Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Everybody saw this coming.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

White supremacy is terrorism.

When they say they’re pro-life, they don’t mean yours.

No one could have predicted…

Washington Post’s Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

People are weird.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

So many bastards, so little time.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

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Reader Interactions

702Comments

  3. 3.

    Ishiyama

    One can only hope that KH is nominated without dispute, and picks AOC for her Vice. That would be acceptable. No more white faces.

  4. 4.

    Black Onion

    Trump is  the oldest nominee for president of the United States in American history. He’s almost 80. Does he have the health and mental stamina to serve another four years? I don’t think so, he’s been mixing up names in rallies for months now. Won’t someone from the Republican party talk to him?

  6. 6.

    Dave Buchen

    I just made my first contribution of the election year, $100 to Harris. Time to come together and get to the business of defeating Trump and all he stands for.

  7. 7.

    M31

    @rikyrah: yup, just like the Dems have to come in and clean up the GOP mess every 4 or 8 years, this is the internal Dem version

  8. 8.

    hells littlest angel

    If Harris wins — and I believe she can — it will be a gigantic victory for all of humanity. So there’s that.

  10. 10.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    Shock and … can I call it surprise when the freight train was barreling down on Biden for a month?

    Gonna need a couple of days to sort things out.

    Solace from a couple of things, though: the last time, the last two times, an African-American headed a major Presidential ballot, he won.

    The last and only time a woman headed a major Presidential ballot, she got more votes than any nominee had to that point in American history.

    This is going to be difficult.

    But difficult is not the same as impossible.

  11. 11.

    Steve LaBonne

    Harris already has some of my money via the Biden-Harris campaign, and she’ll get more as soon as her campaign stands up its own website. And it’s time for Republicans to pressure Trump to step aside- he’s obviously to old and too mentally and physically infirm to serve. (Yes I had my tongue in my cheek whilst typing that.)

  12. 12.

    MomSense

    @Black Onion:
    Biden and Trump have been campaigning at a much reduced volume of events, interviews, calls, etc.

    Harris will be able to run circles around him and it is going to make him look so weak and tired by comparison.  He’s also going to short circuit more when he tries to talk and it will be so obvious and they can’t deflect to Biden does it too.

  15. 15.

    M31

    Congressional Black Caucus
    Ted Lieu
    James Clyburn
    Doug Jones
    Tammy Baldwin

    endorse Harris

  17. 17.

    Lobo

    Guachi, Momsense, Kay, et al. Please refrain from saying anything further right now. People are a bit sensitive right. Use grace and allow many to process, like me.

    Please call and demand all those who asked Biden to drop out(mainly rich, white, entitled dudes) if they have their walking shoes ready(per Rep. Crockett).

  18. 18.

    Ruckus

    @Black Onion:

    Won’t someone from the Republican party talk to him?

    I’m going to make a strange statement here.

    He might actually be the best they’ve got.

    Of course that is not saying much, while at the same time saying volumes. But who else? They have been scrapping the bottom of the barrel for a while now. Sure there is a portion of the voting public that wants what he’s selling but if they knew what that actually was worth they likely wouldn’t.

  19. 19.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @rikyrah:

    Now she has to clean it up, win the election, defeat Trump, and save democracy.

    Backwards and in high heels

  20. 20.

    Eolirin

    @MomSense: She’ll also be at a fundamental deficit in WI, MI and PA. And if we lose any of them it’ll be very hard to win.

    She’s doesn’t have the same history with labor. And she’s probably going to struggle more with older people, which was a category of voter that Biden was doing better with than Dems normally do.

    The media also won’t cover any of that and will breathlessly run bullshit stories like they always do. Expect a lot of Kamala is a cop stuff and innuendo about how she got her start in politics. It’s going to be ugly in a way that nothing about Biden really was, not even the last month’s worth of bullshit ageism and ableism.

    Maybe that rebounds to our favor, in turning off decent folk, but it’s going to feed into latent racism and misogyny very very hard and it may very well cost us the election because the election ultimately runs through the Midwest.

  21. 21.

    dmsilev

    ‘Make politics boring again’.
    Back in the mists of time of 2020, that was Joe Biden’s unofficial slogan. If he couldn’t make that happen, I’m not sure who could. Guess it’s going to be ‘interesting’ for the foreseeable future.

    Sigh.

  22. 22.

    Ruckus

    @Black Onion:

    Won’t someone from the Republican party talk to him?

    Do you think they want to any more than we do? And how would it make any difference?

  23. 23.

    Trivia Man

    I texted my son today, “Are you keeping count? How many ‘once in a lifetime’ events does this make for your age group?” He is in his late 20’s. I count this as about 7:

    Y2k

    2000 Supreme Court coup + president losing the popular vote but still ‘winning’

    9/11

    2008 global economic crash

    first black president

    attempted coup on Jan 6

    Incumbent declines to run in July of election year

     

    Did I miss any?

  26. 26.

    Trivia Man

    @rikyrah: I hope she starts day one with “I think trump is too old. He should step aside. Will y’all ask HIM that?”

  30. 30.

    zhena gogolia

    Everyone seems to be assuming that Clooney will allow Harris to be the nominee. I’m not.

  31. 31.

    Joy in FL

    This is kind of silly, but I hope Dark Brandon is now in a position where he can express that he has No Fucks Left to Give.

    If Ballon Juice commenters were in a huge room, I want to sit with the Jackals who see the danger and the difficulty and are determined to bring a Democratic president into the White House in January. I want to be part of the supporters and workers. In all our differences, we can build strength and strategy and effective effort and hope.

  33. 33.

    Ohio Mom

    Ohio Family had a lovely morning at an antique fair in rural Kentucky. I came home, had a snack and debated whether or not to open the phone. I was sure there was bad news.

    And there it was, Steeplejack had died. A punch in the guts but I thought, “This isn’t bad news about the election, Whew!”

    Then I did some puttering and then it was time to pick up some groceries so I got in my car and hadn’t even left the driveway when a friend texted me,”Biden dropped out.”

    I am sick to my stomach. I’m going to do the worlds fastest grocery shop (in the store parking lot right now) and go home and read all the Balloon Juice threads and try to not fall apart.

  35. 35.

    blindyone

    I supported Kamala in the primary until she dropped out. Then I supported Biden until he dropped out today. Now I’m back with Kamala which is fine with me, though I’m skeptical that she’ll win. I hope I’m wrong. I didn’t think Obama would  win in ‘08, and I didn’t think Hillary would lose in ‘16. So what do I know? It begins today all over again. I will vote and encourage others to vote. Highest priority now is keeping Trump out of the Oval Office.

  36. 36.

    Spanky

    WJLA (DC’s ABC affiliate) has been collecting quotes from the local pols:

    Sen. Kaine: Praises Biden, supports Harris

    Sen. Warner: Praises Biden, supports Harris

    Sen. Cardin: Praises Biden

    Larry Hogan: Praises Biden

    DC Mayor Bowser: Supports Harris

    Steny Hoyer: Praises Biden

    Angela Alsobrooks: Praises Biden, supports Harris

     

    This bears updating, but I doubt I’ll be able to keep up. A couple of old white guys on the list here need to step up toot sweet, or they’ll hear from me, one of their constituents.

  37. 37.

    Another Scott

    I’ve been traveling and my phone was off.

    (sigh)

    The task remains the same.  We have to keep TCFFG and his minions out of power.  We can do this.

    Eyes on the prizes.

    Hang in there everyone.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  38. 38.

    Eolirin

    @zhena gogolia: If its not Harris there’s no point in even talking about anything, we will have already lost the election.

    She’s literally the only person who can get the people pissed off about this back on side, nevermind the campaign infrastructure issues.

  39. 39.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    14 million people reflecting almost 90 percent of the most committed Democrats have been told “Meh, we care about the donors more.”

  40. 40.

    Andrew Abshier

    @M31: If Clyburn wants her in, that’s going to carry a ton of weight,  Glad he’s on board.

  43. 43.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    Time to back the presumed nominee like all good *Dems* should do.  No equivocating like the Tonya Harding Dems/Loyal-Dems-But crowd did with Biden.  We’re better *Dems* than that.

    Go Harris!

  44. 44.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Trivia Man: The Republicans nominating a presidential candidate who lost the last election.

    That same candidate dry humping a helmet on national TV.

  48. 48.

    EarthWindFire

    @zhena gogolia: Me neither. Clooney, the rest of the rich guys, and the punditry made clear that they’re calling the shots. Not some merely elected congress persons.

  52. 52.

    Eolirin

    @EarthWindFire: Only the delegates matter, and the Biden campaign picked those. The endorsements matter for demonstrating party unity and nothing else.

  53. 53.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @MP: Mushroom Dick is threw with the Flag after she let that creep with weird hair do her on national TV.

  54. 54.

    Trivia Man

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: So many to choose! The first one is valid but I left it off as being a little too inside baseball. No lack of choices for MAJOR HISTORICAL events. I have apologized to him many times for the state of the world, luckily he doesn’t hold it against me personally. He gets discouraged about the future often and I am trying to help him put it in context – it is n’t his imagination, he REALLY IS playing life on hard mode.

  55. 55.

    different-church-lady

    Look, at least we can finally get past the whole fuckin’ stupid fight about it and start picking up the pieces.

  58. 58.

    BretH

    Angry how this came about but less angry that we have a possibility of really changing the narrative. Felt like we were on sort of a treadmill – even though I felt (and feel) Biden would win eventually. I am going to focus on the positives, and things we have control over and not obsess on things like lawsuits, etc.

    This will highlight DT’s age and incoherency.

    This will highlight his war on women

    This will highlight his war on democracy

    Onward!!!!!!!

  60. 60.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    Well, I just finished removing myself from every Democratic mailing list I could find in my texts and emails.

  61. 61.

    Trivia Man

    @dnfree: I was thinking Meet Me n the Morning from Blood On the Tracks. That line echoes in my head, in his voice, often.

  62. 62.

    dc

    @Spanky: Clooney won’t approve of anyone who could get voted dog catcher outside of very localized communities. But he’s a rich, famous white dude. It’s all theoretical for him personally. He’s not going to end up in jail, in a camp, against some wall. And he won’t help you when it’s you.

  63. 63.

    Chacal Charles Calthrop

    @Trivia Man: pandemic of new disease shuts down the planet for a couple of years, that’s a new one.  I’d take Y2K off that list, it was really a nothingburger

  64. 64.

    Eolirin

    @narya: There is no way anyone who supported Biden staying in was going to not endorse Harris. It’s all the people who wanted him to step down that are where the problems will come from.

    Pelosi, Schiff, Schumer, Brown will be bigger tells.

  66. 66.

    Trivia Man

    @Spanky: and ABC has on Chris Christie. -insert eye roll here-

    He says it has to be Kamala and everyone should talk about HER VP.

  68. 68.

    Nelle

    How does Ohio’s early date for the ballot affect this?  Have they really, truly corrected the problem in Ohio?  I dimly remember that there was talk of officially nominating Biden before the convention just to be sure.  Now what?

  70. 70.

    minachica

    @Trivia Man: Presidential candidate assassination attempt that misses the head of the (arguably) worst person in the world by millimeters?

  71. 71.

    lol chikinburd

    @blindyone: I still have the “KA|MA|LA” bus sticker in the back window of my car.  Won’t pretend to know what will happen but won’t borrow any panic about it from the future.

  73. 73.

    Scout211

    Kamala Harris  said in a statement she is honored to have President Joe Biden’s endorsement to replace him as the Democrats’ presidential nominee.”

    “My intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said. “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.”

    In her statement, Harris also praised Biden for his “extraordinary leadership” as president.

    My intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said. “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.”

    In her statement, Harris also praised Biden for his “extraordinary leadership” as president.

  74. 74.

    Chacal Charles Calthrop

    @Eolirin: what’s new is that covid shut down the planet; the Spanish Flu never made headlines above the fold, nor was much shut down because of it.

    Of course, that was the era that shut all the bars not because of a deadly, world-wide disease but because of Prohibition….

  76. 76.

    Eolirin

    @Nelle: They have not. The nomination process needs to be finished before the convention. I believe by like the 5th. I could be wrong on that date.

  77. 77.

    rikyrah

     

    Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) posted at 3:06 PM on Sun, Jul 21, 2024:

     

    BREAKING. Full statement from Vice President Kamala Harris:

     

    “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.”

     

    (https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/1815116167389876489?t=94DQuGF6bb_0n_EWI-G8jw&s=03)

  78. 78.

    Trivia Man

    @dexwood: I consider the ‘traitor’ entry as a foot note to Jan 6 but “Ex-president convicted of a felony” should be on there for sure.

    New exercise: I double dog dare anyone to come up with a top 10 EPIC EVENTS list for any 25 year period in American history that beats this one. Disclaimer in advance, WWII events need to be pretty special to get their own lone in the list. D-Day and Hiroshima/ Nagasaki for sure each get a line and THE WAR gets one also. Other events…? Convince me.

  79. 79.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    It reminds me of this great scene from “The Odd Couple” (video)

    We just got back hyped up from Phoenix and an incredible WNBA all star game and turned on our phones.

  80. 80.

    dnfree

    Maybe I’m nuts but this actually makes me optimistic. Now Democrats can suggest that Trump is too old and he should follow suit? Everyone needs to unite behind Harris, though.

  81. 81.

    Martin

    @rikyrah: I think Rachel is right on this one – I don’t think there’s going to be any challenge to Harris at the top of the ticket, and I think the VP pick is going to be a lot less drama filled than people expect.

  82. 82.

    Trivia Man

    @BretH: Agree! and #1 and #2 are EASY soundbites. So simple even TV news can comprehend the difference in their positions.

  83. 83.

    Eolirin

    @Chacal Charles Calthrop: That is not true. It got memory holed and there was a war going on, but it did massive damage on a global scale. Granted we were in a less industrialized world and there was a war going on in Europe so the supply chain disruptions were more limited.

  85. 85.

    Tenar Arha

    I am hopeful.

    I am also convinced that the theater criticism model of political journalism must die. I’m not sure how we can stop participating in all the feels and vibes so much that it destroys opinion-tainment and yet saves the important & useful bits. But I’m going to try to figure this out.

    To start:

    – I’m going to start with unfollowing some political podcasts that have seemed lacking in perspective lately.

    – Maybe reset my limit of 3 hours to 1 or 2 hours on certain socials every day.

  87. 87.

    Al Rennick

    Cole,

    The bottom line here is that you never ever bet against Nancy “Smash” Pelosi!

    She always comes through in the clutch and she belongs on the Mount Rushmore of members of Congress.

    Thank you Nancy for giving Democrats a fighting chance against Trump!

  89. 89.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    @me: She’d have to be an idiot not to know what’s coming, and I strongly suspect she is not an idiot.

  91. 91.

    Trivia Man

    @Chacal Charles Calthrop: The Y2K computer threat was very very real – avoided with a LOT of hard work and money and smart people. It was a nothing burger BECAUSE we met the challenge. It stays on MY list because ‘new millenium’ is a notable event even if it is just a man-made calendar event. But I won’t complain if you drop it from your top 10 list.

  93. 93.

    wjca

    @Nelle: How does Ohio’s early date for the ballot affect this?  Have they really, truly corrected the problem in Ohio?

    Doesn’t.  The Democrats still need to do the teleconference to pick their ticket, in order to get on the ballot in Ohio.  And when they do, that’s it.

