Or Hillary in 2016…
Exactly the same here. I loved fiery Kamala.
Joe Biden has done more for the American people in one term, than most POTUS’ in the past 60 years have done in two terms. Thank you for 53 years of service to American government Joe.
Amen!
I’m not going to pretend he really had a choice, and I don’t think it was wise to ‘change your horse midstream’ – but I wish the Democrats all the best, please make this work.
In my lifetime, the only president who surpasses Biden’s accomplishments is LBJ, who I hated at the time because of Vietnam.
Yes.
Did you know that Country Joe McDonald performed “Fixin’ To Die Rag” at the LBJ Presidential Library several years back?
YouTube has it. Maybe C-SPAN, too.
Anyway…I thought, “Now isn’t that something how time has a way of…healing a bit…” The whole 45 minutes I thought was worth the time — mostly interviewing Joe.
Sen Mark Kelly has endorsed Harris. They are close and he would make a stunning contrast to JD Vance. Harris has said that she intends to “earn and win” the nomination, and that is as it should be. Would be a big mistake for it to be a backroom deal. Let it be an open convention. These are all Biden delegates. Let Harris be the presumptive nominee going into the convention, see how it goes, and then pick her in an open process.
Would be much better for her. Whitmer and Shapiro have to be strong possibilities to win the blue wall.
Kelly needs to stay in the Senate. Shapiro was just elected, and wants to run in 2028. I think NC Gov. Cooper would be a good match. An older white guy from a swingy “southern” state who is well-liked and term-limited. Let’s not bundle our stars in this package.
There’s a lot to like about Cooper (except his Lt. Gov.) But how about this for someone else in the same age bracket:
Harris ‘n’ Whitehouse
Rhode Island’s motto is “Hope” and the state is reliably Democratic, so little worry about a replacement in the Senate.
Makes a repetitive statement, psychologically, as well. How’s that for PsyOps?! And Sheldon’s great.
If you take Kelly as VP it is very likely eventually going to cost the Dems a seat in the Senate as soon as a special election can be had here in AZ. That is not smart politics.
That is the downside, and it is a serious one. Without a majority in the Senate it will be very hard for Pres. Harris to accomplish anything.
If I’m reading the AZ legislature correctly, there’s no special election. So if Kelly was asked and he accepted to be VP, Hobbs would choose the next senator and that senator would be in place until the following general election (since any appointment would be less than 150 days for the next general election). It’s 16-222 of the Arizona Legislature rules.
That is bunk. Kelly, who originally took office via a special election, was reelected in 2022. So, absent yanking him from his seat, he will serve through 2028. Which means 2026 would indeed be a “special election”. There are better choices for Harris than Kelly.
Why the F *now* and not six months ago???
I actually think it’s okay.
It’s as okay as it can be.
I agree…but it’s nice to hear YOU say it!
LOL. :) A little agreement helps sometimes.
You all made me laugh. Tears in my eyes (I just found out.) There was wasn’t a reply tab in the jdmckay8 just yet, part of you all. It’s an honor to reply in this Harpie thread. Your incredible input is so very, very cool & appreciated. : )
I think Joe’s debate performance was so bad that he was forced to admit (to himself) that he could not reliably lead our country for four and a half more years. Such a demanding job, and I agree with his decision..
It’s not just about winning, but also about the ability to lead our country.
Additionally, his closest advisors probably saw his financial and political support crumble dramatically after the debate.
Realistically, Biden had no choice.
He’s been a great president, and Kamala is a very fine candidate, but I would prefer that Democratic voters weigh in on the choice of our candidate, rather than have that choice made by a very few powerful people.
There isn’t time for anyone else. Events set in motion when former President Obama took the nomination in 2008 have gotten us to this point. No one other than VP Harris can unite the party and win. She’s RFK and Humphrey simultaneously. The sooner Obama does the inevitable, the better.
Don’t let it bother you too much; there’s a guy with 34 felonies who never should’ve run in the first place.
