Today there aren’t enough middle America Dems/Indies/undeclared or young people who even know what an open convention is. And with Republicans now so busy ‘accidentally’ uniting everyone but themselves, now is not the time to blow the Democratic party (basically everyone but themselves) apart!! Tho be fair the IVF debacle happened after Klein proposed this high brow scenario but this is not the same genteel citizenry of yore. And people overall are about fed up to here with politics.
The public gaming of the Democratic nomination process among is wild. There are knowable facts and math that adds up, that clearly show - given the current field and trajectory of events - Biden has the best chance of winning a theoretical contested primary and beating Trump. Much as we all wish we were living in the marvelous West Wing universe, we are not. There is no deus ex machina that will get us out of this mess. It's going to be a long, grueling slog and the stakes are incredibly high. There are things we can do to discharge our building, crackling, static dread - vote, help others legally vote, donate to candidates and causes, spread the word - but all we can do individually is sit and watch and hope and pray and try to stay healthy as cortisol floods our bodies every time we scroll our news feeds.
Much as I direct my wishes and hopes to the conviction and imprisonment of the reconstituted lost cause authoritarian leaders who would literally enslave us, given the power their candidate seeks to retake in November, and much as I plead the universe and his own bodily corruption speed the putrescence of his brain or visit a (painful) terminal event on him, those externalities will not manifest in time to shield us from the worst outcomes.
Public wishcasting may make the pundits and their audience feel better, for a moment, but it's not real. Clapping hard won't resurrect Tinkerbell or make Joe Biden a better candidate or his “replacement” more electable. It's a dangerous distraction. Thank you for making that case.
One more thought after watching Lawrence O’Donnell tonight: Gavin Newsom will not survive the least investigation into his character. There are numerous issues but I’ll name one obvious indication of his judgement: he was MARRIED TO KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE while he was mayor of San Francisco. I rest my case.
“Could it go badly?” Klein writes, “Sure. But that doesn’t mean it will go badly. It could make the Democrats into the most exciting political show on earth.”
Sorry Stephen, I'm going to be meaner than you: what the fuck is wrong with this guy? Trying to create an "exciting political show" out of real-life politics is a major part of the reason we got Trump in 2016, an actual former TV personality. That was the argument, and CNN admitted to boosting Trump when it wasn't politically warranted because his inane rambling about immigrants was good for ratings. Did Klein really not see the parallel when he wrote that line? IT WENT BADLY.
I suppose all of this "convention picks the nominee" talk would be relevant if Biden has a major health event (or death) and has to drop out, but in that case Harris would almost certainly be the nominee and she'd have the disadvantage of not having won primaries to get there. For a healthy Biden to step down voluntarily, this might have been a possibility if he had done so in late 2022, but even then it would have been seen as a sign of weakness and sacrificed any incumbency benefits (not to mention the inherent risk of a major party fight in the 2024 primaries).
Considering all of the above, and the obvious downsides to it, it is insane that a seasoned writer like Klein would suggest Democrats choose all of this simply because Biden's polls are down. The fact is, Biden (or if he dies, Harris) will be the nominee, and for everyone worried about their polling vs Trump, why not use your efforts to figure out why they're polling so badly against Trump and how to fix it? That's a much better use of time than wishing for some unnamed candidate to swoop in and save us in an undemocratic fashion that would surely backfire.
Absolutely. Biden would need to have a serious medical issue he didn’t have in 2023 when he launched his re-election campaign. It’s not as if LBJ looked at polls alone when he decided not to run. Vietnam was a disaster. Biden would either admit he’s screwed up or that he is running scared from polls.