    The people lusting after a dramatic open convention are still SOL.  Tough.

  95. 95.

    TheronWare

    Hmm, let’s just see if corporate media focuses on tRumplestiltskins age now that Joe Biden has dropped out of the race.

  96. 96.

    MisterForkbeard

    @rikyrah: Harris is still awesome, how about that?

    Time to break out my old Kamala / Metallica shirt from the 2020 primaries

  97. 97.

    Starfish

    @ssdd: As not a librarian, I really oppose this category because who will remember how many of each letter were used, and we will have a half dozen categories with the same sentiment but slightly different spellings.

  98. 98.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Martin: yes, I would think  if there was serious challenger to Harris we would have heard of them by now.

    If the theory that this was done to get rid of Harris for her poor birthstyle choice of being born black is true, then the fools who did it failed to find a viable alternative.

    This is a bit like the coup attempt in Bolivia that failed because the axle broke on their cheap Chines made armored car.

  99. 99.

    Trivia Man

    @Eolirin: My list isn’t necessarily “unique” but more “Once in a lifetime”. I agree 1918 flu was perhaps an even bigger event than Covid – you can certainly make a case for it. But either one was a MJOR event for anyone who lived through it and didn’t just read about it in a history book.

  100. 100.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Al Rennick: Fuck Nancy Pelosi more than most of these people, stalwart defender of insider trading that she is.

  102. 102.

    MazeDancer

    If you have 5 bucks for Kamala, toss it in. Honor Joe.

    My heart is broken, but I can still smile at the thought of a big haul of moola making old,,very old, Trump nervous

    The Veepstakes will bring some excitement. Even if it has to be a nice, white Christian guy. From a state that won’t be risking a GOP turnover.

    Chris Murphy, maybe.

  103. 103.

    Juice Box

    @Eolirin: “innuendo about how she got her start in politics”

    Pretty much the same way that Trump got his start in real estate development, so maybe not their strongest criticism.

  104. 104.

    Eolirin

    @Trivia Man: TV news isn’t failing to make these comparisons because they’re stupid. They’re doing it deliberately, and they will continue to do so regardless of how insane it is. They will continue to ignore Trump’s weaknesses and focus exclusively on Kamala’s, and if they can’t find any they will invent them.

    We cannot win through the media. At all. Ever. It is not possible. Anyone thinking anything we do, including changing candidates, will fix this is naively delusional.

  105. 105.

    minachica

    Is it doomerism to ask about practical steps to take to prepare for the potential of a GOP win? What actions would be sensible to take now, especially if a person has vulnerable immediate family members and no path to residency abroad?

    Feel free to delete this if deemed likelier to cause upset than to encourage advice.

  108. 108.

    Trivia Man

    @minachica: In my mind, that was certainly notable but not once in a lifetime. If it had killed him, definitely. But I remember two very close calls on Ford in the space of a week. One had a gun jam, the second saw shots fired but missed him. Barely remembered now.

  110. 110.

    2liberal

    i think the democrats should choose the most generic person possible.  many here are on the MVP bandwagon but can she win? would the black women of south carolina choose her?   I’d go for gavin newsome myself.

  111. 111.

    Eolirin

    @Juice Box: Have you failed to notice how they’ve covered Trump’s age while focusing exclusively on Biden’s despite Biden being more cognitively functional?

    It doesn’t matter what the comparison is, because they’ll only ever talk about the Dem candidate.

  112. 112.

    Enplaned

    I have hope for the first time since about 2021. I’m gonna donate all I can and I’m gonna work for whoever is the nominee.

  113. 113.

    Steve LaBonne

    @minachica: People who are especially vulnerable or have people close to them who are especially vulnerable SHOULD prepare for the worst. If the worst doesn’t happen that’s wonderful, but I hope nobody will ever feel bad about taking care of themselves and their loved ones.

  114. 114.

    Tenar Arha

    @zhena gogolia: Well if they won’t, IMHO they can eff right off. Won’t hardly be able to watch them without spitting away the evil eye anyway, going to need a list of the people who’ve turned their careers into poison pills.

  115. 115.

    dnfree

    Heather Cox Richardson just posted this interesting thought.

    Hey folks: Buddy and I are halfway down a river in our kayaks. I won’t be home for at least two hours. When I am, I’ll announce the time for a broadcast tonight. Deep breaths, everyone. This is a change, for sure, but now that J.D. Vance is locked in as Republican vice president, it has some significant upsides. President Biden has many stellar qualities, but above all, his sense of timing has always been unrivaled. I’ll see you soon.

  116. 116.

    Starfish

    @Eolirin: In Michigan, she is going to energize some Muslims who were not going to vote for Biden based on Gaza policy.

  118. 118.

    Yarrow

    @EarthWindFire:  The rich donors and others who forced Biden out will also own Harris, or whoever the next nominee is, and own them hard. Every candidate for every office will know now who owns them. Sure isn’t voters. Good luck with policies supporting unions, campaign finance reform, increasing taxes on billionaires, etc. Lip service to those things at best.

  119. 119.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Eolirin: What is smarter for them:

    The excitement of the first woman president.

    Or four years of covering Donald Trump drying humping the furniture in the White House and then falling asleep during it.

  121. 121.

    dc

    @minachica: Get a passport, first. Look into opening bank accounts abroad (something I’ve started to investigate). And find out which countries are easiest for US citizens to travel to.

  122. 122.

    clay

    This seems like a mixed bag to me.  Biden had some strengths that Harris lacks, but Harris has strengths that Biden lacks.  Will swapping them out be a wash?  Hopefully.

    One thing I know for sure, though… Harris will be able to hammer Trump on women’s health/abortion waaayyyy more than Joe.  And since Dobbs is the biggest question mark hanging over this election, I think having Kamala in will be to our advantage.

  123. 123.

    Doc Sardonic

    @wjca: Even if they do the convention they have like 2 days between the scheduled end and the deadline for the ballot for (I think) Michigan.

  126. 126.

    KatKapCC

    @2liberal: You sure don’t sound “too liberal”.

    Especially if you think the rest of the country would like Newsom. (And Lord almighty, can people please spell his name right?) I’m a Californian and I think he’s great. Most of this country would not, and you’re fooling yourself if you believe otherwise.

    Also, don’t take our governor and make us have to have another weird mid-term election. Look what that got us last time.

  130. 130.

    Expletive Deleted

    @Trivia Man:  This. Everyone I know in the industry who was around at the time absolutely seeethes at the “lol I guess that y2k bug wasn’t a thing”.

    It is so easy to get comfortable about the disasters that never happened because legions of competent experts worked for years to prevent them. It sometimes feels like the 21st century so far is just us all learning that lesson the hard way over and over and over again in so many ways.

  131. 131.

    ArchTeryx

    I’m retiring from the Internet for a while. All I got to leave you with is my advice, based not on panic but of being a student of 20th Century history and politics:

    1) If you are one or more of the following groups, and Trump wins, you will be targeted for death or imprisonment in camps at the least: POC immigrants (especially those that look Latino/a), LBGTQ+ people (particularly transgendered and genderqueer), disabled people, or any combination. Other groups will come later, but those three are in the most immediate danger. All are named in Project 2025.

    2) Fight like hell, but you’re fighting against millenia of history. We the opposition fractured apart, and a fractured opposition does not win against fascism. Ever. That was the whole point of forcing Biden out. Fracture the opposition. Divide and conquer always works.

    3) If you are one of the targeted groups, make your plans, because your life or death now depends on them, particularly if Trump wins. Make them now. Do not wait until January 2025. That is too late. Ask the Jews of Poland and Germany – if you can find any to ask.

    4) Treat those plans like you are bearing the One Ring. Keep them secret. Keep them safe. Do NOT discuss via unencrypted channels on the Internet – like this blog. I am not a security and encryption expert, but I do know the most secure means of communication is word of mouth to extremely trusted people.

    And with that, I’m gone for a while. As Walter Kronkite said, “Good night, and good luck.”

    We all are going to need it.

  133. 133.

    Starfish

    @zhena gogolia: The choice is not up to Clooney or Aaron Sorkin or the CEO of my old company who told everyone to sign the Change.org campaign nominating Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

  135. 135.

    Trivia Man

    @M31: Point taken. And 1775 to 1800 is up there. But I think my point still stands – we are right ow in uncharted waters. In the three contenders suggested so far, we have essentially 3 times of open war – Revolutionary, Civil, and Global. Three very different kinds of war but also disruptive in their own way. One point of note about today, is the wide variety of EPIC disruption – economic (arguably 2 very different economic disruptions in the tech boom and the credit swap cluster fuck), medical, political, and social.

  136. 136.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Starfish: Forget SARS, global pandemics happen every twenty years or so, what is different is medicine has been so good now they control it, until Mushroom Dick broke that.

  137. 137.

    Eolirin

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: They don’t care about that. They’re run by billionaires. They have acted to the benefit of every Republican candidate in their coverage since Reagan. Every. Single. One. It didn’t work with Obama and Bill Clinton, but they still went all in against them. And those were both generational charismatic talents.

  138. 138.

    Archon

    I do wonder why elected politicians like Adam Schiff decided to tank their standing with Democrats by coming out publicly against Biden instead of just letting this play out.

  139. 139.

    Scout211

    @2liberal: I think the democrats should choose the most generic person possible

    Odds are the VP nominee will be a while male. (Sadly).

    I’d go for gavin newsome myself.

    There are constitutional issues that make it impossible for delegates to vote for presidential and vice presidential candidates from the same state.

    Can the President and Vice President Be From the Same State?

    I’m from California and I would not want Newsom on the ticket.  YMMV

    ETA for clarity

  140. 140.

    dnfree

    @Trivia Man: thank you!  Not to derail the thread with Y2K, but I’ve pointed the same thing out before. Y2K is a success story of collaboration globally among businesses and governments and should be celebrated.

  141. 141.

    Eolirin

    @Trivia Man: I wasn’t commenting to you, just to the person saying Covid was a new to the world thing. I got what you meant and agree with you

  142. 142.

    UncleEbeneezer

    I don’t wanna hear a damn thing about the precious feelings of all the goddamn, Biden-Backstabbing traitors here who pushed, made excuses for and gave legitimacy to this bullshit to nullify the votes of 14 MILLION DEMS.  They can take all the smoke and name-calling they deserve for this.

  144. 144.

    Anoniminous

    All the pundits are blowing it out their ass. Nobody knows how this affects the election. And we won’t know until – my guess – the middle of August.

  147. 147.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @UncleEbeneezer: This and they better damn well hope this works out and know that two years from now they’re being left in the dustbin.

  152. 152.

    dnfree

    @Expletive Deleted: Thank you also. There are fewer and fewer of us making a stand for the significance of the Y2K effort. Sometimes I feel like a veteran of a forgotten war. 

  155. 155.

    minachica

    @dc: Thank you, appreciate the response.  I’m working on getting all our passports renewed  already.

    So countries with visa-free entry for Americans to start with? We may be able to get residency in Barbados more easily than others – does anyone here know anything about the living situation there?

  157. 157.

    Doc Sardonic

    @Archon: Because his donors told him to. He needs money for his Senate campaign, and his funding was going to dry up if he didn’t kneecap Biden.

  158. 158.

    BC in Illinois

    The mechanisms have been caught off guard.

    There is, as of today, a new website, UNITED FOR HARRIS : https://unitedforharris.com/

    See NBC News
    “Ready for Kamala? First pro-Harris 2024 effort begins recruiting volunteers”

    I sent them a contribution.

    It went through ActBlue and was credited as a gift from me to ActBlue*JoeBiden.

    I trust it will get to the right place.

  160. 160.

    Ohio Mom

    @Nelle: Oh crap. I’d forgotten about that because the Democratic leadership made sort of Rube Goldberg machine to get around the ridiculous deadline the Rethigs in Columbus put in place. But now most likely that Rube Goldberg machine is in pieces.

  161. 161.

    NotMax

    Somebody has to express it.

    Harris having a Jewish spouse not gonna play well among certain factions of the electorate.

    (Full disclosure: I supported her own campaign during the primaries of ’20.)

  170. 170.

    wenchacha

    @Trivia Man:  My two are 32 and 36. They had Columbine, and some others.

    I reminded my son that at some point, he will be asking parents before play dates if they keep firearms in their home, and do they lock them.

  171. 171.

    different-church-lady

    @zhena gogolia: We might have to pick it up TO make sure she’s the nominee.

    You know goddamed well the ratfuckers are going to try to derail that too.

  172. 172.

    George

    @Ishiyama: ​
    That is a recipe for an electoral wipeout. A Harris/AOC ticket would get demolished. I guarantee you that it would not even get 45 percent of the white woman vote.

    Do you honestly think that a ticket with two non-white women has any chance at all?

  173. 173.

    Starfish

    @zhena gogolia: Look, I don’t know about how much faith I have in George Clooney, but I do believe Amal will kick his ass if he is like “I support some pencil-necked Yale graduate.”

  177. 177.

    Starfish

    @George: Technically, when Taylor Swift is at the top of the ticket in 2028, she will have an incredible amount of support from the small donors who spent a gazillion dollars to attend her concerts.

  182. 182.

    Anoniminous

    @NotMax:

    Harris being a black woman isn’t going to play well with some (*cough*whitepeople*cough*) parts of the electorate.  At a guess we’ve lost 2% of the national 2020 Biden vote.  How that plays out in states is anybody’s guess.

  184. 184.

    EmanG

    Probably not going to happen, but can we please make Pete Buttigieg the VP nom? My god, we’d win just due to the fact that it’s hard for MAGA to vote when their heads have exploded! A black, woman of south asian heritage for President (WOMAN Y’ALL!) and a married gay man for VP? I’m here for it 100%

  185. 185.

    Eolirin

    @Anoniminous: We will never know, because there’s no way to establish any kind of counterfactual.

    We still either win or lose in November and that’s it.

  186. 186.

    zhena gogolia

    @minachica: I think Trump’s comeback after inciting a violent insurrection against the United States could be classed as a bad miracle.

  191. 191.

    Princess

    @NotMax: She should choose Pritzker from Illinois as her running mate and really double down on it.
    (full disclosure: me= big Pritzker fan)

  194. 194.

    Eolirin

    @Ohio Mom: It may not be, and may be what saves us from this being a shitshow going into the convention. The process can hopefully continue the same way, and be done with, more or less out of sight, before the convention itself.

  195. 195.

    Ohio Mom

    @minachica: As someone in that category, my first step has been to cancel the steak dinner we had planned. Why waste good food on an upset stomach.

    There isn’t anything to do except fight hard for the Democratic ticket from the top to the bottom. In good times, there is little support for those of us with vulnerable family members. No reason to think it would increase in bad times.

  198. 198.

    zhena gogolia

    @Princess: Oh, yeah, because if there’s anything this country loves more than old people and people with speech impediments, it’s fat people!

  199. 199.

    SW

    Eighty is cruel.  I feel bad for Uncle Joe.  I wish this had been his decision about six months ago.  He doesn’t deserve to have to deal with this shit in the final years of his life.

  204. 204.

    Anoniminous

    @Eolirin:

    Don’t need a Counterfactual.  We have a Null Hypothesis: Biden dropping out made a difference.  Surprisingly, here’s a case where the bullshit polls can be useful.  If there’s no significant movement then the Null Hypothesis is incorrect and Biden’s dropping had no affect on the election.