Besides the “debate” disaster that started the avalanch of fear, the further back you push this decision the louder the calls for “primaries” to solicit the will of the people. You know, like Brexit.
I feel a lot better just reading through the comments here. I agree with Old Tulsa dude above that He’s the most effective president in my lifetime.
I believe that Joe Biden made this decision because he has come to think he hasn’t got the strength for four more years. He’s undergone enormous stress with the disaster in Gaza, the politically-driven attacks on Hunter, and now Covid.
I hope his voice strengthens and he uses it to humiliate Trump. He could start by repeating the inane garbage in Trump’s speeches. That would force the billionaire media to cover that lunacy.
“He’s the most effective president in my lifetime.” I agree. True that.
Downside of this – the media are emboldened.
Take good care of your nominee going forward.
Enough with the circular firing squad. No more Eyores. It’s time to vote. It’s time to get everyone you know to vote. It’s time to get folks you don’t know to vote. They want to eliminate everything from the New Deal forward. It’s unpopular. Stop fucking whining and fight.
I wish Democrats had been polled directly after Biden dropped out.
Pretty easy to do with modern technology.
It feels like the choice of candidates to face Trump and Vance has been taken away from the voters by a very few powerful people.
Ever since Joe got COVID around the 4th of July, polls have been conducted. America wanted Kamala to replace Joe – IF there was going to be a replacement.
Jim Clyburn is on board. We need him.
First, point to the published polls.
Second, America is not Democratic voters, most of which had already selected Biden-Harris in primaries.
AP-NORAC poll
Updated 3:04 AM PDT, July 19, 2024
https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-poll-biden-newsom-whitmer-7ef83e5c8e510e39d7c54f7e28310064
Yes, I understand that Dem voters voted for Biden-Harris. Harris will now be top of the ticket. Dem voters are still getting what they want…Harris.
This article cites an Economist/YouGov poll found 79% of Democrats would favor the change with four months to go before Americans elect the US’ next president.
https ://www. aa. com. tr/en/americas/nearly-4-in-5-democrats-approve-of-harris-replacing-biden-if-he-withdraws-poll/3279052
[Welcome back to emptywheel. Please use the SAME USERNAME and email address each time you comment so that community members get to know you. You attempted to publish this as “ca_rickf” which is likely a typo but damn it, one more comment I’ve had to manually edit and clear for you today. This trend needs to stop. /~Rayne]
I’ve “broken” the link with blank spaces so that readers do not accidentally click through to a goddamned Turkish website.
Find a credible source in the US which readers here can be reasonably sure isn’t a “pink slime” site.
Many, MANY Dems (just about everyone that I work with) did not want Joe Biden. I was alone in defending Joe. My co-workers were going to sit this one out, primarily because of Joe’s response to the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the slaughter of over 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Kamala’s response has got to be better than Joe’s on this issue.
In the Meantime
Proud of Harris in the meantime
Proud of Harris, such a pol
Proud of Harris
She’s a winner
And she’s civil
Proud of Harris,
She’s a stunner
She won’t shrivel
Proud of Harris, she’s so cogent
She’s so cogent, she’s so clear
Proud of Harris
Why, oh why, so proud of Harris
She’s smart and perseveres
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caExf8y_GVE
“I Love Paris – Paul Mauriat”
7/6/24
I just love how brilliantly you come up with these. What a great mind on so many levels.She should use this as her themesong it’s so perfect.
I’m hoping the instrumental version is played at the Olympics in Paris. Kamala speaks French, I think. It’s an uplifting song.
Related aside; I will be interested to see how having his father withdraw from the race affects Hunter Biden’s travails.
The press hopefully will be channeled, tomorrow, that the hot current news will be who is the VP pick. News that Biden is recovering from Covid. Coverage again of the Harris spouse and children. A cohesive family as with the GOP second ticket spot. Rudy being pursued by his earned judgment creditors.
Pile it on NYT, now that you’ve had your way with Joe Biden. Go with the flow.
