And now, the big question
Who should be Kamala Harris's running mate? For better or worse, it needs to be an old, hetero, white dad from the Midwest. A smart guy, with name recognition, who's been around politics a long while. If only there were someone like that available to be Vice President...
Gov Shapiro. Kamala will be weaker in the rust belt than in the sun belt, and this shores that up to some degree. Kelly would be good too but it puts his seat in the AZ senate up in 2026.
ReplyDeletehe’s good enough, he’s smart enough and, doggone it, people like him.
ReplyDeleteHa!
DeleteMark Kelly
ReplyDeleteDems can't afford to risk his senate seat. Great choice, though.
DeleteJoe Biden
ReplyDeleteAl Franken
ReplyDeleteOops, responded before looking at your link to his picture.
DeleteZelensky has shown that comics can be outstanding chief execs -- a truly funny person is someone who has to have both super smarts AND super emotional intelligence. We could do one hell of a lot worse than Al Franken backing up KH.
ReplyDeleteRoy Cooper!!
ReplyDeleteRoy Cooper is termed out as gov of NC. He’s the safest choice in terms of existing seats at risk.
DeleteDon’t think it makes a difference. She’s going to be exclusively the reason for the votes she gets.
ReplyDeleteIn a country as poised on a knife’s edge as this, almost anything can make a historic difference. It’s kind of like the old joke about advertising — “I know half my ad budget is wasted, I just wish I could figure out which half.” What may make no difference to you can make a huge difference to someone else, and in a country with a Rube-Goldberg electoral college, even a small difference in the right counties can have dramatic consequences.
DeleteLike it or not, asking white men to vote for a woman and a person of color is a substantial ask. If you add a second of either of those to the ticket, it's too much. Again, rightly or wrongly. And so you need a white guy here. And not from a coastal state. And straight. I'm tellin' ya, it's Al Franken.
DeleteYou're not serious, are you? I agree that it should be a white guy, but I'd go with someone from more of a swing state with more electoral votes and without the MeToo baggage.
DeleteRegarding the "groping" incident, there's no way you can grope someone through a Kevlar vest. (I'm a female veteran and have experience with both Kevlar vests and groping a$$holes.) Still, it was a stupid, juvenile joke like you'd expect from a 12-year-old, not someone 50+.
Canceling Franken for his comparatively minor indiscretions seems almost absurd now, but I think we can do better. Unless you're going for the grab-'em-by-the-pussy Trump supporters.
I’m “going for” anyone who votes.
DeleteAl’s career at the time was making jokes. He made a tasteless joke at the expense of a female colleague. He’s very, very sorry about it. He’s also brilliant and experienced in Washington.
If it had been just the one photo, no big deal, but there were other accusations of inappropriate touching and forced kissing. I do not suspect ill intent on Franken's part, but that's not the point. There are plenty of better VP candidates.
DeleteFranken was railroaded out of office, and to the party’s detriment. He deserved better and could still help the party immeasurably.
DeleteI mean let’s stay serious, Franken doesn’t have a fastball left. Podcasting is the right place for him.
ReplyDeleteTo your other points, Beshear came out swinging today. You’d love to watch that VP debate.
I would love to see a debate between him and JD Vance. "Does a sphincter say what?"
ReplyDeleteKamala’s appointment kinda flys in the face of the democratic vote process that I keep hearing from the DNC. But then a coup isn’t very democratic either.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet you want to pardon all of the Jan 6th criminals and make their ringleader supreme commander for life.
DeleteI love that the MAGAts, the actual bloody coup attempters, suddenly care so much about the Democratic Party primary voters. Kiss off!
DeleteWhat's antidemocratic about representative democracy? We voted for delegates and elected officials, and they are picking the DNC nominee based on the judgement that we-the-voters bestowed upon them when we elected them.
DeleteGrousing about this contest, but not grousing about the very nature of Congress is ignorant at best. Also, a binding presidential primary has only existed since 1972, so really if you don't like how this is going down, you also don't like how JFK and FDR were selected.
The candidate withdrew. You can’t make him run. The party doesn’t forfeit its right to have a candidate. It’s what would have happened if Trump had been disabled or killed by the would-be assassin.
DeleteWhat vote process are they talking about? We had a primary where Biden won the requisite number of delegates. He’s allowed to release them and allow them to support Harris.
ReplyDeleteIt seems they are more scared of Harris then they want to let on.
I'd be surprised if it wasn't Shapiro or Kelly, assuming the vetting process comes back clean. Shapiro is an impressive communicator with bi partisan support in Pa., a state Harris absolutely has to win. On the other hand, Kelly brings the military and NASA credentials and will help in Az. All things considered, I think the choice will be Shapiro, who will help in the rust belt, which is critical. Harris probably has a better chance in Georgia or NC than in Az., and while she can win without AZ., She can't win without Pa.
ReplyDeleteWhite dudes are going to break 70% for the Orange Menace. Dems could run the Risen Christ Himself and that number wouldn't change. Doing anything to woo them will be fruitless. It's going to be up to people of color and white woman to bring this home. The veep needs to be able to speak to both.
ReplyDeleteI'm deeply concerned about losing Kelly's seat in 2025, but I think it's worth the risk. If Harris and Kelly start delivering quickly, Dems can hold that seat, no problem.
The deal with Kelly's seat is that Katie Hobbs (D) would appoint his successor, then a special election is held in 2026, then a full-term election in 2028. It's doable.
DeleteIs Al Franklin fully vaxxed?
ReplyDeleteLoyal Dems are currently ignoring the baggage that’s built up over the last three years.
ReplyDeleteBack her up with Tweedle Dum?
DeleteChrysalis fascinates. But, this one turns out to be a Hollywood creation
DeleteThe antisemitism of the party rules out Shapiro. And given the rainbow people power and demands it will Butigieg. Though Ru Paul or Dylan Mulvaney would truly represent the party at this point.
ReplyDeleteThe fear of losing the Muslims in Michigan would rule out those three.
Delete