  209. 209.

    different-church-lady

    @SW: I feel the same way. But I am trying to keep my thoughts about “The Hero’s Journey” from clouding my pragmatism.

  210. 210.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @rikyrah: Yes, the endorsements from the CBC, the Clintons, etc., are good, but they are no surprise.  Let’s see which people who called for Biden to step down come out for Harris.

  211. 211.

    Weftage

    @Archon: Indeed. I am especially baffled by my Rep., Earl Blumenauer, who is in his last term & not running for re-election, so shouldn’t be at risk of extortion by the sacred Donors. I wrote him a “WTF??” note, but haven’t heard anything back.

  213. 213.

    different-church-lady

    @Anoniminous: ​To add to that: before this afternoon there was a matrix with four outcomes. That’s now been reduced to two.

  215. 215.

    Eolirin

    @Anoniminous: The polls at this point are irrelevant to the election results and those are the only thing that matters. Whether this has an impact on the polls between now and august doesn’t tell us if Biden would have been able to do more or less over the same time period

    And it definitely tells us nothing about by November.

  217. 217.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @George: How about against a guy who fucked a helmet on national TV? Harris isn’t running against Mitt “I am your generic Republican” Romney, she is running against Donald “Sharks and Batteries” Trump.

  221. 221.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @different-church-lady: Of course I’m ready to go to bat for Harris.  But I can do two things at once.  And one of those things is gonna be making sure everyone here remembers exactly who pushed this shit.

  222. 222.

    different-church-lady

    You’ve been bringing righteous fire, and I appreciate it more than ever.

  224. 224.

    Subsole

    @Eolirin:

    Pelosi was talking about “avoiding a coronation for Harris.”

    Just in case any of y’all are wondering why some of us are feeling a little trepidation, at the moment.

  225. 225.

    Ridnik Chrome

    I am angry and devastated about Biden, but I will reiterate what I said before today: I will vote for the Democratic nominee, no matter who it is, because anyone the Democrats could possibly nominate will be magnitudes better than that fucking orange fascist Trump.

  227. 227.

    George

    @MagdaInBlack:

     Yep. I do hope that everyone here is prepared for the level of ratfucking that will ensue. There will be chaos agents actively trying to fracture the Democratic party even more. From here through the election, the key is total, complete unity on our end. Anything less than that plays into GOP/fascist hands.

    And speaking of fascism, I recall a year or so ago that Tom Nichols was pooh-poohing the claim that the GOP had become fascist. He can have good insights every so often, but I wonder if he ever bothered to change his opinion, given the events of the past year.

  228. 228.

    Scout211

    @George: Of course AOC is eligible to be the vice presidential nominee

    Bio:

    Born: October 13, 1989 (age 34 years),

    I guess she will be eligible on Election Day.

  232. 232.

    Anoniminous

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation:

    Nibbling around the edges when we talk of loosely attached voters.  A zillion years ago I worked on a local campaign in NYC.  Our candidate got a 3% overall bump from previous elections from Italian neighborhoods because his last name ended in a vowel and they thought he was Italian. He wasn’t.

  233. 233.

    different-church-lady

    @Subsole: ​If anyone believed this was going to create some kind of certainty they’re bigger idiots than I thought.

  235. 235.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Ridnik Chrome: Anyone other than Harris the Democrats could nominate has no voter legitimacy and shows the Democrats as having as little regard for voters as Republicans.

  238. 238.

    Ohio Mom

    @dc: It’s extremely hard to find a country that wants “vulnerable” people.

    A friend of mine talks periodically about her cousin in Australia as a possible safe landing spot. A quick google would show her they don’t want her autistic son. I don’t have the heart to tell her that though.

    Vulnerable people are, vulnerable. I don’t know how Ohio Son would fare without his government benefits after Ohio Parents leave this world.

  244. 244.

    Eolirin

    @Omnes Omnibus: If the party does not come 100% behind Harris, and pretty much immediately, we should consider this election already lost. I will think it’ll end up being Harris as the candidate but the damage that’ll happen if this turns into a fight will fracture the coalition in ways that it will not be able to recover from in 3 months.

    We have a week at most for this shit to be sorted.

  246. 246.

    minachica

    @Archon: Seems logical that if donors threaten to withhold the millions they pledged for the rest of the campaign, politicians may feel compelled to make those donors happy (hopefully “within reason”, but that calculation will vary).

    Correct me if I’m wrong here — not an expert on campaign financing.

  247. 247.

    Steve LaBonne

    I don’t know what game Obama and his political Svengali Axelrod think they’re playing, but after helping to push Biden out they need to get on the Harris bandwagon right now or STFU.

  250. 250.

    Subsole

    @minachica:

    First step, passports. Get them up to date NOW. You do not want to be waiting two months on paperwork when the Neighborhood Faith Police come rolling down your street.

  253. 253.

    different-church-lady

    @Eolirin: 

    the damage that’ll happen if this turns into a fight will fracture the coalition in ways that it will not be able to recover from in 3 months.

    QFT, and stating the obvious: it is EXACTLY what evil actors are going to try to ensure happens.

  255. 255.

    japa21

    The Book of Faces had a group called Ridin’ with Biden.  It is now Ridin’ with Kamala

  256. 256.

    M31

    @NotMax: lol they’re already freaking out at Vance having an Indian wife, fuck them and the Nazi horse they rode in on

  257. 257.

    George

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Under normal political circumstances, yes. But when a solid third or more of the electorate supports the guy who made out lovingly with a fireman’s helmet while himself wearing a bandage for a non-existent wound on his ear, then no. There is no way to argue logic and reason with cult members. Every psychopath needs its flying monkeys. The GOP nominee has tens of millions of them.

    What the GOP has done–again, with the help of the media–is to turn American politics into a total, chaotic mess. I think commenters here largely understand that. I don’t think most normies do. And the cult members themselves will not wake up to the truth until something very bad happens, I’m afraid.

  258. 258.

    dc

    @Princess: ​
     I am not surprised. Biden-Harris have been more on the left than he ever was. He would never have defended labor the way Biden has and he certainly would not have walked a picket line with a union.

  260. 260.

    japa21

    Of course the MSM wants an open convention. They are seeing big dollars in their future if it is. I expect the party to go through with it’s virtual nomination process.

  261. 261.

    TooManyJens

    I have hated everything about the last 4 weeks, and now none of it matters. We have our nominee (or will, soon—whatever the donors may think, I believe Biden’s delegates don’t actually want a clown show and will overwhelmingly vote for Harris) and it’s time to get to work. That’s all there is. We can relitigate this election until the end of time but LATER. Preferably in about 20 years.

  262. 262.

    Quadrillipede

    Let me put it like this.

    The New York Times may have got what they wanted out of this unnecessary weeks-long performative display, but now they’re going to have to live with the consequences of their actions, and now, some of those consequences I will be attempting to impose upon them.

    So I hope they’re ready to start showing how seriously they take age-related cognitive decline in presidential candidates (regardless of party), because if they aren’t, I am quite ready to demonstrate that…

  265. 265.

    Layer8Problem

    @Starfish:  Ahh, bull. She’ll get “willing member of the Biden Administration.” Any reason to believe it will be presented otherwise? “Well, she’s not Joe Biden, so good!” probably doesn’t have the juice you’re looking for.

  266. 266.

    different-church-lady

    @TooManyJens:

    We can relitigate this election until the end of time but LATER.

    I’m just hoping we get rebuilt as well as we rebuilt Germany.

  268. 268.

    TooManyJens

    @Quadrillipede: they’re going to have to live with the consequences of their actions, and now, some of those consequences I will be attempting to impose upon them.

    Too long for a tag line but I love it.

  270. 270.

    Yarrow

    @minachica:  The thing is, if TFG wins and his much more competent administration implements their plans then the relatively stable post-war order where the US $ is the reserve currency and we have power and influence around the globe – that will fall away. As that happens, previously safe countries will no longer be safe. So keep that in mind when planning and moves to supposedly safe countries.

  271. 271.

    Anoniminous

    @Eolirin: ​
    One of the strongest findings in late 20th Century Neuroscience is people make decisions “emotionally” and justify them “rationally.”

    Polls are a weapon in the propaganda war that will be won or lost on Emotive Discourse*. The election, most likely, will be decided by ~80,000 votes in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Inculcating a feeling among very loosely attached Dem voters that “Harris Can’t Win” will tend to keep them at home.

    * a little Logical Positivism in the afternoon

  277. 277.

    Eolirin

    @Layer8Problem: I actually don’t think this is right. Harris is likely to be able to win back a good amount of those folks. That community isn’t stupid, and they know there’s been debate about the issue inside the administration and that Biden is ultimately responsible for the decision making. Harris has been better on that issue and would be in a position to make policy changes if she wins.

  279. 279.

    different-church-lady

    @Anoniminous: ​

    Inculcating a feeling among very loosely attached Dem voters that “Harris Can’t Win” will tend to keep them at home.

    Yet another thing about which we’ll soon be saying, “Why do we have to explain this?”

  283. 283.

    M31

    ….and Adam Schiff endorses Harris

    nice try buddy, but I’m still donating to your primary opponent next time

  286. 286.

    Bmaccnm

    @2liberal:

    I’m all in for Mark Kelly.  Shiny clean astronaut. Faithful, loving husband. From Arizona- state has  no inconvenient, nonphotogenic homeless hordes AND a Democratic Governor to choose his replacement.

  287. 287.

    dc

    I donated a small amount to the DNC. I responded to their email asking for $ in the wake of Biden pulling out criticizing the Dems for not rallying around Biden, who if he’s doing a great job as president now, was also the candidate we needed to defend, for the circular firing squad, for letting the media set the narrative and for all the elected Dems that have been screaming “my donors” instead of “my constituents”. I said, though, that I would donate to them, just not using their email link. The DNC can throw money where it wants for Dems. I only donated a small amount.

  288. 288.

    Ishiyama

    @George:

    @Ishiyama: ​
    That is a recipe for an electoral wipeout. A Harris/AOC ticket would get demolished. I guarantee you that it would not even get 45 percent of the white woman vote.

    Do you honestly think that a ticket with two non-white women has any chance at all?

     
    In a word: Yes.

  289. 289.

    minachica

    @Ohio Mom: Thank you! Two minutes research and I won’t take my chances with LGBT+ family either. Also, probably just not affordable for us. Too bad… but Grandma probably had the right idea when she left more than a hundred years ago.

  290. 290.

    wjca

    @Doc Sardonic: Because his [Shiff’s] donors told him to. He needs money for his Senate campaign, and his funding was going to dry up if he didn’t kneecap Biden.

    Bah!  Have you thought seriously about Garvey’s chances of winning here in California?  Somewhere on the none side of slim.  Shiff would have to be caught on film at an orgy with underage girls to be at risk.

  291. 291.

    Ohio Mom

    @NotMax: Oh crap, something else I forgot.

    One weird thing about living n Cincinnati after growing up in NYC, is the large numbers of Jews who are Republican. I don’t mean the ultra-Orthodox, I mean Reform and Consetvative Jews, including those with leadership positions in the local Jewish Federation and similar organizations. I will never get my head around that.

  293. 293.

    dc

    I think Mayor Pete would make a good VP candidate. He also is not holding elected office anywhere. Knows how to be an attack dog and do it nicely and with a smile. He’s also white.

  294. 294.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @wjca: I think Garvey’s chances might have had a recent boost. Shit, I even hope so.

  295. 295.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    @Princess: Biden’s first statement didn’t specifically endorse Harris either. His second statement did just that.

    Things seem to be moving kind of fast; it’s been, what, four hours since Biden’s announcement? (written at 2115 UTC on 22 July)

  296. 296.

    YY_Sima Qian

    For all of my criticisms of Biden, I have never doubted him as a man of decency & committed public servant. Whatever happens in Nov., he leaves behind a strong legacy as a Senator, VP & President.

    I don’t think Biden is the kind of person to yield to pressure from the likes of MSM or donors or operatives, & I don’t think the likes of Pelosi, Schumer, Schiff (& possibly Obama & the Clintons) are so politically naive as to be blind to the costs & risks of Dems changing candidate so late in the game. I trust the decision was made because the alternative is even worse, & it’s more than just momentarily bad poll numbers. I don’t put much trust into politicians, but I do trust the political instincts of the aforementioned senior Dems.

    The stakes remain the same for the coming election, the fight against the reactionaries is far more than about any one person. Every part of the anti-Fascist coalition has to quickly coalesce around Harris, & I for one hope it is Harris/Buttigieg.

  297. 297.

    Yarrow

    @Quadrillipede:   Are you suggesting that the NYT gives a shit if they look like the big fucking hypocrites they are? That they would do anything that would paint any Republican in a bad light or a Democrat in a good light?  LOL. Good luck with that.

  300. 300.

    karen marie

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation:   I think you’ll find that “the most committed voters” are committed to the party, not to an individual.

    Am I depressed about Biden stepping down?  Yes, but only because the fuckwits won, not because I think “only Biden can do it.”

  301. 301.

    KatKapCC

    @PatD: Overblown? Have you been paying attention since October, or really, since about three millennia ago? If anything, it’s underblown, and yes I know that is not a word and also sounds somehow porny, but I’m sticking with it.

  302. 302.

    different-church-lady

    @Eolirin: ​I think she can win even if there is a convention fight, but it would vastly reduce already-slender odds.

  303. 303.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Ridnik Chrome: If Democrats want to cede all their democratic legitimacy, that’s their call. Doesn’t mean I have to support it.

  307. 307.

    Jeffro

    I am SO. PSYCHED. to go out there and win this thing for the Dems!

    I wanted Joe to stay in…I am still very happy with his decision…I am THRILLED to see Kamala stepping up and SO MANY Dem officials offering their endorsement so swiftly.

    Let’s GO Demmmmmms!

    (She already has a website up btw: https://unitedforharris.com )

    SO SO SO PSYCHED!

    Let’s go crush Dementia Donnie and get him off our national radar (and into a prison cell) once and for all!

  308. 308.

    TooManyJens

    I would really enjoy seeing Steve Beshear take on J.D. Vance’s poor-Appalachian-hick bullshit in a debate, but have no idea if he’s a good candidate on other grounds.

  309. 309.

    YY_Sima Qian

    I do wish I am not living in this f*cked up timeline. Make no mistake, this development hurts the Dems in the short term.

  310. 310.

    different-church-lady

    @karen marie: ​

    Am I depressed about Biden stepping down? Yes, but only because the fuckwits won, not because I think “only Biden can do it.”

    Bingo. I’m depressed and EXTREMELY ANGRY, but the rest is the same.

  315. 315.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @KatKapCC: A phony Democrat might as well be a Republican. He’s for the money, not for the people.

    And I live in MA and am voting against Warren this year, my candidate four years ago for President, because of her wishy-washiness on this issue in the media.

    If it were Schiff, I’d be out there actively campaigning for his opponent like he actively campaigned against Biden.

  317. 317.

    Gloria DryGarden

    Reposted from Heather Cox Richardson’s page

    ADMIN HERE: Heather just posted this: “Hey folks: Buddy and I are halfway down a river in our kayaks. I won’t be home for at least two hours. When I am, I’ll announce the time for a broadcast tonight. Deep breaths, everyone. This is a change, for sure, but now that J.D. Vance is locked in as Republican vice president, it has some significant upsides. President Biden has many stellar qualities, but above all, his sense of timing has always been unrivaled. I’ll see you soon.”