When Harris is elected, think positively, her pardoning Hunter Biden will have no touch of nepotism. It will just be MOVE ON good sense. There will be prosecutions pending, which should be pushed.
Marcy, is it time now to again link to the NYT op-ed, Trump is unfit? Too old to rock and roll. Too impaired too many ways. Flotsam and jetsam on the sea of time.
Or just, Trump fails to remember how at a Heritage Foundation event he’d embraced Projectr 2025, and now it’s simply slipped his mind.
Since Democrats were already planning a “virtual roll call” for Biden, why not use that same technique ASAP to find who delegates prefer?
I do not like the idea that Kamala Harris is already the nominee without the consent of voting Democrats.
This is from before Biden withdrew:
https://apnews.com/article/ohio-ballot-biden-access-3bf359cce8e73714be45cb99a6e31546
People didn’t vote for just Biden, they voted for a Biden-Harris ticket. She’s currently the one candidate in the field people did actually vote for.
It is not possible to be more proud of or grateful for Joe Biden. The only way I know to express my appreciation is to work like hell for Kamala.
I hope this frees Biden to pull out all the stops for the next 6 months.
We cannot risk losing any Democratic Senators for VP. Congresswoman Debbie Dingle is a close personal friend of Gretchen Whitmer and reiterated again on MSNBC, that the Governor will not run for any office this year. My dream ticket would be Pete Buttigieg for VP, but we MUST win and the reality is, a female Black/Southeast Asian and gay male ticket is not a winning combination this year.
I think Andy Beshear, Gov of Kentucky, would present a very good geographic and demographic balance to the ticket. The swing states are problematic because of the shady things being done in the red states. They are passing laws that would enable them to overlook the legitimate electors. I do NOT want a repeat of the 2016 Clinton campaign.
We can do this, but we need to be very smart. And a bit ruthless.
Yes. This has been *very* much overlooked and under reported. On a semi regular basis I find myself wondering what would happen if they try and pull that stuff in a close election. I’d appreciate if a well connected commenter has some insight into this possible eventuality.
I’ve been reluctant to wade in the inane waters of predictions, especially since every podunk newspaper from here to Walla Walla, Washington has run a piece on why their local guy is “the one,” but Kamala could do worse than Andy.
For lack of a better way to put it, Beshear would “out-hillbilly” J.D. Vance even though Andy’s from Dawson Springs in Western Kentucky (relax y’all). Maybe, just maybe, he’d even put Kentucky in play for the Dems for the first time since ’96. After all, he did just win re-election despite downballot races being a disaster.
I like Roy Cooper of NC for the same reason, plus NC is a swing state, while Kentucky seems pretty red.
When picking a sitting official for a different slot, it’s always useful to remember how their replacement will be picked and who will do it.
Hmm, I thought Biden was going to stay in the race. Pretty disappointing to see him hounded out of the race like this, but if the Democrats quickly coalesce around Harris, she can spend the next 4 months touting this administration’s accomplishments and hammering home Trump’s many weaknesses. I think Harris would make a great president, and could get some real good done for U.S., unlike Trump who would be a disaster for everyone.
A month ago, Bill Kristol had a conversation with Anne Applebaum about Ukraine, Russia and the spread of autocracy around the world. About 41 mins in, Applebaum points out that Trump is the favored candidate of Russia and China because they think he will severely weaken the U.S. if he gets reelected. Within the Kremlin, Trump is discussed as “the American Gorbachev” — they think he will destroy the American system, or at least do plenty of damage to it, which benefits Russia.
I never heard that before. What a loaded statement, on soooo many levels. I get what they mean, but comparing Trump to Gorbachev? Geezus.
I was a huge admirer. I mourned his passing. It is one of US History’s greatest bungles that Reagan neglectfully executed in response to Perestroika. And the lack of curiosity in the west to understand just how Gorbachev pulled that off in such a dark, ruthless environment…
Gorby had offices in Golden Gate Park/SF. I was living across they bay at the time around ’95, went in there on a whim as a long time admirer, just hoping I could shake his hand. Ended up talking for a couple hours. Absolutely fascinating.
