No. of Recommendations: 2
Right now, the best option may be for Biden to step aside in favor of a full-throated coronation of Harris if he gets commitments from the other potential major options (Newsom, Whitmer, etc.
Once again, disagree. The appointment, or rather annointment of Harris would be viewed as “politics as usual”; talk about “smoke filled rooms!”
And open convention would be messy, and yes, there’s a possibility that it could be worse than sticking with a losing candidate, but there’s also a chance it *could* be better. For the record, Harris has no national constituency (neither does Newsom, Buttegieg, etc) so other than “I was appointed by Joe and we won” I’m not sure she carries as lot of heft into the campaign.
She is also not a charismatic figure as Obama was, and her approvals show it. She’s had a single (unremarkable) term as Senator and scant executive experience. She might or might not be a good candidate on the stump, if so we haven’t seen it yet. This is not to slam her, just to point out that I see no practical reason she should be handed the nomination any more than any other potential candidate.
The people who go to political conventions are generally people involved in the process and at least somewhat knowledgable about the affairs of the country. I’m sure there are some “political tourists”, too, but overall I’d expect most of them to *actually care* about the candidate they select. (Does that mean there wouldn't be horse trading and all the other folderol of politics? Of course not.)
And imagine the unifying atmosphere if Harris actually won! Sure, there’s a risk to an open convention. I’d put it slower on the list than 1) Joe runs, 2) Kamala is handed the nomination or 3) Democrats choose a new candidate, as they did for 200 years prior.
PS: The unspoken in all of this, or at least I haven’t seen it anywhere, is the effect of Biden’s CinemaScope wide-view stumble will have on RFK’s candidacy. I suspect there are at least a few Democrats who will look to lodge a protest vote, and it can’t be for Trump. Is there any other place to mark the ballot than the 2nd craziest candidate available?