    Around 430 mtn time, she’ll set up a broadcast for later on today

    JFC

    I’m calling for prayer & focus times 6,7,8 pm, your time zone. There will be others, glad to silently join in focus for the qualities, care and inclusion we prefer from or national government and it’s functions. On my Facebook, getting some buy in.

  318. 318.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Subsole: I’m hopeful that this (and Obama) is basically about just making noises to disarm the current Republican attack of “Democrats abandoning democracy to anoint Kamala Harris”.

    Set up some token opposition so Kamala can knock it down. Or declare it ‘open’ but don’t actually encourage any competitors.

  319. 319.

    different-church-lady

    @Jeffro: ​Front Pagers: can we just turn the blog over to Jeffro? Because whether right or wrong, it’s the most helpful attitude we could possibly have at the moment.

  320. 320.

    Layer8Problem

    @Eolirin:  The community also knew that Biden was better, regardless of what he was doing and how he was doing it, than Trump with regard to Gaza and Israel.  Twitter and the rest of the gamed social media world and the Times and its friends will all be pushing the “Kamala hates Gaza, like her ex-boss” line, and there’s no reason to believe that community is any less gullible than any broader community.

  321. 321.

    KatKapCC

    @Jeffro: That’s not an official site:

    This website is not affiliated with any campaign, candidate, or organization.

  324. 324.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Jeffro: Wow, that is fast! This does show that things have been developing behind the scenes for at least a few days. Given the rapid momentum to unite behind Harris, I am hopeful that the Dems can contain the downside risk.

    Edit: Oops, just saw KatKapCC’s post.

  326. 326.

    guachi

    @Lobo:

    I said a few days ago I would never purge the Biden stay folks if Biden stayed in and lost.

    I will not demand people fall in line or sit down and shut up and support Harris. It’s not productive. Cole said to me, when I said I couldn’t donate or volunteer for Biden because I didn’t believe he could win, that if you’re voting D and volunteering where you can that’s all that can be asked.

    If you never come around to being able to donate or fully support Harris then that’s fine. People feel how they feel. We all know what’s at stake. If we win we’ll never have to care about anything Trump ever says or does.

    We don’t have infinite time and infinite money. If you can’t fully support Harris I’m sure there are many state and local candidates who would love your money and time.

    But Biden/Harris raised $5 million in one hour. The excitement is real! Harris can do this!

  328. 328.

    Honus

    @Trivia Man: in just ten years, from the age of 5 to 15, here’s what I saw:

    first Catholic president

    first Americans in space and to orbit the earth

    President JFK murdered

    the Beatles completely changed popular music

    Civil Rights Act

    LBJ quits reelection bid

    men walk on the moon

    Oh, yeah, also Woodstock

  329. 329.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Mike Johnson (R-Mammon and Moloch) sez Biden must resign the presidency.

    Mike Johnson can fuck himself with a rusty unlubed chainsaw.

  331. 331.

    Layer8Problem

    @M31:   “….and Adam Schiff endorses Harris”

    And I’ll say to Schiff, “Dude, I’m sure Harris will never remember the knife you put in Biden’s back.”

  334. 334.

    Jeffro

    @different-church-lady: aw, thanks!

    I am bouncing back and forth like many of us.  But in the end, I’m just psyched that one way or the other, we’re going to crush these KKKlowns in November.

    (trumpov is going to be off. the. hook. and in a blind panic for the next four months.  Going to jail?  why yes, Donnie, you are indeed going to jail)

  335. 335.

    karen marie

    I just got an email from Joe Biden asking for money to support Kamala Harris, so I sent a donation.  I hope you all do too.

  341. 341.

    Eolirin

    @Layer8Problem: Biden’s team has reportedly been split between cut off weapons supplies and the position that’s been taken. Kamala can credibly position herself much closer to the former.

    It’s not about which one is better between Biden and Trump, it’s about her ability to move policy much closer to where they want it and Biden’s inability to do so.

  342. 342.

    Doc Sardonic

    @wjca: Didn’t say he wouldn’t beat Garvey, that never entered the conversation. What I said was his donors told him kneecap or no money, no money means no growing campaign fund, no growing campaign fund means reduced influence to be had by spreading money around. Schiff seems to be plenty ambitious and less funding can stifle advancement.

  343. 343.

    wjca

    Wondering if the Ohio legislature abruptly changes their legal deadline.  Precisely to encourage an “open convention” clusterfuck.

  344. 344.

    karen marie

    @rikyrah: I don’t know why anyone would be surprised by Axelrod throwing wrenches.  He’s been humping Republicans’ legs since he was working for Obama.

  345. 345.

    No One You Know

    @rikyrah: Donated to Madame President PAC. Fuck I wish I were working.

    I wonder just how much of this is about donors (who have so much more say than mere voters and their picayune contributions) to the Democratic caucus.

    That said, I was born before the Civil Rights Act was passed, and I have lived to see a two-term black president, a woman nominated for president, and now a black woman likely to be nominated for president.

    I am glad to see this!

  347. 347.

    guachi

    @karen marie: $5 million so far in just the first hour, so I read. It was always about Democrats writ large, not the elites. Harris will get the nomination because it’s obvious that’s what Democrats want.

  348. 348.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Spanky:

    A couple of old white guys on the list here need to step up toot sweet, or they’ll hear from me, one of their constituents.

    Yeah, I’ll be calling Steny and both our Senators in the morning. The party needs to unite behind Kamala, and they need to do it fast.

  349. 349.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @rikyrah:

    Exactly.  I’m waiting for our senior Senator and the nice, entitled, white lady, first termer in CO-7 to come out with ringing endorsements toot sweet.

  350. 350.

    Old Man Shadow

    I’m seething.

    You don’t spend a month slagging your candidate and forcing him out if you’re serious about winning.

    So fucking stupid.

  352. 352.

    LNNVA

    @Princess: He doesn’t bring anything to the ticket. Two-time Governor Roy Cooper of NC does and he is term-limited to be out in January. We lost NC by less than 2% in 2020, and it has 16 electoral college votes.

  354. 354.

    Gloria DryGarden

    It’s not an amusing day for a thesaurus, but I’m trying to find the words for how I feel

    Shocked, LIVID,

    aghast appalled disappointed anxious stunned terrified fierce enraged cranky

    And so on. Jeepers.

    I’ll dig up a few gallons of bindweed, all those horrible underground stems, and wrap it around and around the thing I don’t want.

    Maybe it’s time to write words on a paper (stuff I don’t want) and burn them, surely the moon is back to waning…

  356. 356.

    Marc

    @minachica:  So countries with visa-free entry for Americans to start with? We may be able to get residency in Barbados more easily than others – does anyone here know anything about the living situation there?

    My father’s parents were immigrants from Barbados and my grandmother, aunt, and uncle moved back there in the later years of their lives, plus there are still numerous cousins.  My last visit there was pre-COVID. It has a population of 280,000, with a large impoverished underclass, a decent size middle class, and a few enclaves of very rich white folks who own substantial amounts of the coastal areas to the north of Bridgetown.  The people are well-educated (they have good public schools based on the English model) and mostly friendly. There is a University of the West Indies campus located there. The island is proudly democratic and the Prime Minister and President are fierce black women. Given the poverty, insufficient employment opportunities, and exposure to the drug trade, crime is going to be an issue, on par with with some urban areas here in the US.  Food and manufactured products are expensive, as much needs to be imported.

    I’ve spent some time there, mostly enjoyed it, but never really felt comfortable as there is just so much poverty combined with occasional in-your-face displays of wealth (that includes myself and other tourists).

  357. 357.

    Ridnik Chrome

    @Ridnik Chrome:   And if there are any regulars here with really long memories, they might recall that way back in the summer of 2000 I was so disgusted when Al Gore picked Holy Joe Lieberman as his VP that I threw in with Ralph Nader. And was vehement about it right here in this very comment section. Boy, oh, boy, was I wrong. Bush II was worse than anything I could have imagined, and I guarantee you Trump II will be worse than anything you can imagine. Let’s all bust our asses to make sure it doesn’t happen.

  359. 359.

    TooManyJens

    Already tired of the texts I’m getting from opportunistic “Democratic” groups fundraising off this news.

  360. 360.

    Sister Golden Bear

    For those telling us to STFU, I for one am perfectly capable of multi-tasking. I’m both venting here, and donating to the Harris campaign, and promoting (elsewhere) why to vote for her.

    Just because I’m pissed and venting about it doesn’t mean I’m a “Game over man, game over!” doomer, nor that I’m not working to win the election. FFS, as a queer trans woman I have way more skin in the game than many folks here. You’ve seen me post about all the ways Republicans are trying to eradicate us right now. If Trump wins it’s going to be outright hunting season.

    So maybe show a little sympathy and grace.

  363. 363.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    And one of those things is gonna be making sure everyone here remembers exactly who pushed this shit.

    The term you used for those commenters were so-called “good people”.  And yeah, you used quotation marks for very good reasons.

  364. 364.

    JMG

    The former Democratic campaign worker Dana Houle said this on Twitter. “If you/’re pissed Biden isn’t running for re-election that’s OK. But don’t ignore what Joe Biden now wants you to do.”

    I posted on a thread a few weeks back that if Biden ran, I’d support him all the way, and if he didn’t, I’d support his choice to replace him. He’s made his choice, and I am cool with it. No bitterness, no anger. The least I can do is try to be one-tenth the adult he was today.

  366. 366.

    KatKapCC

    To anyone who is either resigning themselves to a loss or if you know people who are, a friend just posted a long rant in which she said:

    Giving up is a choice. Don’t make it.

    AGREE.

  367. 367.

    Ohio Mom

    @minachica: There are a few European countries that will take descendants of emigrants, I think Ireland is one. That is useless to my family with its Eastern European Jewish roots.

    Israel would take us, Hahaha. Would rather stay here even under Trump and Project 2025.

    I got all this migrating stuff out of my system in the Bush Jr. years.

  368. 368.

    Spanky

    July 21 (Reuters) – Many Democrats on Sunday quickly backed Vice President Kamala Harris to run as the party’s presidential nominee against Donald Trump after incumbent President Joe Biden’s abrupt departure from the race, but some powerful party members, including former House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi, stayed quiet.

    Nancy’s 84. She’s looked old and feeble in the videos I’ve seen of her lately. I think she should resign.

  371. 371.

    Scout211

    @Ishiyama: Eligible on Inauguration Day.

    Oh, so AOC isn’t eligible. Thanks for the correction!

    It’s a moot point because there is no way.

  373. 373.

    WaterGirl

    That’s a third strike for eversor – so this is a one month time-out.

    On Balloon Juice, you don’t get to suggest shooting someone in the head.

  374. 374.

    PatD

    @KatKapCC: you see,  I just prefer to think that two states electing Jewish governors is a sign that the country could get behind a ticket that has a Jewish person it. I think Presidential nominees should be allowed to choose the person they are most comfortable with to be their VP and not worry about whether backwards people will accept blacks, Jews, gays etc. I think we shouldn’t live in fear of those people. You don’t advance the cause without making some moves.

  378. 378.

    Layer8Problem

    @Eolirin:  “Kamala can credibly position herself much closer to the former.”

    Sure, and she very well may have actually done so too.  But she doesn’t have the only thumb on the media scale.  As Cliff Robertson said about the Times at the end of Three Days of the Condor, “How do you know they’ll print it?”

  388. 388.

    KatKapCC

    @PatD: Two blue states electing Jewish governors doesn’t mean a dang thing about the whole country. And again, if you’re trying to act like there is no issue with antisemitism in this country, I guess I’ll offer congrats on waking up from your coma and suggest you do some reading.

  390. 390.

    guachi

    According to CNN, Harris is seeing an “avalanche” of donations. She’s going to raise $50 million by this time tomorrow and none of it via a big donor event.

    Anyone worried people wouldn’t rally around Harris should have their fears assuaged.

  395. 395.

    lowtechcyclist

    @EmanG: ​

    Probably not going to happen, but can we please make Pete Buttigieg the VP nom?

    I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yeah, that would be good! He is an excellent communicator, and that’s what a VP candidate really needs to be good at.

    My one reservation, which is still a pretty major one, is that he still doesn’t have the sort of experience one would like to see in someone a heartbeat away from the Presidency. I mean, he’s done well as Secretary of Transportation, but it’s still one of the lesser Cabinet posts. And having been mayor of South Bend just doesn’t count at all, afaiac.

    But right now, we’ve got to win this goddamned election. And if he’s the best VP candidate out there, then let him be the VP nominee.​

  396. 396.

    BellyCat

    @wjca: The Democrats still need to do the teleconference to pick their ticket, in order to get on the ballot in Ohio.  And when they do, that’s it.

    Can you remind of us of the date that the nomination will become official?

  397. 397.

    PatD

     

    @KatKapCC: What’s up with the insults? I choose to believe the country can elect someone who is Jewish in spite of the real problems with antisemitism in this country. You disagree and that’s ok.

  398. 398.

    PatD

    @Layer8Problem: Feel free to post a quote of where I have trolled someone or engaged in personal attacks. I have expressed my opinion on where Dems should go to win this election. In any case, go ahead and continue using me as a punching bag if that makes you feel better.

  399. 399.

    206inKY

    The Republicans are spooked since they know Kamala can win.

    Mitch McConnell’s statement says it all about how much they fear Harris: “Unfortunately, the Democratic Party has been busy in recent weeks trying to upend the expressed will of the American people in primary elections across the country.“

    Their entire convention was a sloppy mess rooted in overconfidence, now it’s going to come back to bite them.

  400. 400.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @dnfree: We don’t.

    I would encourage everyone to refrain from feeding the “knife in the back” narrative against senior Dems, to be employed in the event of defeat in November. Whatever their faults, all of the senior Dems (I don’t mean the likes or Manchin) are committed opponents of the Rs & committed public servants. If we cannot trust them (& Biden) to act in what they believe to be the national interest & maximize the probability of defeating the reactionaries this Nov., then might as well give up now & activate your contingency plans for R taking control of most levers of government, because there does not currently exist another vessel for marshall the forces of the anti-Fascist coalition.

    What is needed is to unite ASAP around the new candidate, who can only be Harris.

  401. 401.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    Kamala Harris was my top choice in 2020.  Then Biden won and exceeded all expectations I had for him.  He was an amazing President who got fucked over by his own party and our failed media experiment.  I’m all in for Harrris now.  I don’t think I’ll be truly happy until Obama gives her his endorsement.

  402. 402.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @different-church-lady: Um, how do we do that? I picked it up for Biden to the best of my ability, and they still ran him off, contra the 14 million counted votes in the primary.

    To be clear, I’ll support Kamala with my whole heart. But she isn’t the nominee yet. Given the party’s behavior in the past few weeks, I’ll believe in her nomination when it happens, and not a moment before.

  403. 403.

    bluefoot

    @ArchTeryx:  A friend of mine told me recently that he expected that is TCFG wins a lot of people will end up dead.  He grew up in Germany and who had previous generation relatives who were Nazis and some who were, and those who weren’t Nazis ended up dead.  He was basically telling me to get out NOW.

  404. 404.

    Percysowner

    @Villago Delenda Est: ​
     

    Mike Johnson (R-Mammon and Moloch) sez Biden must resign the presidency.

    Well, yeah. That puts him next in line for the Presidency and with the capacity to torpedo any VP nomination to finish out the term. VP must be approved by both the House and Senate.