The more time goes by, the more detailed my understanding of how big a dolt Reagan really was, in just bout everything he did.
To today’s Kremlin types (and Putin especially), Gorbachev is the man who destroyed the Soviet Union. Putin believes the Soviet collapse was the worst thing that ever happened to Russia. Russia lost its empire and became just another country, which Putin (in his imagination) now tries to reverse by conquering Ukraine and other former Soviet states.
Its telling that they think Trump might be able to cause as much damage to the American system, as they think Gorbachev caused to Russia.
Whatever you might think of Bill Kristol, that whole conversation with Anne Applebaum about the spread of autocracy is good listening.
He also had a good one with Timothy Snyder a couple months ago about the Ukraine war and how important it is for American interests, that Russia not be allowed to win it. Which is more likely to happen if Trump regains office (and would probably be a long-term disaster for American interests, and those of its allies).
I get all that stuff about Putin & Russian sentiment about Gorbachev. I’ve know quite a few Russians who lived through Perestroika, and had friend who did business in Russia in succeeding years, all who had largely positive experiences. That continued until at least ’05.
They lost trust in the west, but particuarly US, because Reagan’s assistance amounted to little more than turning salivating US business persons loose building fast food restaurants on every corner in St. Petersberg and Moscow.
Russia badly needed infrastructure, especially rail to high productivity agricultural areas. Even if we did it pro-bono, it would have been tiny investment compared to the costs of cold war. All Reagan’s showmanship (“Tear down that wall”) was empty, chest beating, temporary political aggrandizing rhetoric.
It was totally ignorant of the future health of our relations and future international well being. Most Russians who lived through that will tell you this, but few bothered to inquire. Why bother, when ROI on MacDonald’s and Jack in the Box investment was soaring?
I know he won’t but I wish Joe would pardon Hunter Nov. 6th
I’m going to lobby hard that he should fire David Weiss, before the September trial.
These prosecutors have lied and lied.
It is worth doing. Under the bus. There will be screams. But Biden is President, and if he remains a lightning rod, so what? Heat on Biden now would be heat directed away from the nominee [presumably Harris]. Biden is indicating he can take the heat and will stay in the kitchen. Stoning him now will just look petty.
Official acts now have immunity.
I am frequently dumbstruck wondering why people working in US government on issues you cover do not make use of your services. I would think you’d be a expert consultant with more fascinating work than you have time for. I’m near certain this would’ve changed the trajectory of much, towards more truthful outcomes.
Oh YES! to you both!
As one politician once (wisely) said “All political careers end in failure”. Of one kind or another. And Joe Biden was honest and astute enough to recognise that in his case, he could no longer carry the electorate in the belief that he was sufficiently capable of four more years, and instead he chose to bow out gracefully, on his own terms. That deserves nothing but respect.
He has also endorsed his VP as candidate in his place. That warm recommendation should be good enough for anyone who until now placed their faith in Biden himself. Beware any siren voice claiming it is “Biden alone”. The man is much bigger than that, so take his good advice and follow through.
The Trumpistas are now busily gnashing their metaphorical pointy teeth, since they have overplayed their loaded hand. A phrase comes immediately to mind involving “hoist” and “petard”. And now these fake democrats are desperately looking for the rewind button. (There ain’t one, doncha know?! In politics least of all.) Their actions speak far louder than their false words.
What’s not to like? A feisty woman candidate will now take on Trump on the very ground the cultists are at their weakest: their long-planned ongoing erosion of women’s rights. (Among other things.) And as John Stone upthread anticipated, the more Trump attempts to belittle and smear her, the more ordinary non-cult women voters will see themselves where she stands, and realise that his Nemesis is truly at their hand.
I haven’t felt more optimistic about a Democrat win this November than in a long time.
Great comment!