I get why people are worried about Harris bc it’s not like she had fought Biden to a near draw. It is a big unknown for a candidate who has never won a single primary election to run for POTUS as the incumbent
In that WW show, didn't Leo die? Like before he would have been sworn into office? Personally I didn't think Biden should have even thought of running 4 years ago but when he became the nominee I was behind him 100%. I continue to be behind him AND have been impressed with what he has done. Sure, there are other things I wish he could get done but I understand he can't just do whatever he wants if the support is not there. Four years ago Kamala Harris was my first choice so I feel like the country will be in good hands if something does happen to Biden before the end of his second term. Yeah, the point is, if the Dems (or Biden) wanted to bring in someone new instead of another term they should have been planning that 4 years ago.
After you acknowledge that Biden's poling negatives are in spite of his actual accomplishments, you have to ask, "could someone do better than that?" Half the country is high on MAGA farts and nothing's going to change that between now and November. It still blows my mind that people are worrying about Biden's capacity while Trump is running around babbling incomprehensibly and mistaking Nikki Haley for Nancy Pelosi. Whenever I see Biden speaking he sounds like a normal person with no particular problems, and W remains the 2nd most inarticulate modern president.
“Biden’s great! He should step down!” What, is Ezra afraid that the last episode of “Biden” will be like the last one of “Seinfeld” or the last season of “Dexter”?
I don't get the abject disrespect for Harris. She's part of the team, so all the victories and jobs well done are part of her resume as well. VPs don't really get much attention unless they are screwing something up or have to stand in for an injured/sick president on an important occasion. Otherwise, they're just quietly doing their jobs. Harris is no different.
At least it isn't another fantasy that Michelle Obama will suddenly change her whole view of public life and decide to throw her hat in the ring.
The “Harris is no good” criticism is largely manufactured by right-wing conservative media and pundits. She’s received the Hillary Clinton treatment. And that’s because Republicans knew they had to weaken her in order to make Biden’s age a bigger issue. She’s extremely capable and qualified, and she’s been doing a ton of international travel as VP. I have no fears about her ability to do the POTUS job.
It’s reasonable, though, to worry that an “accidental president” is not a strong candidate. After all, they didn’t win the election on their own. There have been mixed results in the past century (LBJ beat Goldwater but didn’t run for a second term because of Vietnam; Ford lost outright to Carter).
I like Harris and agree she’s done a fine job but it’s been mostly white liberals (not right-wingers) who are worried that she can’t win the Electoral College. The question I’m often asked is “Do you think Harris could outperform Hillary Clinton in the Rust Belt and why?”
Historically, Harris also doesn’t fit the mold of past Democrats who have been successful -- Clinton was a southerner, Obama was literally from the midwest, Biden also had midwest credentials. We can dismiss a lot of this as racism, sexism, etc, but I do get why people would be concerned. And considering how Democrats talk about the stakes, that seems reasonable.
Klein is being very disrespectful on not just President Biden and VP Harris, but the Democratic voters who have already voted for them in their states' primaries or caucuses. I am one of those voters (I voted on 2/3/24 in the SC primary). If something happens to the president, VP Harris has my full support.
As for the polls, no need to ignore them, but no need to panic. I don't know what is going on with the polling, but the polls that really count, elections, have been going the Democrats' way since the 2018 midterms. Oh, and his "great TV" scenario for the Democratic convention is nuts. Yeah, a brokered convention would probably be exciting, but would sink the Democrats' chances in November. Americans don't need politicians to provide circuses (as the Romans would say), we have plenty of entertainment choices. What we need are competent politicians, if boring, who love democracy.
here's how I translate the polls. You don't have to like Biden to hate fascism. It's that simple. So you almost have to discount 95% of the negative polling from Democrats. They still know what the alternative is. So liking Biden is not a necessary condition for standing against fascism
Why are we talking about this?
The very simple answers is that it's all dogwhistle about Vice President Harris
Well said. And the West Wing analogy is apt.
Today there aren’t enough middle America Dems/Indies/undeclared or young people who even know what an open convention is. And with Republicans now so busy ‘accidentally’ uniting everyone but themselves, now is not the time to blow the Democratic party (basically everyone but themselves) apart!! Tho be fair the IVF debacle happened after Klein proposed this high brow scenario but this is not the same genteel citizenry of yore. And people overall are about fed up to here with politics.