    Cliff Schecter and Matt Robison also think Biden should resign so that Harris can run as President Harris, make a few Executive Orders, give speeches from the Rose Garden and be seen meeting with world leaders. They think that will help her campaign. I mean I would hate for her to become the first Black, Female President with an asterisk by her name because Biden resigned, OTOH, showing her stuff may help take away some of the ability to say she can’t handle the job, because there she would be, handling it.

  406. 406.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @SiubhanDuinne: deep breath.

    Trying not to cry.

    Because it’s a real good point you and rikyrah are making.

    Ok, I am going to cry. Maybe vulnerability is my superpower, and will clear a space for more strength once I entertain these weakening sad difficult enraged feelings.

    [Like when I ice skated, and had to try a new trick, and it was terrifying (always) and I’d go to the side, clutch the boards, and repeat with all the feelings, with fervency, “I can’t, I can’t….I can’t” about 29 times. And then skate into the middle and do the thing, or keep practicing the thing. It kind of took the edge off my terror, cleared a space for possibility and focused attention.]

  408. 408.

    Eyeroller

    @zhena gogolia: ​I’m going to say it. Pie me if you want. Clooney was acting as a proxy for somebody. He should never have had that amount of power on his own.

  409. 409.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @YY_Sima Qian: If we cannot trust them (& Biden) to act in what they believe to be the national interest & maximize the probability of defeating the reactionaries this Nov., then might as well give up now

    Until Harris is securely nominated, and with aplomb, we can’t.

  410. 410.

    Suzanne

    I just threw $50 toward Harris. I wish it could be more, but my range unexpectedly died and I had to replace it (switching to induction rather than gas, like a good liberal) and that was an unexpected expense. Also, Spawn the Elder is moving from Kansas to Colorado and that cost a chunk of money. More next paycheck.

  411. 411.

    Princess

    @LNNVA: Pritzker brings cash. He’s a billionaire. He basically funded his own election leaving the Dems money for down ballot. Great big FU to the donors who turfed Biden.

  412. 412.

    lowtechcyclist

    @PatD: ​
     

    I choose to believe the country can elect someone who is Jewish in spite of the real problems with antisemitism in this country.

    Yeah, I’m pretty sure that practically all the people who wouldn’t vote for a Jew, or someone who married a Jew, are already solidly in the MAGA column. So I don’t think it’s gonna cost us a nontrivial number of votes.

  413. 413.

    Kay

    @BellyCat:

    August 7. But the governor had to call a special session just to get the lege to do anything at all so the risk of Republicans somehow changing the rule was always remote. Republicans in Ohio are at each others throats because of a huge scandal where people have already gone to prison and DeWine and his Lt Gov (the presumptive next gov) may be implicated. The scandal just gets wider and wider. They do nothing. They’re busy trying to stay out of prison.

  415. 415.

    opiejeanne

    @MazeDancer: I know this will be an unpopular opinion, but I think we do need a white male for the other half of the ticket, to give someone for the racists and misogynists to vote for.

    Right now I’m trying to locate a Democratic HQ near me, as the one in King County on the east side is in Renton which is an absolute nightmare to get to from Woodinville much of the time. I’ll call them tomorrow.

    There’s one in Snohomish, in Snohomish county, and that’s a pretty drive but it can be a bear too.

  416. 416.

    Subsole

    @Anoniminous:

    Let me help you.

    MI and PA are back on the board. Lady is fixing to get tuned up by those Midwest voters we hired Joe to court.

    Misogyny can be beaten. Misogyny and racism together? I don’t know if I trust my country that much.

     

    I will say if these fucking clowns sideline Harris, they aren’t gonna have to worry about the GOP. Because there won’t be anything left when the base gets done with them.

     

    @rikyrah: Annnnnd there it is. Right on schedule.

    We’re about to find out a lot of really stupid people ain’t nearly as smart as they thought.

  417. 417.

    PatD

    @KatKapCC: no, I am not. Please don’t put words in my mouth. I have never implied that there isn’t real antisemitism in this country. I just personally like both Pritzker and Shapiro and think they could be part of winning tickets.

  418. 418.

    bluefoot

    @Juice Box: ​
      IOKIYR. Felony convictions, age, complete incoherence aren’t working against TCFG. One bad debate has forced Biden out. ANYTHING against Harris will be made radioactive, hypocrisy of Republicans won’t matter at all.

  420. 420.

    Spanky

    Also too:

    “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” Obama said in a statement. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”

    Yeah, heaven forbid that the voters have a say.

  423. 423.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Ridnik Chrome: Until it is, Democrats have lost my trust. I’m gonna wait and see and, in the meantime, just hope I’m stable enough to work tomorrow.

  427. 427.

    Ishiyama

    I think the ticket needs star power – a politician whose name is already familiar to the nation, not some favorite daughter or son of a particular State. I see a lot of names mentioned for VP who are barely known to me, much less known to the public at large.

  429. 429.

    bluefoot

    @Yarrow: ​
      My same German friend put it, a nation who is the world’s currency and has nukes goes fascist, there is nowhere safe. The best you can do is slightly higher ground.

  432. 432.

    tam1MI

    @Starfish:In Michigan, she is going to energize some Muslims who were not going to vote for Biden based on Gaza policy.

    She went in front of AIPAC and boasted about how she raised money for the IDF when she was younger.  They are not going to vote for her.

  433. 433.

    KatKapCC

    @PatD: Okay. I am Jewish, and I have been Jewish in this country for coming up on five decades. And I am telling you, as should have become painfully obvious over the past nine months, there is a lot more hatred against us in this country, from all points on the political spectrum, than some of y’all want to believe. It runs very very deep. You don’t get from “support Palestine” to “gas the Jews” and “kill the hostages” and “go back to Poland” otherwise. And non-Jews do not get to tell Jews that we are wrong about what we have experienced our whole lives. I could tell you some of the disgusting things that have been said to me, from people on the right AND the left. Stop believing that it’s only right wingers who harbor prejudices against us. My life and the lives of many Jews I know prove that wrong.

  436. 436.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @Starfish: Do you seriously think the people who pulled off the Palace Coup have any interest in helping Palestinians?

  438. 438.

    LNNVA

    @Princess: I would rather have the state of NC than the money. Cooper has been winning in that very purple state and is very popular there. Obama won the state in 2008, and Biden almost won it in 2020. Cooper knows exactly where the votes are. And, 16 electoral votes replaces the state of Georgia and is more than Michigan, Arizona, or Wisconsin.

  440. 440.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @minachica:

    Check out Portugal. Their residency requirements are relatively easier than most other European countries. Not that anywhere will be totally safe if the US goes down the fascist road.

  442. 442.

    different-church-lady

    @O. Felix Culpa: ​1) We don’t indulge in the pornography of despair. 2) We don’t get fooled into in-fighting again. 3) We don’t indulge or amplify ratfucking whispering against Harris OR ANY OTHER DEMOCRAT. 4) Outwardly we express nothing but optimism to the normies.

  443. 443.

    lowtechcyclist

    @rikyrah: ​
     

    Ragnarok Lobster 🐺 (@eclecticbrotha) posted at 1:17 PM on Sun, Jul 21, 2024:

    All you backstabbing, ageist motherfuckers can miss me with this talk about Biden’s legacy. His legacy is he was the most progressive president of my lifetime and the donor and pundit classes repaid him by bullying him into quitting the race.

    No lie told.

  447. 447.

    dnfree

    @YY_Sima Qian: 100% agree.  I watched the debate and I’ve seen some of the “anonymous” comments that are supposedly from White House staff and world leaders.  I think there are grounds for concern regarding Biden and I have been fearing an “October surprise” worse than the debate with no way to change course at that point.  None of that should detract from his accomplishments in office.

  448. 448.

    2liberal

    i dont believe we need any thought police telling others what the allowed opinions are. I’ve made a few additions to the pie filter

  453. 453.

    different-church-lady

    @2liberal: Consider anything I say to be a recommendation, even if stated as a demand.

    Unless, of course, I just stated an opinion about pie.

  454. 454.

    PatD

    @KatKapCC: I am going to say this for the last time. What you are accusing me of here is not reflected in anything I have ever said on this blog. When I typed “overblown” it was to combat the notion that a Jew couldn’t win a Presidential election in this country. It does not dismiss that antisemitism exists here and has grown in recent years. I think we can overcome that. That’s all I will say about this.

  455. 455.

    Jinchi

    ā‎@NotMax: Harris having a Jewish spouse not gonna play well among certain factions of the electorate.

    Those factions of the electorate will not be voting for the Democrats.

    Honestly, people barely care who the VP nominee is, they don’t care at all about a spouse except when they’re looking for an excuse.

    If you need to find something to worry about, you can just fret about her being a minority woman. There’s no need to look farther than that.

  457. 457.

    different-church-lady

    @Jinchi: Yes, but you just know they’re going to work that angle, and some idiots will take the bait.

  458. 458.

    karen marie

    @guachi:   I am delighted to hear it.  I sent my bit in, at Joe’s emailed request.

    Regardless of your irritation with “the process,” sending a donation – esp today – sends a message to the fuckwits.

  459. 459.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @O. Felix Culpa: Portugal was my fall back in 2020. Unfortunately they elected a right-wing government this year. So I need to recheck if that’s still a good choice.

    IIRC part of the win was due to locals (rightfully) being fed up with expats driving up housing costs.

  460. 460.

    LNNVA

    @opiejeanne: Roy Cooper, Governor of NC, is term-limited. He has managed to win and be popular in that state for years. If we think a white male vice president is a good idea, he would be perfect. Also, to be petty, look at a picture of him.

  461. 461.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Chacal Charles Calthrop:

    I’d take Y2K off that list, it was really a nothingburger

    Y2K was a nothing burger because myriads of people worked their butts off for a couple of years to make it so. There was a discussion about this on this very blog not too long ago.

  466. 466.

    BellyCat

    @Princess: Obama: “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”

    Fuck…. Obama fails to explicitly endorse Kamala. WTF?!?!  I don’t interpret this as a good sign, nor see how internecine conflict to select the Dem nominee will produce a winning result in Roevember. I guess we wait and see…

  467. 467.

    M31

    Trump already starting to try to weasel out of the scheduled Sept debate — complaining it should be on Fox, not on ‘very biased’ ABC.

    someone is scared

  468. 468.

    EarthWindFire

    @Eolirin: And how do I know the PTB won’t pressure the delegates to choose someone else? I’ll believe that Kamala Harris is the nominee when she gives a nomination speech, not before. I no longer trust the Democratic Party.

  470. 470.

    dc

    @LNNVA: I’ve been to an event with him, when he vetoed the abortion restriction bill (and we all knew the General Assembly would override it, thank you, traitor from Charlotte and gerymandering). He was very good, he has charisma and he knows how to get a crowd excited, while still looking like a mild mannered office boss.

  472. 472.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @LNNVA:

    I would rather have the state of NC than the money.

    Yup.  We don’t need money.  For better or worse, the campaign finance laws and developing the expertise internally has allowed Dem campaigns to raise craptons of money at will.  This isn’t the Democratic party, finance-wise, of my yoot.

    I’d rather get a candidate like Cooper who has a real shot at bringing an important state into play.

  474. 474.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @Juice Box:

      IOKIYR. Felony convictions, age, complete incoherence aren’t working against TCFG. One bad debate has forced Biden out.

    What’s up w that?

    No words

  475. 475.

    bluefoot

    I wish my brother were alive. He had his finger on the pulse of what most non-politically engaged people thought, and how to sway them. Plus he was hugely insightful. (In Feb 2020, he predicted that TCFG’s administration would seize/divert PPE and ventilators from blue states even though at the time they were minimizing the pandemic.) My brother would be able to tell me how to best help us win.

  477. 477.

    WaterGirl

    @dc: We have to be smart.

    Strategic donations matter more than ever.  Look at the fine print – that goes to “your contribution will benefit Joe Biden”.

    That is not going to a Kamala Harris fund.  She is not on ActBlue yet.
    May You Live in Interesting Times

  479. 479.

    Jinchi

    @different-church-lady: We don’t indulge in the pornography of despair. 2) We don’t get fooled into in-fighting again. 3) We don’t indulge or amplify ratfucking whispering against Harris OR ANY OTHER DEMOCRAT. 4) Outwardly we express nothing but optimism to the normies.

    Well now you’re just trying to shut this place down completely.  /s

  481. 481.

    Suzanne

    FWIW, Rachel Bitecofer says on X:

    My only VP choice requirement is that they hail from the Midwest swing states.

    Take that for what you will.

  482. 482.

    Xentik

    @Omnes Omnibus: I was assured by people that the nomination fairy would be along any moment to wave her magic delegate wand and crown Harris, and that the MSM totally wouldn’t change tack and begin pushing for Harris to be dropped.

    I see we have trolls already expressing concerns about Harris here too.

  484. 484.

    WaterGirl

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    and donating to the Harris campaign,

    Where are you doing that?  Because everything I see that looks like it’s for Harris is not going to Kamala.  It’s going to the joint Biden-Harris pot.  I’m not sure that’s helpful.

    I know from creating our BJ thermometers that you can say anything you want in the title, it’s what’s on the right-hand side that tells you where the money is going. See my comment at #476.

    I think we need to hold our fire until Kamala is on ActBlue.

  486. 486.

    brendancalling

    Biden has been the best president of my lifetime, including Obama. I’m sad to see him drop out, but I think he made the right decision, presented the decision in a wise and statesmanlike manner. His quick endorsement  of Harris means so much.

    I don’t fall in love with politicians. They’re a means to an end. Joe Biden has been great. Passing the baton to Kamala, to me, makes sense. It’s a boss move.

    Those of you/us who are upset—and I am really disappointed—need to pull up our grown-up pants and get to work. Kamala ain’t winning of we’re not there for her.

  487. 487.

    wjca

    @lowtechcyclist: My one reservation, which is still a pretty major one, is that he still doesn’t have the sort of experience one would like to see in someone a heartbeat away from the Presidency. I mean, he’s done well as Secretary of Transportation, but it’s still one of the lesser Cabinet posts. And having been mayor of South Bend just doesn’t count at all, afaiac.

    But Secretary of Transportation has gotten him nationwide domestic experience.  Leaves him still thin on foreign affairs.  But as I recall, Harris was a bit thin there, too.

  489. 489.

    bluefoot

    @EarthWindFire: ​
      I don’t either. There’s no one else who can realistically be nominated, but the pundit-and-donor class and so-called Dem “elites” have completely destroyed any trust I may have had.

    As WOC, perhaps I should have known better to trust.

  495. 495.

    Lily

    Joint statement from Reps. Gregory Meeks (D., N.Y.) and Steven Horsford (D., Nev.), two of the CBC’s leaders:
    “She has been instrumental in delivering the accomplishments of the last 3.5 years and has led on lowering maternal mortality rates, protecting reproductive freedoms, and ensuring economic opportunities for all.”

  496. 496.

    Betty Cracker

    Remember the VP’s adorable young adult stepchildren? They featured in some of the 2020 convention content. I wonder what they’re thinking now. “Yikes!” probably…

    @Suzanne: Seconded!

  497. 497.

    eclare

    @BellyCat:

    And what the fuck does “create a process” mean?  We have a process.  Joe releases the delegates, they vote virtually before the convention.  That’s the agreed upon process.  So disappointed.

  501. 501.

    Roberto el oso

    Kudos to Hillary & Bill Clinton for endorsing KH so quickly. I’m assuming there’s some cerebral overthinking going on with the Obamas, but hopefully we’ll hear from them soon.

