I know the timing of President Biden’s withdrawal does not allow for a normal primary process to choose a new candidate, but is anyone (Democratic voters) frustrated by Vice President Harris being chosen by a small group of Democratic leaders? We have said this in our house a lot, and how it seems non-Democratic.
Again, I am not arguing, being sarcastic or snarky, I just don’t have access to as many potential Democrat voters as are on this site. And yes, I am a registered Republican. I am truly curious. And do not hear this discussed much in the media or via Google searches. And it is difficult to determine a pulse from reading X (man, that’s such a site for reading some truly awful things posted by people who can hide behind anonymity).
And yes, I know that the large majority of us vote for the party that supports the handful of values and issues that are most important to them, and usually acknowledge that said party frustrates us due to other issues pushed (or at least that is what I have seen in my personal experiences).
Thank you in advance for reading and responding!
Comments
But he also has won me back)
The proposition that she just inherited the mantle of being the Democratic front-runner is without a whole lot of basis IMHO. We can conjecture all manner of under handed scheming by a group of elites if we want to but so far no one else has stepped forward and said whoa. There's still time to do so if they want.
Lastly, how come nobody in the other party says boo when seemingly only one person decides what will and won't be.
Correct, @gman57, but most people were casting their vote for Biden (regardless of who the VP is/was) or Trump (I don’t care who he picked….my vote is for Trump). And now, the vote will be for VP Harris, not for who her running mate will be.
Is it because she was on the “ticket” that you vote for, that it is ok?
If they had chosen someone completely different (such as Newsome, Whitmer, Michelle Obama, etc.)…would your answer be the same? Follow up to that would be if they had chosen Senator Bernie Sanders or someone of a similar age to President Biden, would the answer also be the same? Obviously these are hypotheticals.
My (obviously biased) feeling is the democratic process was subverted…..out of necessity or not, by “choosing” the Democratic candidate. Just an interesting thing to happen to the party that deems Trump as a threat to democracy.
Feel free to eviscerate me for my statements, especially the last paragraph…but my curiosity is sincere.
(I also differ from Republicans in not being a pro life diehard….Roe v Wade being overturned turned the decisions back to the states, and did not by itself restrict abortion)
Truly, Thanks in advance for participation and discourse!
Of course I’m not disgruntled. I voted for the Biden / Harris ticket in 2020 believing both were qualified for the two highest positions in the executive branch. Why would serving 3.5 years in that capacity render Harris less qualified today than when I first voted for her?
The process? When a candidate qualifies to appear on primary ballots, is he / she bound by some contractual agreement to mount a campaign right up until the election date and then to serve out a full term, come hell or high water? Can the candidate change his or her mind if his life circumstances change? Let’s consider the ramifications of such a law …
Could a candidate drop out if diagnosed with terminal cancer? If bereaved at the loss of one or more family members? If he suffered paralysis or brain damage following an accident? If convicted of some crime? ISTM any candidate for office (or any other job) has the ”inalienable human right “ to change his mind for any reason. Biden is 81. The job has been known to prematurely age much younger men (as a look at pre and post photos may reveal). I think Biden has aged a lot in the job. It’s not for you or me to insist he continue to pursue election and serve out another 4-year term if he, in consultation with his doctors, family members, party members and others comes to a different conclusion. He has the right to change his mind.
I’m a Democrat. I believe their policies are more inclusive / more in sympathy with those of us of average and below average means. I do occasionally support Republicans. In fact, the only political sign I ever posted in my front yard was in support of a local Republican candidate for state office several years back. And I’ve contributed about equal amounts over the years to candidates of both parties. But what you have running now is so unlike Republicans of old that I could never support him. Were the Bushes (George & Jeb) at your convention? How about former Republican Vice Presidents Mike Pence and Dick Cheney? Did either attend? Did the widow or children of John McCain show up? Why not? ….. I’ll tell you why. There was a stench in that room.
The many factors which are going to influence this particular election present an unusually complex mix of the above. There are going to be lots of voters who will make their decision based on some of those "never spoken aloud" factors. The political elites who steer the electoral process are well aware of the delicate balances involved, and I think that the choice of Kamala Harris was about the best option available. I'd also be willing to bet that she will pick a white male southern politician to help neutralize some of those "never spoken aloud" factors.
Reality.
By the way, I was very unhappy with the prospect of Biden for another four years. I'm 85, and of course I'm aware of the ever increasing challenges, both mental and physical, of advanced age. You can just look at the man and see the deterioration compared to even four years ago. The job of president of the United States is going to take a heavy toll on the strengths of any person. It's no place for anyone past their seventies, in my view.