> A Democratic ticket in November that’s not Biden/Harris is outright magical thinking.
Well, Harris/someone-else is also plausible… just like it’s been every day of the Biden/Harris administration. That’s why the VP is there, after all.
It's all dog-whistling about Vice President Harris
Great title, and so true.
The public gaming of the Democratic nomination process among is wild. There are knowable facts and math that adds up, that clearly show - given the current field and trajectory of events - Biden has the best chance of winning a theoretical contested primary and beating Trump. Much as we all wish we were living in the marvelous West Wing universe, we are not. There is no deus ex machina that will get us out of this mess. It's going to be a long, grueling slog and the stakes are incredibly high. There are things we can do to discharge our building, crackling, static dread - vote, help others legally vote, donate to candidates and causes, spread the word - but all we can do individually is sit and watch and hope and pray and try to stay healthy as cortisol floods our bodies every time we scroll our news feeds.
Much as I direct my wishes and hopes to the conviction and imprisonment of the reconstituted lost cause authoritarian leaders who would literally enslave us, given the power their candidate seeks to retake in November, and much as I plead the universe and his own bodily corruption speed the putrescence of his brain or visit a (painful) terminal event on him, those externalities will not manifest in time to shield us from the worst outcomes.
Public wishcasting may make the pundits and their audience feel better, for a moment, but it's not real. Clapping hard won't resurrect Tinkerbell or make Joe Biden a better candidate or his “replacement” more electable. It's a dangerous distraction. Thank you for making that case.
One more thought after watching Lawrence O’Donnell tonight: Gavin Newsom will not survive the least investigation into his character. There are numerous issues but I’ll name one obvious indication of his judgement: he was MARRIED TO KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE while he was mayor of San Francisco. I rest my case.
Oh my fucking god Klein. Biden is the opposite of exciting. We HAD exciting. That president was called Trump.
Whatever the guy was paid for this article, it's *FAR TOO MUCH*. But then, it's right up the NYT's alley.
“Could it go badly?” Klein writes, “Sure. But that doesn’t mean it will go badly. It could make the Democrats into the most exciting political show on earth.”
Sorry Stephen, I'm going to be meaner than you: what the fuck is wrong with this guy? Trying to create an "exciting political show" out of real-life politics is a major part of the reason we got Trump in 2016, an actual former TV personality. That was the argument, and CNN admitted to boosting Trump when it wasn't politically warranted because his inane rambling about immigrants was good for ratings. Did Klein really not see the parallel when he wrote that line? IT WENT BADLY.
Could it go badly?- yes. So, why would we want Biden to step down again?
I suppose all of this "convention picks the nominee" talk would be relevant if Biden has a major health event (or death) and has to drop out, but in that case Harris would almost certainly be the nominee and she'd have the disadvantage of not having won primaries to get there. For a healthy Biden to step down voluntarily, this might have been a possibility if he had done so in late 2022, but even then it would have been seen as a sign of weakness and sacrificed any incumbency benefits (not to mention the inherent risk of a major party fight in the 2024 primaries).
Considering all of the above, and the obvious downsides to it, it is insane that a seasoned writer like Klein would suggest Democrats choose all of this simply because Biden's polls are down. The fact is, Biden (or if he dies, Harris) will be the nominee, and for everyone worried about their polling vs Trump, why not use your efforts to figure out why they're polling so badly against Trump and how to fix it? That's a much better use of time than wishing for some unnamed candidate to swoop in and save us in an undemocratic fashion that would surely backfire.
Absolutely. Biden would need to have a serious medical issue he didn’t have in 2023 when he launched his re-election campaign. It’s not as if LBJ looked at polls alone when he decided not to run. Vietnam was a disaster. Biden would either admit he’s screwed up or that he is running scared from polls.