    Also, to everyone who is already making plans to get out of Dodge, could you maybe stick around till after Election Day? Let your last act be voting for the Dem ticket from top to bottom, before you head off into exile?

  504. 504.

    Trivia Man

    @Honus: Strong contender! I will quibble and replace either 2 or 9 with US losing a “police action” in Vietnam just a couple years later. And probably combine #4 and 8 as ‘culture revolution’.

  508. 508.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Sister Golden Bear: Yes, they did elect a right-wing government this year (I happened to be in the country during the elections). However, my understanding is that it’s more center-right than extreme right. I can live with that. Not however, if they go down the fascist road again, of course.

    ETA: The expat influx driving up housing costs, particularly in Lisbon and the Algarve, were a factor. But there were other issues as well.

  509. 509.

    sab

    @Nelle: No they haven’t corrected the problem. They passed a law to correct it but that law is itself too late to correct it for this year’s ballot and I sure don’t trust the hacks in our state Supreme Court to be lenient.

    So we’ll still have to have the early vote.

  510. 510.

    Spanky

    There is no Harris Campaign. The party is not pivoting to her automatically. Party “leaders” like Obama and Pelosi are not endorsing her. There are other shoes going to drop.

    Here’s the latest beg from the DNC:

    By now you have likely seen the news that Joe Biden has ended his reelection campaign for president.

    First and foremost, we all owe President Biden an enormous debt of gratitude for the unparalleled progress he has delivered over the last four years.

    But we also know that many of you are wondering what comes next.

    In the coming days, the Party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party to defeat Donald Trump in November.

    We also know a lot of people are wondering what they can do at this moment to help. The DNC is the one organization best-positioned to move resources where they are needed, when they are needed to defeat Donald Trump AND elect a Democratic House and Senate.

    So today, as we all watch and follow the news, we’re asking:

    Can you please use this link to contribute $100 directly to the Democratic National Committee? We will put your donation right to work defeating Donald Trump and electing a Democratic Congress.

    Sure, they’re trying to profit off the upheaval, so no mention of the Biden/Harris warchest. But they also totally avoided any mention of a candidate other than a vague promise.

    I’m not happy

    ETA I should have said there’s no Harris campaign yet.

  511. 511.

    Trivia Man

    @Martin: Strong contender! In my defense, in the context of my son and his peers, the absolute economic upheaval and loss of social services and government regulations adds a level of bullshit for bonus points.

  512. 512.

    dkinPa

    @Black Onion: Trump is  the oldest nominee for president of the United States in American history. He’s almost 80. Does he have the health and mental stamina to serve another four years? I don’t think so, he’s been mixing up names in rallies for months now. Won’t someone from the Republican party talk to him?

    It’s worse than that.  He’s no longer recognizing family members!  He gave a blank stare to Tiffany when she greeted him at the Republican Convention.  Definitely Alzheimer’s.  Sad.

  514. 514.

    Unknown known

    @Trivia Man: Not America, but 1066 must have been a crazy year in England. The Black Death sweeps through and kills a third of the population, with people going from totally healthy to dead in 2-3 days, then the great fire burns half of London down over a few days. It must have looked like the world was very literally ending.

    I think about this some days

  516. 516.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @eclare:

    Obama was an unquestionably and uniquely talented politician. But in the end, it was mobilized for so little. The most gifted politician in decades and a tepid politics so unsuited to that gift.

    His statement is keeping with his character.

  518. 518.

    Eolirin

    @Layer8Problem: There’s an actual information dissemination network there though. Kamala meets with the community leaders and they spread it. When you’re reaching out to communities like that you can bypass the media environment.

    The problem is that “white people” broadly, have no such network. It’s Churches or Labor organizations, where those things exist, but it’s very fragmented and large chunks of the population aren’t part of an organized community. So trying to do outreach there is very hard. This is less so.

  519. 519.

    Layer8Problem

    @PatD:

    No personal attacks, but you’ve been actively pounding the Biden Must Go drum.  Twenty bad minutes brought you to endgame.  Are you in for the remainder now that Biden’s gone?

    PatD  July 19, 2024 at 1:33 pm

    @tam1MI: The person who orchestrated the drip of doom was Joe Biden. None of this happens without his debate performance. The resulting loss of confidence was and is entirely his fault.

    PatD  July 19, 2024 at 2:12 pm

    @eversor: some good points here but how else does a party resolve the issue? There is no non-messy way out of this. And the blame for that is entirely with Joe Biden.

    PatD  July 18, 2024 at 7:19 pm

    @Odie Hugh Manatee: if Biden loses don’t waste your breath blaming the Sanders people, elite donors, white moderates etc. Look in the mirror.

    There are a lot of people desperate that the clock is ticking on this election and time is running out to replace a candidate that is clearly compromised and cannot even campaign effectively.

    PatD  July 18, 2024 at 6:13 pm

    @Jay: Right, this is the part where we all didn’t know how badly Biden was compromised until he showed it to everyone on live tv.

    However, you did have a grudging resignation moment:

    PatD  July 19, 2024 at 4:01 pm

    @ArchTeryx: He’s most not their best chance rather than the option they are stuck with. Otherwise there are younger, sharper potential candidates out there including his own VP. If he loses it’s almost certainly due to age and the appearance of clear infirmity and diminishment. That being said, I’m resigned to him staying in the race so best of luck to him. Also, I’d say he should not bother to debate anymore.

    You want to do some good?  Say you’ll fight for Kamala Harris to the end, knowing the stakes at play.  You got what you wanted, Biden’s gone.  Try to stave off any disappointment she provokes in you.

  521. 521.

    Jinchi

    @WaterGirl: It’s my understanding that donations to the Biden/Harris campaign are 100% transferable to Harris now that Biden has dropped out, since her name is on the ticket, but not to any other candidate.

    But maybe one of our law experts knows for certain.

  522. 522.

    Subsole

     

     

    @YY_Sima Qian: Say, I don’t know if this is the time or place, but I am curious.

    How would you say Xi is seen by different segments of the Chinese public? Is he beloved, slightly corny, Mao 2.0 (for good or ill), or what?

  523. 523.

    Archon

    @brendancalling: I like Biden and I’m disappointed he got pushed out like this but one thing I won’t miss is everyone telling me he’s the best President of our lifetime like thats self evident.

    Whether we like it or not Biden was polling in the high 30’s partly because he doesn’t have any legislative accomplishments the average voter can point to. He also just got pushed out by his own party 3 months before on election in his 1st term because they thought he was unelectable against a batshit insane candidate leading a party that has gone full fascist.

    This might be all extremely unfair to Biden but its not a successful Presidency.

  524. 524.

    zhena gogolia

    I am really astounded that people think Clooney’s going to let Kamala be the nominee.

  525. 525.

    bluefoot

    @rikyrah: ​
      And yet again a bunch of overprivileged white people will have created an unnecessary mess by not listening to POC and then insisting we clean it up while thanking them all the while. And when their plan fails, we will get the blame.

    Am I bitter? You betcha. Too much life experience as a WOC.

    I will do my damnedest to make sure TCFG and MAGAs are defeated, but I am not going to forget this.

  527. 527.

    Spanky

    @Unknown known:

    he Black Death sweeps through and kills a third of the population, with people going from totally healthy to dead in 2-3 days, then the great fire burns half of London down over a few days. It must have looked like the world was very literally ending.

    That was 1666.

  528. 528.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Unknown known:

    1066 was a notable year because of the Norman invasion but the longer-term impacts of Norman rule wouldn’t be felt by your average Saxon peasant for decades.

    The Black Death didn’t reach England until 1348.

    The Great Fire of London was in 1666.

    I r/wuz a history major…among other things. ;)

  533. 533.

    BellyCat

    @eclare: And what the fuck does “create a process” mean?  We have a process.  Joe releases the delegates, they vote virtually before the convention.  That’s the agreed upon process.  So disappointed.

    Yup. Disappointed in Obama for the lack of leadership here. He, above most others, knows the importance of party unity during times of crisis.

  535. 535.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Sister Golden Bear: Yeah.  The assumption that those of us who hang out here and were actually defending Biden, aren’t going to work to support Kamala is really, offensively, ridiculous.

  536. 536.

    KatKapCC

    @WaterGirl: The link that Biden emailed and posted on FB also says that in the fine print. I think they just haven’t updated it. It says her name at the top.

  538. 538.

    Kathleen

    @rikyrah: I plan to call Sherrod Brown’s office and ask how long will it take him to kneecap nominee or will he wait until after election.

  540. 540.

    Citizen Dave

    @Trivia Man: I believe the EC is our greatest problem as a nation, so every time 2000 and 2016 happen it’s fucked up.  (You didn’t list the 2016 one).

    To combat the doomers, the D has won the Presidential popular vote 4 elections running.  Kamala on the 2020 ticket with a 7 million vote margin.  Trump is 4 years further into his resurrection bullshit period.  People are just plain sick of him.  As Barack used to say, come on now.

  542. 542.

    Eyeroller

    @zhena gogolia: I do.  I think Obama and Pelosi were the driving force behind this.  Some commenters got very emotional over that and PIED ME because how dare I suggest that.  Others seem to believe that Obama and Pelosi are some kind of political supergeniuses. But there is a lot of evidence that this was largely an Obama/Pelosi op which happened to work in concert with other donors (the Pass the Torch grifters–they were not connected to this as far as I can tell but happened to have the same goal).

  543. 543.

    sab

    @Yarrow: Not so. Harris isn’t 81. There were some well-intenionned people ( e.g. Kay and MomSense) who sincerely thought his age was a problem. There isn’t that lever to work with Harris.

  544. 544.

    E.

    I do not understand what Obama is up to here. This is awful. This is irresponsible. I feel like I’m on the fucking Titanic.

  545. 545.

    Aussie Sheila

    Got up early today to feed the cats. Read the news and went back to bed.

    Joe Biden has been and continues to be, the best US President in my political lifetime.

    He has made a decision that grieves many loyal Party members. Absolutely understandable in the circumstances.

    But now he has endorsed his Vice President to take up his mantle and legacy.

    She is a strong, intelligent and fierce woman. And if I may say so, absolutely gorgeous looking.

    She is going to beat trumps big fat white criminal arse like a drum.

    Unity and focus are force multipliers in any struggle.

    I am confident in VP Harris, the Democratic Party rank and file and the broader non fascist US electorate.

  546. 546.

    dc

    I have an Obama-Biden magnet on my fridge, it’s from the 2008 campaign. I am now going to take it down. It’s has historical value, but we are in an emergency, Mr. Obama, and you go “process” on us? I am really disappointed.

  550. 550.

    Martin

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: Oh, I don’t doubt there was something of a campaign to dump Harris as AOC warned. But I think that campaign was headed off and we’re going to get 48 hours of continued rallying around Harris to make sure it can’t get any traction. Everyone who wanted Joe to stay in the race is going to throw their weight behind Harris, and at least a subset of those who wanted Joe to go were going to throw their weight behind Harris. So I think Harris always had the needed support.

  551. 551.

    Ruckus

    @rikyrah:

    This old, white, man, is on board.

    One of the reasons I enlisted in the military was because I believe in this country. And that we are all equal, race, gender, age, etc. As a government goes, equal actually means equal. I may be smarter or dumber, I may have lighter or darker skin, I may be taller or shorter, I may or may not be the other gender, I may weigh more or less, but in the side of life we are discussing – government – we are all equal. We all have the same standing, unless we are convicts. And most of us are not.

  553. 553.

    Eyeroller

    @M31: Mostly COBOL actually for the y2000 issue, since it was mostly a business problem.  I heard about retired COBOL programmers getting huge amounts of money for contract work.

  555. 555.

    dc

    If Obama could run again, okay, but he can’t. No one else is him. So he needs to get with the program and help us. I can’t believe he’s doing this.

  558. 558.

    Jinchi

    @dkinPa: Sometimes I feel sorry for Tiffany, but then she opens her mouth and I realize she’s just as bad as the rest of her family.

    In a normal family, TFG not knowing her name would be a sign of dementia, but with him, .. it could just be that he’s an ass.

  560. 560.

    different-church-lady

    @UncleEbeneezer: ​Agreed, but I saw enough “I’m done with Democrats” comments in the other threads that I thought it really needed to be nipped in the bud.

  561. 561.

    dc

    @Eyeroller: ​
      It’s all about the benjamins, that’s it. Biden wants to expand social security and medicare, tax the top 1% more, etc. We can’t have that, now can we?

  562. 562.

    BellyCat

    @George: Sure. But Obama ain’t got much time to boost the signal before the nomination is confirmed. The careful wording here gives the appearance that he’s playing with the radio dial to see what the majority of the other stations are playing. At least his O’Bros were recently all in for Kamala on PSA. We’ll see what their next podcast brings.

  566. 566.

    Jinchi

    @sab: I think that’s just a convention, but since eceryone believes it, it’s probably de facto true.

  568. 568.

    Roberto el oso

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation: obviously we can’t be, but at that point voting a straight blue ballot is no longer necessarily a vote “for” anyone but a vote “against” Trump/GOP.

    If we win then let the intraparty fighting begin.

    If we lose we’ll have other concerns, namely survival.

  569. 569.

    sab

    @Expletive Deleted: Same thing with the pandemics we didn’t have (at least two so far this century) when we had competents in the White House. Then there was Trump. Avian flu is still around and Trump would screw that up worse than he did for covid.

  570. 570.

    Scout211

    @me: important news! Sorkin has changed his mind

    That is nice to hear.

    But I still am feeling highly resentful that Hollywood celebrities think they can speak as experts in politics just because they are famous. Not to mention, FTFNYT giving a Hollywood celebrity an Op-Ed.

    He must be super embarrassed that his opinion piece suggested that Mitt Romney was a better choice for the Dem ticket than Biden.

  571. 571.

    Layer8Problem

    @Archon:  You come back with some clever take like “Now Taylor Swift, she would have been a successful president because cute and high recognition and would have gotten credit for all sunny days” and I’ll fucking move to Andalusia.

  572. 572.

    PatD

    @Layer8Problem: Hmm, I don’t owe you or anyone anything. Expressing an opinion that you don’t like is not “trolling”. I stand by every opinion I expressed over the last week which were all offered in good faith with the caveat that I would have voted for Biden if he remained in the race. I’ve always supported a transition to Harris so I have no problem continuing to support her.

  573. 573.

    Eyeroller

    @Mr. Bemused Senior: ​As I mentioned, very little Fortran, a lot of COBOL. Fortran has always been used mostly for scientific code which had little exposure to the problem, but a lot of business-oriented code was COBOL. (Disclosure: am on the Fortran Standard Committee mailing list though not a member, and have contributed some to a compiler.)

  576. 576.

    Chris Johnson

    @George: I have an observation.

    Democrats operate in… democracy.

    That condition assumes people do NOT just fall in line, and we’re the ones who survive and even thrive on complicated, tricky situations, and that turns out to be by far the best thing for the country even though it’s scary and non-simple.

    I think that makes us better able to survive the ratfucking and conflict thrown at us, and I think we’ll come together over this. We’re taking the gloves off. Having been pushed out of the option of going with a placating choice who’s the best at the job, we’re forced into going for an EXCITING choice who is… also best at the job. I’d bet money that she will be just as transformative as Biden has been. And that she shares his goals for the country.

    HARRIS 2024

    or BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU FUCKIN’ WISH FOR 2024!