I looked at Breitbart, will not be linking there, but they don’t know how to behave with any degree of restraint of the moment. Ghoulish, and couldn’t wait. The immediacy of it seems counterproductive, but it is in their DNA:
……………………………………
2:51 p.m. PT
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) announced on X that she will introduce a resolution tomorrow “condemning Kamala Harris’ role as Joe Biden’s ‘Border czar’ leading to the most catastrophic open border crisis in history.”
2:43 p.m. PT
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) announced on X that she will introduce a resolution calling on Harris “to invoke the 25th Amendment and assume the duties of acting President” because if Biden does not have the “cognitive ability to seek reelection, he does not have the cognitive ability to serve” as president.
12:19 p.m. PT
The Republican messaging is already turning to Harris. Donald Trump Jr. noted on X that Harris botched her major responsibility in the administration as Biden’s “border czar.”
The Make America Great Again PAC posted this ad to X.
…………………………….
Is anyone surprised? When a party itself pressues it’s leader to step aside – everyone believes it. There’s no half way or going back. Democrats themselves declared Biden unfit.
So that anything he dies from today onward, including his endorsement, his presidency- is viewed through that lens. Unfit..
Jan, you’ve become a regular here. Have you heard the Democrats who publish this blog declare Biden unfit?
Don’t use such a broad brush, especially here. And do NOT conflate the continuation of the insurrection demanding the overthrow of an elected administration by Republican morons like Stefanik and Mace with the most-white, mostly-male Democrats who opportunistically demand Biden step aside as a candidate. Their motives and aims were different.
https://bsky.app/profile/sethcotlar.bsky.social/post/3kxt5pkbnui2d
Jul 21, 2024 at 5:50 PM
Viktor ORBAN is an enemy of Soros.
https://bsky.app/profile/donmoyn.bsky.social/post/3kxt3yxeh222y
Jul 21, 2024 at 5:20 PM
Links to Media Matters:
Right-wing media resort to unhinged conspiracy theories after Biden announces he will not seek reelection Pro-Trump pundits and social media personalities suggest Biden’s decision was connected to the assassination attempt on Trump
07/21/24 5:12 PM EDT
Laura Loomer is also a Clarence [Insurrectionist Spouse] THOMAS former clerk.
I am worried about Joe Biden’s health. I hope he is actually ok, the covid, the stress of the job, everything else…
We are leaving in a bizarre twilight zone where competence and experience are tossed out.
Biden ends up dropping out of the race, while Trump is normalized.
The public bickering about Biden dropping out is was really disturbing to me. We knew Biden’s age four years ago, that was the time to have this discussion, not now.
Allan Lichtman predicted Biden would win in November elections.
I feel sad for Joe, his family, for all the people that supported him, voted for him, for all the qualified people in his administration.
But the sooner the passing of the torch is over, the better for everybody that wants to prevent fascism taking over America.
I would be happy to see Schumer and Dean Phillips on board for Harris. Have they released statements? I expect Bernie will take his time, and let Clyburn stew a bit.
Biden continuing as President keeps him responsible for dealing with Israel-Hamas-Gaza. Keeping Harris free from that thankless thicket.
I have nothing but admiration for President Biden today.
He saw his political career was going to end, took it like a grownup, and gave his party its best shot to quickly coalesce around VP Harris and exit the circular firing squad era.
It must have hurt like hell. But not the first really difficult thing for him to go through to serve the USA — fought through the stutter, through the loss of wife and kids, through the addiction of another kid, through being called all kinds of names by his allies (lately) and opponents (forever.)
Capstone on an impressive career of public service. Half a year to serve out his term as an effective President. Not a bad time for a steady pair of hands. He’ll be pretty good making deals with the rump Congress after the election, it’s the kind of thing he’s super good at.
God bless the USA and Joe Biden.
WTF. I hope they’re just being slow. Even Bill and Hillary Clinton get it.
I think there’s a practical reason neither Obama nor Pelosi have explicitly endorsed Harris at this moment. Given their “elder” statesperson(?) status, if they immediately endorsed Harris, it’d be seen as somehow bypassing democratic process. Basically, they don’t want to tip the scales in favor of someone who wasn’t officially voted for in a primary.
