Kamala Harris has provided political security to Mr. Biden because so many Democrats believe she would be a disaster as their presidential nominee if Mr. Biden chose not to run. But that’s a false sense of political security.
For one thing, Democrats wouldn’t have to nominate Ms. Harris if Mr. Biden stood down and the nomination were decided at the Democratic convention in August. Other candidates would run, and their relative appeal would be tested.
Our guess is that Ms. Harris’s polling would be bad enough that Democratic pros would rally behind someone else, despite the identity-politics complications of opposing a minority woman. Democrats are bloodier-minded about power than are GOP primary voters.
Democrats also won’t be able to escape the problem of Ms. Harris even if Mr. Biden stays in the race. Republicans are sure to make Ms. Harris a central issue, and they should because chances are high that Mr. Biden wouldn’t serve out his term through age 86. That might scare more swing voters even than Mr. Biden’s mental frailty or Donald Trump’s daily diatribes. It’s another good reason for Democrats to rethink their entire ticket.
Here are the top political news stories for today.
No one can be "too quick to dismiss Old Joe's smarts." He has none. Never has. Always a C- student pretending to be someone he's not. And not smart enough to realize how just about everyone else sees through him.
What he is, is lucky. Lucky to be from a tny, one-party state from which he is perpetually assured of re-election. . Lucky to have been chosen as VP by a Presidential candidate who needed a certain type of political cover, but who knew his VP choice would never assume the Presidency. And most of all, lucky to have run for President against a man who is perhaps the most repellent and despised public figure of our lifetimes.
Luck for sure. Smart? Not in a million years.
@MinorityWalrusSocialist2yrs2Y
Joey is nowhere near as lucky as Kamala, who catapulted through life solely on the basis of her epidermis and now finds herself likely to sit in the Big Chair within a few months before being booted from power in January 2025.
Amusing to see the NYT and other liberal media whining that Joe’s age and mental challenges will spell defeat in November for the President. After covering for him for three years, they have only themselves to blame. Had they raised the alarm last year, perhaps another challenger—Rep. Dean Phillips?—could have challenged him in the primaries. Now they’re stuck with doddering, ol’ Joe. When it comes to the liberal media, I’m enjoying this moment of schadenfreude.
@GloomyF3deralistForward2yrs2Y
Don't enjoy it too much, Gary, because they are not stuck with Biden and they already know how they are going to shuffle him out.
"Maybe the Obama people were too quick to dismiss old Joe’s smarts." More like they underestimated just how incompetent VP Harris turned out to be.
@NeedfulJackalNo Labels2yrs2Y
Ms. Harris is the perfect example of the Peter Principle at work. However, I'm not sure when it kicked in. As a Senator? As an AG? As an Animal Control Officer (😉)? Who knows?
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
@9JW9N3P2yrs2Y
joe Biden sucks and he deserves to me impeached and to never be seen again NOBODY even likes him and people who voted for him BETTER REGRET IT
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