  577. 577.

    Archon

    @Eyeroller: Obama and Pelosi are literally the only 2 people I trust (besides Biden) in the higher ups of the party that have the entire Democratic Party interest at heart and not any parochial interests.

    I guess alot of people disagree

  579. 579.

    Chris Johnson

    @Omnes Omnibus: None of their business. What else would you expect them to do? Don’t trust the press, they’re only trying to fuck us. How obvious do you need that to be.

  580. 580.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Juju: Well, just remind yourself it’s nothing but talk until they can present an actual human being an not an animatronic like Mittens.

  585. 585.

    zhena gogolia

    @dc: I just took mine off my car that I’m about to trade in. I had planned to save it, but not any more.

  586. 586.

    Geminid

     

     

    @KatKapCC: Anti-Semitism came out of WWII with a very bad name in the US because of the Holocaust. That’s when anti-Semitism was forced underground more or less but it has always been present, just not acknowledged in “polite circles.” And anti-Semitism was never limited to right-wing circles to begin with; it was endemic.*

    So I can see how the recent resurgence of anti-Semitism is so alarming to Jewish Americans. It’s like a fire alarm ringing in the night that many other people hear only dimly.

    * I am reminded here of the career of Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp. As Milton Shapiro, he graduated into the Depession with an electrical engineering degree from what is now Case Western Reserve University. He could not find a job in his field and was hauling coal in a dump truck when he read of an job opening for an electronics salesman. Shapiro really needed that job and he changed his name from Milton Shapiro to Milton Schapp to get it. The job was in Pennsylvania and Shapp figured people would think he was of German origin.

    Shapp probably wouldn’t have had to make the change after WWII but by then he had retired from the Army as a Major in the Signal Corps, as Milton Shapp, and he was hard at work building a prosperous electronics manufacturing company.

    Milton Shapp became active in the Democratic Party and was a big Kennedy backer in 1960. Later Shapp won the Pennsylvania Governorship but I have to wonder if he could have won back then as Milton Shapiro.

  588. 588.

    Jay

    @WaterGirl:

    It is my understanding that only two campaigners can spend the Biden/Harris funds. Biden and Harris. As Biden has resigned the $130+ million and the pledged delegates go to Harris.

    The pledged delegates might be the bigger problem.

  589. 589.

    Martin

    @BellyCat: So, I think they’re saying what I’ve been trying to say for a while here – that a better process going into 2024 might have avoided this situation to start with, and a return to a good process, as painful as it might be, will lead to a better, stronger outcome.

    On this I agree. However, 3 months from an election seems way too late to craft one.

    I’ll also note that both Obama and Pelosi are sufficiently plugged into the party and respected that if they both see that Harris has overwhelming support that they can be the voices that call for that return to process. That’s pretty understandable if their endorsement isn’t needed in this moment. They aren’t endorsing anyone else, and aren’t going to. It’s fine. The party needs these voices, and these are right two to say it.

  590. 590.

    minachica

    @Yarrow: Yes, I do realize that. However, having the ability to move to any other place quickly could be a crucial advantage, and failing to complete some basic steps right now seems unwise. I guess I’m just looking for help to decide what does/doesn’t makes sense to do.

  591. 591.

    sab

    @EmanG: I want Buttigieg to stay where he is in the Cabinet. I am about to have a railroad track next to my backyard and I want somebody keeping an eye on the railroad companies.

  592. 592.

    Martin

    @Jay: Maybe, but so far of the interviews I’ve seen of Biden delegates, most are relieved, and the ones that were sticking with Joe are behind Harris. So if that continues and is representative, I think we’ll be fine here.

  594. 594.

    Scout211

    I need to find some humor today.  This made me laugh.

    Axios headline:

    Biden’s exit makes Trump the oldest nominee in U.S. history

  595. 595.

    zhena gogolia

    I asked for postcards, but if it’s not Harris, they’re going in the trash.

  597. 597.

    KatKapCC

    @Martin: Saying their endorsement isn’t needed is ludicrous. If they are two of the most powerful Dems in the country, their endorsement is absolutely needed, without question. And there is no legitimate reason for them to withhold it, unless they don’t actually want Harris as the nominee. And if that’s the case, they need to explain exactly why in no uncertain terms.

  598. 598.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Way late to the party at #597 because I’ve been unplugged all weekend for personal sanity reasons, till this announcement came across my text feeds.

    After a gut-wrenching couple of hours, I’ve come around to real honest-to-god optimism. My wife passed along “Emergency Nerds”, a panel discussion hosted by Mary Trump that helped a lot.

    I’ll discuss my reasons for optimism in one of the new threads we’re no doubt going to be getting every hour or two all night.​​

    Well, OK, the short version: Joe is still smart and still a great politician, and he knows how to deal with fractious Democrats. And he’s not the only smart cat herder in our party. These people know how to get things done. This was gamed out. The decision to announce on a Sunday afternoon when it’s going to dominate the conversation all weekend, as opposed to the traditional “sneak out the bad news Friday news dump” was deliberate.​

  601. 601.

    Trivia Man

    @Jinchi: It is in the constitution that you may not cast a vote for VP and Pres who reside in the same state. Bush Cheney proved that is easily bypassed but it is still in there.

  605. 605.

    brendancalling

    @JMG:  that’s exactly my POV.

    we need to win. If we win with Biden, that’s awesome. If we win with Kamala that’s also awesome.

    i understand people’s anger and bummed-outedness, but I hope it passes quickly. We gotta win.

  606. 606.

    raven

    I’m in solid blue Athens, GA with tons of very progressive friends. None of them wanted Biden to drop out and would have supported him all the way. None, and I mean none, thought he could win. Call me all the names you want to but that’s what I know.

  609. 609.

    Suzanne

    @sab: Pete’s not staying in that job if Harris doesn’t win, and it would be more likely that he’d get a promotion, anyway.

    I think he’s a good choice. But I think there are a lot of good choices. We have a lot of talent on our team.

    FWIW, Mr, Suzanne, who is a much kinder person than I am, and an extraordinarily keen observer of all this stuff….. he said, “I’m feeling the most optimistic I have in months”. He is almost always right with his predictions.

  610. 610.

    EarthWindFire

    @brendancalling: With the utter clusterfuck the last month has been, there’s no nominee until the delegates are counted and the speech is made. If it’s Kamala Harris, great. I’ll vote for her.

    But I’m not giving money or time anymore. Biden raised a shit ton of money after that debate from small donors like us and it didn’t mean anything. I’m sticking with school board and mayoral races. I don’t want to donate my hard-earned money and write postcards and phone bank for people who don’t have each other’s backs. If that makes me immature, fine.

  613. 613.

    Starfish

    @Juju: It was heartbreaking to see people who had been in iron lungs since childhood (due to polio) die of COVID.

  614. 614.

    BellyCat

    @Martin: Agreed. Pelosi has not yet endorsed Kamala, has she?  I’m guessing (hoping) she and Obama will pow-wow with their respective parties and come out unified in their message soon-ish. The part I’m a little surprised by is that Joe’s decision may have been more sudden and uncoordinated than I previously thought.

  616. 616.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Sure is lovely watching the PoC, People With Disabilities, LGBTQ People etc., we care about, now having to make plans to flee the country.  All because some so-called Liberals/Progressives wouldn’t stop shitting on our candidate (and making excuses for those that do).  This wasn’t just donors and pundits.  YOU DID THIS!  Everyone who piled on, should be fucking ashamed of themselves.  And they should never be trusted again.

  617. 617.

    LNNVA

    @dc: I don’t really know him. My husband is from NC. We were married there, but we haven’t lived there in a while. I am just looking at this from what I think we need on the ticket, if they allow Harris to head the ticket. I am glad to hear that he is charismatic.

  621. 621.

    M31

    @Suzanne: ​
     

    I’m still extraordinarily angry, but also am feeling optimistic — mostly because of the many high-profile Harris endorsements.

    The few that haven’t come in (Obama *cough*) are only making themselves look like assholes, as far as I can tell. Though maybe there is some waiting around for dramatic effect? One can hope.

    Yeah, the NYT will get its marching orders soon and Trump will get the Russian ratfucking brigade tweeting lies, but we knew that.

  623. 623.

    George

    @Chris Johnson: ​ I hope you are right, but I have my doubts. The fact that we operate in a democracy is good as far as it goes, but it also leaves us open for manipulation. The GOP keeps itself in order, in line, unified. Too often, I think that one of the ways that the rightwing attacks Democrats and liberals is to inject trolls into our debates, or otherwise support some on the far left whose only duties are to serve as chaos agents. I think we’ve seen a lot of that on this blog the past four weeks.
    Wanting to hear all sides of an argument seems like a good idea. Wanting to be respectful of people who have differing opinions from our own seems like a good idea. However, in the end, in our overall political system, what matters the most is winning. Progress for anything–minority rights, women’s rights, the environment, addressing climate change, etc.–depends on winning elections. And I believe that entails sometimes telling the squeaky wheels to shut the hell up and get to the back of the line.
    And I have my doubts that Democrats, whether liberal or centrist, will indeed come together.​

  624. 624.

    minachica

    @Ohio Mom: Yes, I’m sure you have given a lot of thought to that. I also have a vulnerable (barely adult) child, but not for health reasons. I never thought I would be a runner instead of a fighter, but I guess children can change everything. Of course, I have no idea what, if anything, we ultimately decide to do. I do still believe we will win in November, but this is the wake-up slap in the face that I think I needed.

  628. 628.

    Starfish

    @M31: I think some people are waiting to extend the news cycle. If everyone comes out and endorses today, it will show a lot of support, but the press will be onto their next shiny object tomorrow.

  629. 629.

    Geminid

    @Ishiyama: The person selected for VP will become well-known on that basis. As for “star power, if they’ve got the right stuff they’ll earn the star power on the campaign trail.

  630. 630.

    Martin

    @KatKapCC: I will say again that the reason Biden got in trouble is because Democratic voters has lost their sense of investment in Biden due to process problems by the party.

    Obama and Pelosi are here to remind everyone that a candidate that the electorate don’t feel they had a say in (see the George Clooney comments above for proof here) may not get the level of commitment from the electorate that they need. Democracy isn’t a good process only because it produces good outcomes, but also because it gives agency to citizens to be invested in that outcome. We don’t have time to replicate that, but the party needs to provide something here. And even if that can’t happen in a satisfactory way, having party leaders calling for that helps to anchor what the party should stand for.

    Again, they aren’t saying this in a vacuum, they’re saying this with the knowledge that the party has effectively picked their nominee. They’re Monty Hall knowing which door has the car behind it and can reveal the option knowing what it’ll show.

    Put another way, they wouldn’t say this if they weren’t secure that Harris had this sewn up.

  631. 631.

    Layer8Problem

    @Suzanne:

    Mr, Suzanne, who is a much kinder person than I am, . . . said, “I’m feeling the most optimistic I have in months”.

    I’ll take optimism.  😀

  632. 632.

    Subsole

    @EarthWindFire:

    Nah. I can understand the feeling.

    That said, focusing on local races may be more useful, honestly. Part of what landed the country in this mess is people ignoring local government. Ceding it to The GOP In many cases.

    Local races are also good bang for the buck.

  634. 634.

    KatKapCC

    @raven: My reading skills are just fine. I took “in this moment” to be more general and not literally this exact second or minute or hour. And I do believe their full-throated endorsements in this moment would be massively important.

  635. 635.

    tam1MI

    @guachi: First of all, I want to once again offer my sincere apologies for the cruel words I said a few days back.  I have been avoiding replying to your comments becauseI figured you didn’t want to hear from me after that.

    However, I am replying this time to say that it has not escaped my notice how polite and kind in this thread you have been to people who are hurting deeply and fell betrayed by their own party, and to thank you for that.

  636. 636.

    Starfish

    Oh, look. Joe Manchin is being an embarrassment again.

    “CNN anchor Jake Tapper says source close to Sen Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who is now an independent, is considering re-registering as a Democrat and throwing his hat into the ring.”

  641. 641.

    comrade scotts agenda of rage

    @Starfish:

    And here I thought Joe Liebermann was the biggest political douche to ever be a Senate Dem at one point.

  642. 642.

    SatanicPanic

    As a guy who prefers this outcome I do not believe there is any other option than Harris. I have heard the line from AOC that rich donors are going to force someone else but I find it really improbable. Who would accept it besides Harris?

  643. 643.

    Eolirin

    @Geminid: A big problem, unless Biden and Harris have been preparing contingencies long in advance is that the VP selection process will be very abbreviated.

  645. 645.

    Layer8Problem

    @zhena gogolia:  We just gotta put our heads down and keep on working, and fighting.  We mourn for a day or so, rage at the clever folks who got their dream fulfilled and now get to see where that will take us all, assuredly to a Much Better Place than yesterday’s reality and you doubters can take that to the bank on their say so, and continue to try for the best resolution.  We’re still fighting for people’s lives against the bad guys.

  648. 648.

    Suzanne

    @M31: I am — at this point, and that may change — thinking that the Obamas are not making any sort of endorsement because they do not want to provide any ammunition to the argument that “Kamala is crowned” without some sort of lowercase-d democratic process.

    I have always been a bit salty about primaries, because a whole bunch of states that are small and weird always go first, and usually, my preferred candidate has dropped out by the time my primary comes along. But some sort of public engagement process is going to have to take place. And I can see the Obamas not wanting to look like they’re putting any thumbs on the scale.

    So I am holding onto my judgment on this specific issue for now.

  650. 650.

    Geminid

    @Starfish: Manchin had better not throw his best hat in.

    But Manchin has to get media attention while he can, because once Senator Jim Justice hits town Joe Manchin will become, “Joe Who?”

  651. 651.

    Chris Johnson

    @206inKY: Link me to a twitter statement by Mitch. I want to tell him to his face that I VOTED for Kamala, because she’s on the ticket with Biden and I knew she was on there and liked it.

    Fuckouttahere with this ‘primary voters who voted Biden/Harris didn’t vote for Harris’. The man’s like 80. Fuck outta here. Of course we considered that.

  652. 652.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Geminid: Oh dear, the Mittens moment is over and now it’s Manchin momentum!

    How many non entities will line up for their turn for humiliation?

  654. 654.

    Eyeroller

    @dc: For the “Pass the Torch” that’s (money) exactly what it is. For Obama/Pelosi I think it is about flawed political reasoning.

    1. Joe is unpopular.  Joe has high negatives. Never mind that Trump has even higher negatives, they don’t pay attention to that.

    2. David Shor does highly questionable internal polling showing Biden losing bigly.  Obama thinks Shor is a Boy Genius so these numbers are gospel truth.  All other data are ignored.

    3. After Debategate Shor produces even more apocalyptic polling showing Biden losing everything except maybe California.

    4. Other polls show BIden losing hugely in swing states and taking most of the House and to a lesser extent the Senate delegation with him.  Never mind that they were sponsored by a Trump PAC.

    5. Mostly white House Dems run to Nancy Pelosi.  They are still loyal to her and not to Jeffries. Nancy and perhaps others come up with the pressure campaign.

    6. Find a Johnny Unbeatable who will not be blamed for inflaaation. No not Kamala, she is part of this failed administration.

    7. Victory!

  655. 655.

    Geminid

    @Eolirin: Yes, the choice needs to be made quickly, before it becomes a bone of contention among Democrats, and another prolonged media circus. There will be several popular favorites and some people are gonna be disappointed.