I get why people are worried about Harris bc it’s not like she had fought Biden to a near draw. It is a big unknown for a candidate who has never won a single primary election to run for POTUS as the incumbent
In that WW show, didn't Leo die? Like before he would have been sworn into office? Personally I didn't think Biden should have even thought of running 4 years ago but when he became the nominee I was behind him 100%. I continue to be behind him AND have been impressed with what he has done. Sure, there are other things I wish he could get done but I understand he can't just do whatever he wants if the support is not there. Four years ago Kamala Harris was my first choice so I feel like the country will be in good hands if something does happen to Biden before the end of his second term. Yeah, the point is, if the Dems (or Biden) wanted to bring in someone new instead of another term they should have been planning that 4 years ago.
After you acknowledge that Biden's poling negatives are in spite of his actual accomplishments, you have to ask, "could someone do better than that?" Half the country is high on MAGA farts and nothing's going to change that between now and November. It still blows my mind that people are worrying about Biden's capacity while Trump is running around babbling incomprehensibly and mistaking Nikki Haley for Nancy Pelosi. Whenever I see Biden speaking he sounds like a normal person with no particular problems, and W remains the 2nd most inarticulate modern president.
“Biden’s great! He should step down!” What, is Ezra afraid that the last episode of “Biden” will be like the last one of “Seinfeld” or the last season of “Dexter”?
I don't get the abject disrespect for Harris. She's part of the team, so all the victories and jobs well done are part of her resume as well. VPs don't really get much attention unless they are screwing something up or have to stand in for an injured/sick president on an important occasion. Otherwise, they're just quietly doing their jobs. Harris is no different.
At least it isn't another fantasy that Michelle Obama will suddenly change her whole view of public life and decide to throw her hat in the ring.
The “Harris is no good” criticism is largely manufactured by right-wing conservative media and pundits. She’s received the Hillary Clinton treatment. And that’s because Republicans knew they had to weaken her in order to make Biden’s age a bigger issue. She’s extremely capable and qualified, and she’s been doing a ton of international travel as VP. I have no fears about her ability to do the POTUS job.
It’s reasonable, though, to worry that an “accidental president” is not a strong candidate. After all, they didn’t win the election on their own. There have been mixed results in the past century (LBJ beat Goldwater but didn’t run for a second term because of Vietnam; Ford lost outright to Carter).
I like Harris and agree she’s done a fine job but it’s been mostly white liberals (not right-wingers) who are worried that she can’t win the Electoral College. The question I’m often asked is “Do you think Harris could outperform Hillary Clinton in the Rust Belt and why?”
Historically, Harris also doesn’t fit the mold of past Democrats who have been successful -- Clinton was a southerner, Obama was literally from the midwest, Biden also had midwest credentials. We can dismiss a lot of this as racism, sexism, etc, but I do get why people would be concerned. And considering how Democrats talk about the stakes, that seems reasonable.
Where's Dennis Kucinich when you need him? Oh, right...he just got fired from RFK Jr.'s loon brigade.
Klein is being very disrespectful on not just President Biden and VP Harris, but the Democratic voters who have already voted for them in their states' primaries or caucuses. I am one of those voters (I voted on 2/3/24 in the SC primary). If something happens to the president, VP Harris has my full support.
As for the polls, no need to ignore them, but no need to panic. I don't know what is going on with the polling, but the polls that really count, elections, have been going the Democrats' way since the 2018 midterms. Oh, and his "great TV" scenario for the Democratic convention is nuts. Yeah, a brokered convention would probably be exciting, but would sink the Democrats' chances in November. Americans don't need politicians to provide circuses (as the Romans would say), we have plenty of entertainment choices. What we need are competent politicians, if boring, who love democracy.
here's how I translate the polls. You don't have to like Biden to hate fascism. It's that simple. So you almost have to discount 95% of the negative polling from Democrats. They still know what the alternative is. So liking Biden is not a necessary condition for standing against fascism