Odds are now better for Kamala than they were previously for Biden.

Kamala

Problem with Beshears is that Kentucky is unwinnable even if he is on the ticket. Whitmer could tip Michigan and Kelly could tip Arizona, both of which look to be nail-biting close.

Yes, if we step back from individual states, Beshears performance could help nationally. It's a judgement call. But if Beshears helps win more Dem votes in already blue states it doesn't much help the electoral math.

I'm guessing we'll know within a week what's happening within the party.

quote:

Originally posted by Bernard:

quote:

Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
Video of Biden getting off Air Force One. He’s declining before our eyes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dmJOunF2_8

It's sad to see this. He should have been out of the public eye already. Apparently, according to sources, it's being reported, etc. there has been a rather quick deterioration of his physical health. I gotta say it sure appears noticeable. Josh Marshall wrote today of the Clooney fundraiser in Hollywood, "I’ve spoken to a lot of people about this. And there were a lot of people at that fundraiser who see Biden often. They’re people who know people who see him constantly. Apparently quite a few people saw Biden then and thought he had physically deteriorated a lot since they’d seen him last. I say “physically” because I get the sense that people weren’t really focused on cognitive issues. It’s was physical."

His successor as a bridge president should have been decided on in 2021 and groomed for the upcoming race.

quote:

His successor as a bridge president should have been decided on in 2021 and groomed for the upcoming race.

This exactly. We should not even be here in the first place.

What I've read suggests that, if they are off the record, there's not a single senior member of the Democratic Party (outside of Biden's inner, inner circle) who thinks he should stay on the ticket.

And he still has his moments. He still has a high-wattage smile. He's still very personable and affable. I'd still rather have a beer with him than be within golf ball distance of Donald Trump.

But, this isn't how I feel about Biden. This isn't about who would make the best President. We are facing an existential threat. This is about ... ONLY about ... how to fend off the existential threat, or at the very least, minimize the severity of the consequences. If Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift, or Ronald McDonald has the best chance of doing that, then that's who I think the nominee should be.

And I don't really care whether anyone thinks that's pathetic or not. I'll worry about who might make the best President in four years ... if I get a chance to worry about it in four years.

I agree with Quirt. Should that worry me?

I agree, Quirt.

Well, as to what Quirt said... You may have to explain it to me in pictures, because I don't get it.

Since when is who would make the best president contrary to who is the most electable? Why are those somehow in opposition to each other?

You really think voters are *that* stupid? I'm talking about any voters who are persuadable to vote for the Democratic ticket--not MAGAs, who I concur are dumber than rocks.

Even if true that voters are that stupid, electing someone to the most powerful position on earth who hasn't got the experience, expertise, nor the chops to do that job just because they have star power is incredibly short sighted. You've just swapped one horrible problem for another horrible problem.

the world is a very dangerous place right now. Taylor Swift v. Vladimir Putin. I can see it now.

quote:

voters who are persuadable to vote for the Democratic ticket--not MAGAs

I'm most worried about would-be voters who will stay home if Biden is on the ticket.

IOW, these are not people that I think will vote for Trump, but they might just not vote.



BTW, y'all. the Japanese news is reporting that Obama is now trying to convince Biden to step down, but I'm not seeing that from any US news sites. Did I miss it? Is Japanese news mistaken??

quote:

Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
BTW, y'all. the Japanese news is reporting that Obama is now trying to convince Biden to step down, but I'm not seeing that from any US news sites. Did I miss it? Is Japanese news mistaken??

The Washington Post had an article up yesterday about it. It's a bit of a wishy-washy story. It's reported that Obama has told allies that he thinks Biden's path to victory "... has greatly diminished and he thinks the president needs to seriously consider the viability of his candidacy, according to multiple people briefed on his thinking."

I'm not keen on this type of heresay reporting, but you know, it sounds credible.

The rest of the story is about how Obama could have stopped the NYTimes from running the Clooney story but he didn't. (Jeffrey Katzenberg, a top Biden campaign official, did try to stop the piece from publication but failed.)

Also, it's about Obama's silence these past few weeks.

There seems to be a connect-the-dots aspect that indicates Obama is not entirely on board with the Biden campaign.

I don't know if you can read it without a subscription: https://www.washingtonpost.com...-consider-viability/

@ pique Since when is who would be most electable contrary to who would be the best president?

I'm thinking since november 2016. When the person who woul be the best president lost to the person who is electable. You have no shot at being a good president if you get crushed in the electoral college.

Look. Biden has done a good job as president all things considered.

But the fact remains that he is the one who destroyed his own campaign. He stood there at the debate, mouth agape, unable to complete a thought. Taking a softball about abortion and somehow converting it into a republican talking point about migrants raping people. Biden did that, no one else. If he had given even a passable performance, he would still be the candidate.

In what world do you get to perform like that and still keep your job?

If anything, people are being too nice. Biden got us into this mess, and he owes every one of us a way out.

Bernard, thanks! I’ll take a look!

Cindy:

quote:

Biden got us into this mess, and he owes every one of us a way out

Exactly!

quote:

Originally posted by piqué:
Well, as to what Quirt said... You may have to explain it to me in pictures, because I don't get it.

Since when is who would make the best president contrary to who is the most electable? Why are those somehow in opposition to each other?

You really think voters are *that* stupid? I'm talking about any voters who are persuadable to vote for the Democratic ticket--not MAGAs, who I concur are dumber than rocks.

Even if true that voters are that stupid, electing someone to the most powerful position on earth who hasn't got the experience, expertise, nor the chops to do that job just because they have star power is incredibly short sighted. You've just swapped one horrible problem for another horrible problem.

the world is a very dangerous place right now. Taylor Swift v. Vladimir Putin. I can see it now.

There are plenty of "stupid" people around - just look at 2016. Trump defeated a highly qualified person. Trump had NO governmental experience.

AOC recently made a video in which she outlined that if there's a replacement to Biden (wink, wink), it has to be Kamala.

The reasons are logistical as there's a 100 million dollar warchest that is connected with Biden/Harris that would only be available to either Biden or Harris. Secondly, Ohio's deadline for a candidate's name to appear on the ballot comes before the Democratic convention. Michigan has a deadline of about 2 days post the convention - so a lengthy convention - doesn't work.

So...it's gonna be Kamala.

at least Kamala might know what to do about Ukraine, about Israel, about a million other critical issues facing the USA and the world.

recruiting a Taylor or an Oprah or a Michelle is just plain stupid.

It isn't just electability. The world is depending on us to not fvck this up.