Most likely, they’re working behind the scenes, making sure all Dems are on board with Harris so that when the virtual roll call is completed after Aug 7, they can give a full-throated endorsement of Harris.
Doesn’t change anything for me; still voting for the candidate with fewer felonies.
I’m watching CBS News Special Report. They’re showing a tribute as if Biden died. WTF?
Biden will be.memory-holed by the media now that hes out of the horse race. They buried him, might as well hold a wake.
LOL.
Kamala is not only a great choice, but if she is bypassed the Dems would lose the votes of millions of black people and women and likely others and the Presidency.
I think and I hope that not being President will give Biden a well-deserved more peaceful life with his family and those close to him than he would have as President. (I am amazed though as how he was a hard-working President and seemed to still have time for his family and countless others.)
I hope Kamala chooses a white Christian male for her VP because that group for so long has been denied their fair share of the American dream.
I think Harris will be a great candidate/president. She was my first choice in the 2020 primaries. Of course, I voted for Biden in the general and think he’s been a great president and would vote for him again had he decided to keep running, but I must admit I feel this move will energize and unify the party. The MSM is definitely in the tank for Trump and the drip drip of every Biden misspeak for 4 months would be tough to overcome.
I can’t see any challenger getting anywhere. For VP I agree that Beshear or Cooper would bring the most to the ticket. Cooper helping to carry NC or Beshear’s success in a middle of the country red state bringing along some of the Midwestern suburbs. All in all, I think Biden did a statesmanlike thing and flipped the script on the Repubs and I thank him for it.
I wonder if this timing, after Trump was the official republican candidate and after he picked his vp, Pres. Biden had planned to hand his candidacy to Harris. If so, it was a very good move because the Repub’s can’t change their loser hateful candidates in response to running against a young moderate female opponent.
Trump’s cult would never replace him.
For the Allan Lichtman crowd –me included– , here’s his take, via (of all places) Fox “News”:
https://www.fox5dc.com/video/1488768
… and he still favors the Dems to win…
He’ll have an updated pronouncement at 9pm ET, on his YouTube site:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxvUPI1Bph4
Replying to Rugger_9
July 21, 2024 at 6:59 pm
Wrote:
‘Governor good hair’
Repeating a Republican X ‘hot take’ pretty much tells me everything I need to know, substantively.
Stay safe.
In my opinion, this is the most important part of Harris’s comments after Biden’s withdrawal announcement:
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
I interpret Harris’s comment quoted above to mean she’s been told that the DNC convention will be open and she will have to “earn and win the nomination.”
The Democrats have at least six candidates, besides Harris, who could win the nomination as president, or become the VP under Harris if Harris wins the nomination
The Democrats must focus on how to defeat Trump in the Electoral College vote by not letting Trump win Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin and Arizona.
Lastly, my friends and contacts in the California financial/business/tech industry have been mentioning Joe Manchin as an alternative to both Biden and Trump since the first Trump vs. Biden show last month.
Now that Biden is gone, having Manchin on the ticket might ensure that Trump is prevented from winning any of the states listed above, thus Trump loses the Electoral College vote.
Harris’s statement was astute and well crafted.
She doesn’t eschew an open convention nomination, but this statement does not expressly accept there needs to be an open convention.
It is also clear that she is, quite properly, seeking endorsement from the significant leaders and organisations which make up the party. And with a sufficient cohort of the Democratic Party in array behind her candidacy, would be challengers might adopt the better view.
It is greatly to be hoped that the party will coalesce around the only realistic candidate and that the convention will be an occasion for a display of unity.
I have real doubts that Manchin is capable of being either a unifying figure or an otherwise useful addition to the ticket.
Manchin is unacceptable as a running mate or anything else. Let him retire to his coal fortune, his Maserati, his yacht, his daughter’s pharmaceutical industry entanglements and leave us the F alone. He’s this generation’s Joe Lieberman. And Kyrsten Sinema’s role model, apparently. Just NO.
Manchin: forgot to mention him as a prime killer of filibuster repeal in the Senate at a crucial time.