    I expect the pick will be announced soon, maybe as early as tomorrow. There are several good prospects to choose from who have won already won competitive races on their own; road tested, so to speak.

  656. 656.

    delphinium

    @Starfish: What a surprise, ‘Mr. Pay Attention to Me!’ is doing this. He had his chance with that No Labels type group and decided not to run then. Too late now Joe, you can take a seat and have a huge cup of STFU.

  657. 657.

    MomSense

    @SatanicPanic:

    The reporting on Harris’ call with donors was that they were not happy when she was expressing confidence in Biden but many times people on the call expressed support for her.

  658. 658.

    Chris Johnson

    @Jinchi: That’s why I immediately donated $100 I can’t afford, off a Biden tweet linking to that Biden/Harris fund.

    I did it specifically because it’s not accessible to any ringers. THAT fund needs to blow up. At the point that we get a dedicated Harris fund I’ll go again.

  660. 660.

    J. Arthur Crank

    @Scout211:   As of now, there is no official nominee for the Democrats.  T***p just accepted the GQP nomination at age 78.    I am too lazy to check what Handsome Joe’s exact age was right after the 2020 convention, but it would be 77 or 78.

  661. 661.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Eyeroller: 6. Find a Johnny Unbeatable who will not be blamed for inflaaation. No not Kamala, she is part of this failed administration.

    It is the Dean Romney Machin moment!

  662. 662.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Subsole: Xi is despised by the demographics who have been targeted or disadvantaged by the policies Xi has promoted: the liberals & libertarians whose opinions have been suppressed, the creative class whose creative space has been further restricted, the academics & intellectuals whose space has been further constrained & more closely surveilled, the activists (of whichever cause) who have been suppressed, the members of ethnic minorities (Uyghurs & Tibetans) whose agitation for independence/autonomy/cultural preservation have been ruthlessly oppressed, the tycoons working in sectors targeted for regulatory scrutiny (real estate, internet platforms, cram schools) & their financiers who have lost significant net worth, the members of rival political factions that have lost the power struggles w/ Xi & been targeted for corruption probes, the urban mass affluent who are no long direct or indirect beneficiaries of state largesse & have seen their net worth take a hit from the deflating housing prices. If Western MSM is reporting anecdotes of opposition to Xi & positing it as evidence of mass disaffection, see if the persons referenced come from one of those demographics.

    OTOH, the rural masses & the urban working & lower middle classes have been the primary beneficiaries of Xi’s “Common Prosperity” program, especially the “Poverty Eradication” program, strongly supports Xi & the CPC regime. This includes members of ethnic minorities who are not that politically conscious, because most ethnic minorities tended to live in relative poverty in marginal habitats, w/ little prospect for escaping their conditions, were it not for massive state investment & in kind/monetary transfers.

    People working STEM fields also tend to support Xi & the CPC regime, though not w/o reservations, due to massive state investment & because they are fighting to fend off the U.S.’ tech war against the PRC (which Biden has escalated).

    However, I don’t know anyone who supports unlimited terms for Xi. While the CPC regime propaganda department has worked hard to build a cult of personality for Xi, akin to that of Mao, it is entirely superficial. No one believes it, certainly not w/ the fervor & conviction that much of the populace had held toward Mao even through & after the Cultural Revolution.

    Xi’s position is quite secure, but has lost his shine due to the economic weakness during the gear shifting from heavy reliance upon real estate & infrastructure development to advanced manufacturing & green tech.

  663. 663.

    Chris Johnson

    @Starfish: I know for a fact that a bunch of lefties that got totally caught up in the doomerism are now like LET’S GOOOOO, and they’d been leaning towards electoralism. The one that I knew was ride-or-die Biden, made the switch without a hiccup.

    I’ll keep an eye out on whether they manufacture reasons to screw it up. They seem to have earnestly believed Biden was that old and that deteriorated, and they seem reinvigorated. I don’t agree with them on the former at ALL, but I’ll accept it if they’re suddenly all hands on deck. Maybe Joe saw polling reflecting them as well.

  665. 665.

    Chris Johnson

    @zhena gogolia: Can ya get it out of your system and quit pretending like the President of the United States doesn’t have agency?

    Clooney doesn’t have SHIT. Biden remains leader of the free world, immune from any damn thing in his official capacity, already sitting on silly amounts of campaign money rightly earned and transferable to Harris.

    I’mma need you to get a grip, if not now than in some reasonable time, and stop behaving like a rich idiot actor is in the chain of command and controls the damn President. The one thing I CAN be certain of is that Biden thought this was such a good idea that he passed up the very good chance of being a re-elected incumbent President to run this play. I think he’s right, I think we’re going to kick ass.

    This was BIDEN’S call. Nobody else’s.

  666. 666.

    Eyeroller

    @Chris Johnson: ​Sure, ignore all the pressure and the certitude that the media and the donors and the bedwetter and the backstabber Democrats would ever let up on it from now till November. I think he decided he just could not fight on multiple fronts at the same time.

  667. 667.

    Archon

    I hate how this whole thing went down, especially since it didn’t feel like there was a plan, and it also felt like this was a conspiracy to remove Harris off the ticket too.

    What I’m not going to do is pretend I don’t understand how the average voter all the way up to Pelosi and Obama had concerns about the viability of a Biden campaign moving forward.

  668. 668.

    Layer8Problem

    The “average voter”, eh? You do you. Yeah, crying shame how it went, huh?

  669. 669.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Chris Johnson: Maybe Joe saw polling reflecting them as well.

    I like to think they saw polls were Harris can do this and Joe decided “do I really want to die in the White House?”

  670. 670.

    SomeRandomGuy

    @MomSense: You keep assuming that Trump followers pay attention to the facts. We’ve had 5-6 years to prove they will do it to the point that all people who can’t stand old-people cooties will suddenly come up with an extraordinarily stupid idea, and try to implement it.

    Biden has been campaigning more than Trump; sleeping through 3.9 days of the convention doesn’t count.

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    If anyone thinks “Free Palestine” isn’t (in part) driven by targeted Republican propaganda to weaken Joe Biden in an area where he should be strong, they’d be fools. Republicans will hand over a spare nuke to wipe ’em out, from the river to the sea, and laugh and say “you’re free now!”
    But, hey, we can’t deny this: Joe Biden *was* president on October 7th, which means he’s somehow responsible for the effects of Israeli right wing humiliation, and the violence they inflicted.

     

    @SW: Eighty is cruel.

    No, it isn’t. Eighty is a concept, and can’t be cruel. Being 80 doesn’t have to be cruel either. No, *PEOPLE* are scheming and cowardly shitstains who knife good people in the back for no good reason.

     

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: The term you used for those commenters were so-called “good people”. And yeah, you used quotation marks for very good reasons.

    See, I learned a long time ago, if you tell people they’re good and you understand them, they *still* won’t care, and won’t stop being irrationally hateful. Kindness is no virtue when there’s no room for it – all it does is water the message down.

    Republicans today are thinking if they can impeach Harris for not revealing the extent of Biden’s decline. Kindness, and assumption of reasonability, is never appropriate when Republican propaganda is being dealt out.

  671. 671.

    SW

    Hilarious that Trump is a lazy fucker and his entire campaign boils down to running against the senile old man.  And now he has become the senile old man in the race.

  674. 674.

    Quadrillipede

    @Yarrow: Are you suggesting that the NYT gives a shit if they look like the big fucking hypocrites they are?

    I don’t think the New York Times has any opinions or emotional responses to anything that happens. And I probably can’t singlehandedly destroy them as an organization. But I am going to do whatever I personally can to ensure they don’t get to destroy any more presidential candidates, university administrators, or actual sitting presidents. Because that bullshit needs to be stopped.

  676. 676.

    Quadrillipede

    @Jeffro: As cathartic as Donald losing a rematch might’ve been, Donald being beaten by a girl (who’s not even white) is arguably going to be even more enjoyable. Especially if the fucken Supreme Court won’t let him die in prison where he belongs.

  678. 678.

    Subsole

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    Thank you for that response. Very concise summation of a broad and difficult question.

    I asked because I had indeed read rumblings about the man being rather poorly regarded. But it was vague, and China is…vast.

  679. 679.

    SomeRandomGuy

    @lowtechcyclist: My one reservation, which is still a pretty major one, is that he still doesn’t have the sort of experience one would like to see in someone a heartbeat away from the Presidency. I mean, he’s done well as Secretary of Transportation, but it’s still one of the lesser Cabinet posts. And having been mayor of South Bend just doesn’t count at all, afaiac.

    Ay, gevalt, no one would ever believe TFG was President in 2016, and here we are talking about whether Mayor Pete is qualified, and *yes*, I know, you care about his qualifications because you care about the country, but that’s the point.

    I’m asking those around to note the complete and total insanity of this world, where baseless concerns over a beauty show led to the shivving of a Democratic President, where a steady stream of lies overcame the Democratic process, because people were afraid of the fascist threat, and wouldn’t believe the truth, no matter how it was presented to them.

    (“Beauty show”? Tomayto, tomahto.)

  682. 682.

    SomeRandomGuy

    @Gloria DryGarden: As someone who is not at all neurotypical, I can’t say what is, or isn’t, normal. But I’ve noticed that sometimes, when I felt I was too sensitive, I was too low on resources.

    Why? Well, because of pain that I was so used to feeling, it no longer registered on me as pain at all. Plus, a lot is neurological, so it doesn’t present as the typical “ouch”.

    I’m not saying vulnerability is a problem; it’s a superpower. But if I’m low on resources, it hurts more, and takes a lot more out of me. If I’m adequately resourced, I can handle it, so well most people can’t spot it, unless watching for it.

    Anyway: if I could tell a younger SomeRandomGuy something, it would be “you’re in a lot of pain, and you won’t realize it for a good many years. That pain doesn’t make you vulnerable; it makes you less able to control when to be vulnerable.”

    Reading what you wrote made me think to share that, not because I think it applies to you, but just, like, “if you ever are having problems, here’s a clue that helped me figure out mine.” Also, I think a whole bunch of people are like me, in pain, and not even realizing it. The more people who know _that_ can happen, the better.

  683. 683.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Subsole: Keep in mind that the demographics that despise Xi are vastly overrepresented among the contacts of western MSM reporters, compared to Xi’s supporters. Western MSM are also wont to promote preferred narratives, as opposed to trying to discern reality.

    I should add that Chinese nationalists generally support Xi for the PRC’s muscular & assertive turn in foreign policy, especially wrt territorial disputes, as opposed to what they perceive to be meekness during the Jiang-Hu eras. Of course, the ultranationalists think Xi has been far too conciliatory.

  684. 684.

    Quadrillipede

    @Spanky: Nancy’s 84. She’s looked old and feeble in the videos I’ve seen of her lately. I think she should resign.

    I think she did resign. Also, you may have missed it, but her husband was attacked by a hammer-wielding maniac, so she may be due whatever grace and gratitude you are able to muster at this difficult time.

  685. 685.

    hotshoe

    @zhena gogolia: ​

    so disappointed in Obama.
    He shouldn’t need even two seconds to compose a simple statement that he completely supports Kamala Harris for president.
    He’s been in on the rumors and pressure against Biden for weeks — there’s no excuse for why he’s not prepared for what he would say when he won out over Biden.
    The fact that he doesn’t instantly and loudly support Harris is a silent confession of his personal unworthiness.
    I’m starting to think that he wants his lifetime legacy to be something like “the only Black American elected to the highest office”.
    I hate to be that petty, but c’mon man, Obama is just being stupid right now and I can’t think of why, unless it’s because of his selfish jealousy …

  686. 686.

    PatD

    @hotshoe: the reason he’s not come out with an outright endorsement is that he doesn’t want this to appear as a coronation, rightly or wrongly.

  687. 687.

    Quadrillipede

    @Omnes Omnibus: Oh, that seems hilarious, and might come in useful in the next few weeks.

    @206inKY: Mitch McConnell’s statement says it all about how much they fear Harris: “Unfortunately, the Democratic Party has been busy in recent weeks trying to upend the expressed will of the American people in primary elections across the country.“

    I, for one, am for sure very interested in whatever Mitch McConnell has to say about the “expressed will of the American people” (although I now understand that at least 95% of contemporary Republicans simply don’t understand the meaning of the word American…)

  689. 689.

    Central Planning

    @Quadrillipede:

    I think she did resign. Also, you may have missed it, but her husband was attacked by a hammer-wielding maniac, so she may be due whatever grace and gratitude you are able to muster at this difficult time.

    She didn’t resign. She stepped down from House leadership at the start of this term, but she is running again (according to Ballotpedia).

    She should bow out too because she’s older than Biden.

    And EVERYONE knows her husband was attacked. YOU should show a little more grace to your fellow commenters.

  690. 690.

    Kayla Rudbek

    Mr. Rudbek showed me the news as we were out on a 40-mile bike ride and stopped for sorbet. I felt absolutely lousy all the way home and I had all the carbs for dinner tonight. Time to go sign up for postcards and donate some money…

  692. 692.

    Quadrillipede

    @Gloria DryGarden: Ok, I am going to cry. Maybe vulnerability is my superpower, and will clear a space for more strength once I entertain these weakening sad difficult enraged feelings.

    If I’ve learned anything at all over the last few weeks, it’s that if you are facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, it’s OK to take the time to do whatever you need to do to centre yourself, so you can get back up and keep moving forwards…

  693. 693.

    SomeRandomGuy

     

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: And here I thought Joe Liebermann was the biggest political douche to ever be a Senate Dem at one point.

    You just forgot “… so far.” He set a high bar, ol’ Joe, but, it seems some records are made to be broken.

  694. 694.

    Quadrillipede

    @Sure Lurkalot:Y2K was a nothing burger because myriads of people worked their butts off for a couple of years to make it so. There was a discussion about this on this very blog not too long ago.

    And had we all collectively been able to make COVID into a nothingburger, there’s a chance that it wouldn’t have been able to make a featured special guest appearance as the straw that broke the camel’s back regarding Joe’s health, but that’s not something worth worrying about this afternoon…

  695. 695.

    Citizen Alan

    @NotMax: Honestly, the fact that she is a Jewish spouse is just a drop in the bucket compared to the fact, but that she is a woman a poc, and the daughter of immigrant.

  696. 696.

    opiejeanne

    I particularly like this comment from the Pie filter:

    “God always has another custard pie up his sleeve.”
    ~Lynn Redgrave

    I just wonder how many custard pies are still up His sleeve.

  698. 698.

    Quadrillipede

    @bluefoot: @rikyrah: ​And yet again a bunch of overprivileged white people will have created an unnecessary mess by not listening to POC and then insisting we clean it up while thanking them all the while. And when their plan fails, we will get the blame.

    I expect I may have more to say on this in a few days, but I think you are right about this.

    Loss of privilege can feel like oppression, but maybe too much privilege is actually a burden, so it’s not a bad idea to start thinking quite deeply about what changes we can personally make to try to maintain a low-privilege lifestyle.

  699. 699.

    Quadrillipede

    @Central Planning: YOU should show a little more grace to your fellow commenters.

    I’m not sure whether YOU means specifically me or commenters in general, but it is good advice in either case👍

  701. 701.

    Citizen Alan

    @dkinPa: He’s just following in reagan’s footsteps. The geriatric fucker didn’t recognize michael .at his own high school graduation … at which, ronald reagan was the speaker!

Comments are closed.