With their advice about Joe Manchin as president, your “friends and contacts in the California financial/business/tech industry,” act more like a stereotypical Russian Internet bride-to-be, who’s more interested in your banking and credit information than marriage.
Joe Manchin has registered as Independent on May 31, 2024, as a statement on his official website of that day discloses. (I don’t give the source here, but it can be easily found on the senate.gov sites.)
The Post has a running list of politicians who’ve endorsed Harris:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2024/kamala-harris-endorsements/
So far, 147 endorsements vs. 1 calling for an open convention. They’re not tracking organizations, though there have been a number of those endorsing as well, like the United Farm Workers.
Tears, tears, & tears. Joe, Jill & family have more class in their working peoples hands, bodies & souls than all the wealth in this world. We are all blessed. The honor of such a great President. He will still be fighting with US. God Bless. Tears…
Thank you everybody for help making sense of a tumultuous event today. I received considerable comfort and clarity by spending most of my Sunday here.
Donations to Biden/Harris reached $47 million today as I write. She reached in one day what the richest man in the world has pledged as a monthly amount to the Republicans. I can’t wait to see a prosecutor take on a felon in the next debate.
I’m sad but it’s the right decision. I always told people I know I wish like hell he was 10 years younger.
Having known Jay for several years I’m certain he’d make a fantastic VP or President for that matter. Trudy is great, he’s been a well-established liberal voice for the disadvantaged and well vetted over the years. A huge climate advocate. I’m sure Patty Murray, D-WA, Chairperson of the Senate Appropriations Committee (uber powerful – probably the most powerful Senate chair) and Senate Pro-Tempore (3rd in line of succession) would support that pick.
The real question is can the Dems, having put the reelection into a flat spin with worse than useless messaging and a dodering candidate, manage to bungle this one too? They can remove Trump from the news cycle, pillory the con man whilst they’re at it and reenergize the anti-Trump crowd and indies who need to show up to pick the ticket off the Biden floor. I’m more optimistic now and I think Harris can communicate the necessary message – but she doesn’t have the bully pulpit Biden/his handlers refused to use, like fools.
We’ll see.
Good post! Agree with most of what you say, especially…
At this point, I hope everyone on Kamala’s team understands this campaign is not a dignified exchange of ideas. It is a street fight with a bunch of MAGA bullies who can’t tell the truth about anything. I hope they ditch the usual expert strategy folks who pull everything from dusty drawers full of strategy manuals. They need people present in the moment, not captured by the past.
I think a good start would be finally calling out Trump on the big lie. Something along lines of, somebody who loves this country doesn’t spend 4 years holding it hostage to the big lie. Be relentless. Demand they show the public evidence Trump “won (2020) by a lot.” Hit ’em hard, hit ’em often.
Don’t rely on just arguing issues. Hold a mirror in front of MAGA, exposing them for the frauds they are. Just since Joe’s announcement, a bunch of ’em are already WTF’ing themselves… which is exactly what happens when bullying cowards get found out. Fight MAGA first, then the issues.
Its a street fight. Expose the lies until all of ’em start WTF’ing themselves to death. Go for the jugular. My sense is Harris is built for this.
This. Twice. Right wing/“independent” complacency and petulance must be vigorously refuted/pummeled relentlessly.
Agree to a point but there’s absolutely no reason to “demand” evidence that doesn’t exist, nor would never be given coherently if it did. Just hammer TFG on the lies, don’t give him any room to make up more lies in response.
Unfortunately, I don’t know whether they’re capable of even rudimentary communication of ideas. The first thing they did with Obama, presumably the “closer”, was to provide a comparison video of him and Biden next to each other with Barrack ripping lines while Biden’s was cut and edited every five words because of his inability to complete a sentence. It made Biden look weak and subservient to the former prez and reinforced a visual the Republicans had been working years on. Stupefying.
I haven’t seen battle ground ads – I live in a safe dem area – but a quick glance at the polls tells me they’re not landing anything there either. I was stunned – stunned I tell you – in three minutes watching the debate. After the SOFTU speech I felt confident his handlers and media people had it well in hand and we’d see Biden wipe out Trump in the debate. They must have insider knowledge I thought that gave them confidence to CHALLENGE Trump and land the blow. I looked at my smart, college educated wife (a very typical voter) three minutes in and her mouth was agape. Literally slack jawed at what she was witnessing. He should have never been on stage.
It seems impossible to underestimate the incompetence of the democrat’s media and campaign management. They’ve already lost once to at the time obvious flim-flam man and it looks like they could very well lose to a CONVICTED and PROVEN beyond any doubt, con man, criminal and thief. It’s like Republicans could run Jeffery Dahmer and the dems would figure out a way to lose. Now that isn’t much of an exaggeration.
What you say about confidence exhibited in SOTU disappeared somehow. I haven’t seen any reasonable explanation about that.
I’m holed up in a hotel near my house, which is getting major interior updates. We watch very little TV at home, but had it on here all day since Biden made his big announcement. Now over $90m raised in less than 48 hrs, they say a record. A lot of people are reporting for duty.
Given all this, at least for me reason to be optimistic Kamela will build a capable team, including messaging. We’ll see. I think her keeping low key publicly right now shows some great maturity and smarts. So far so good.
I’m very concerned by this development. It seems like Democrats have fallen into a trap. Now the narrative is that concerns about Biden’s cognitive ability were correct, that he dropped out of the race because of his cognitive decline, and that Democratic leadership including Vice President Kamala Harris covered it up. Attack ads on this subject are already being run, and Mike Johnson has floated the idea of Congressional investigations into the supposed coverup. And that’s just the impact on the election itself, without getting into the calls for Biden’s immediate resignation or removal on the basis of his supposed incapacity.
I’m trying to understand why you are dropping MAGA “narrative” here, with ‘concern’.
Because I think Democratic leadership has fallen for a psyop, made a huge unforced error, and has now positioned things in such a way that Donald Trump is more likely to be elected, not less. For the next four months, you can be sure the GOP — both elected officials and talking heads — will be hammering the question of what Harris knew about Biden’s supposed decline and when she knew it. And from the actions of the media to date, I believe they are very likely to amplify that narrative, as they did the narrative around Biden’s supposed cognitive decline in the first place, driving the polls that led to him no longer seeking reelection. Actual medical evidence of the decline will no longer be needed, as his dropping out of the race is broadly being taken as tacit admission to that decline. I am concerned as Donald Trump’s reelection and the implementation of Project 2025 is literally an existential threat to myself and many of my loved ones, including my husband who is himself trans.
Again, “as his dropping out of the race is broadly being taken as tacit admission to that decline” is a MAGA narrative.
In terms of GOTV, see: Dobbs, among many issues.
The GOP/MAGA is certainly promoting that narrative, but from what I’ve seen it’s being accepted much more broadly than just their base. Even on heavily Liberal/Progressive/Democratic forums where people say they would vote for a corpse over Trump, many are expressing relief that they no longer have a corpse for a candidate. This is the public perception that was driving the polls that said Biden could not win in the first place, and which ultimately drove him out of the race.
Dobbs should certainly be a strong impetus for people to get out and vote, but if MAGA is successful in making the American public believe that Democrats lied to them for months if not years about Biden’s mental health I am worried that it will not be enough. I think that significant effort needs to be placed on getting out ahead of that narrative, preemptively countering it, but I have to confess I don’t know what framing of facts the public might find credible when so many were already firmly convinced of Biden’s infirmity. Prior to his dropping out, I think the release of detailed medical records from multiple independent specialists screening for cognitive decline might have been persuasive, might have turned the polling around. Now, I worry it will be seen as part of the supposed cover-up, asking the public to deny evidence that they believe they have seen with their own eyes.
8 spaces, or letters?
ok so far…
You’ll probably have to add one more character.
See:
Rayne [first comment]: Usernames should be unique and a minimum of 8 letters.