As the GOP now has to think about Vance if they win.
@gman57, some (Republicans lol) would say the court cases were not completely fair etc. And there are always dissenters, on both sides. Even Zuckerberg was impressed by Trump’s actions after the shooting (OBVIOUSLY diff from supporting him as a candidate).
Agreed @Old_Joe….it was sad that these two octogenarians were the best the country had to choose from (or a third party candidate who may be attractive for certain reasons but had no organization to stand behind them). Democrats are turning the page/passing the torch…..next election, the Republicans will too (finally).
@hank, thanks for your thoughts! I am sure the choices of voting for the person came down to some core beliefs (reproductive rights, taxation, etc.) that that candidate was the most closely aligned with you.
I will say, as a “message to Democrats,” that the more that Trump is hammered and disliked, the stronger he is supported. Again, IMHO, I feel the same may be happening to Democrats, as the more Harris is hammered by Republicans, the stronger her support gets.
That is what's strange to me and maybe you can answer why? A lot of the hammering is (was) done by fellow Republicans. Almost all the witnesses for the Jan 6th trial etc... were guess what... Republican. Are there really that many Rhinos? I see it more of an us against them and them is anyone who doesn't agree with us no matter who it is. I will give him that, he is an expert in building the us against them mentality.
Jan 6th was horrible….and Trump should have done ANYTHING to get in front of it and prevent the terrible escalation. There was also destruction, rioting, crime, and even injuries/deaths from the summer riots of 2020 (that many Democrat leaders also fanned the flames of) and the pro-Palestine protests of the last 9 months (which blow me away…..how can people support Hamas, who would literally kill many of the protesters if they lived in Palestine due to their lifestyle/sexuality/opinions….but that’s not for me to decide!). NOT EQUATING THEM….just saying that neither side is unblemished.
You said it.
But I've not seen a decent explanation about this item in particular: before Biden left the race, there was to be a pre-convention "virtual roll-call" to pre-nominate him, in order to get "in" under the Ohio deadline, so that Joe could appear on the Ohio ballots. (In this crazy country, the election must still be won, State by State by State.) But Repub. Gov. Mike DeWine extended that deadline. So, where's the problem, by now? I think I've heard the pre-convention roll-call for Harris is still planned. I just don't get it. I'd say there were some serious "geniuses" at work, when it came to choosing such a late date for the Dems' convention in the first place.
Anyhow, when Nixon resigned in disgrace, his Veep took over. So, why shouldn't Harris be the current presumptive nominee? Joe did not resign the Presidency, so it's a bit different, OK.
I mentioned DeWine is a "Repub---" not by my current favorite designation, "Repug." There's a difference. And currently, the Repugs have a firm grip on the Party of Lincoln, Grant, T. Roosevelt, Eisenhower. It is a betrayal. Neither of the major Party candidates will get my vote this time, anyhow.
Yeah, power is an aphrodisiac to politicians. Most will say and do anything for it with no regard for the truth. The more power they have the worse it becomes. CEO's/oligarchs are right behind them in that department. I think it was Graham during one interview who put it best. He didn't say it directly but basically said I'll say and do anything to remain relevant.
@Graust,
If anyone “hammered” Trump (metaphorically speaking) it was his own former Vice President who, as far as I know, will not endorse him. Who should know him better? You and I get to view media clips or read his immodest self-assessment on TruthSocial. Mike Pence worked side by side with him for 4 years.
The Dem’s process was unconventional. Making the best of a bad situation as there is a race to be run and the campaign needs to get moving. I was thrilled to send a generous contribution Monday morning as many others who’d been holding out did.
Regards
@gman57 and @hank agreed on some of it.
Anyhow, no one will be convinced of anything….truly, thanks for engaging my curiosity! I appreciate it.
Identity politics. Ya. I was watching PBS as per usual tonight. Their WH reporter is shatteringly beautiful. But she was reporting that Harris had phone calls or zoom meetings or in-person rallies with Racial Bloc A, Racial Bloc B, Racial Bloc C, Racial Bloc D. And even white voters. (These were all-women events.) I'm so tired of that junk, I admit. How about addressing AMERICAN voters, eh? Jaypers. And neither can I do "woke." ..."Woke" just means: forget about common sense. Re-make reality in your own image. You don't like the way things are? Like a two-sex universe? Just ignore it and spend your days fighting windmills, like Don Quixote. Some things are simply foundational and not subject to debate. Gay and lesbian? OK. Just don't try to feed me this 8-gender Alternative Reality. There. I guess I just exploded someone's day.
Thank you.
You and everyone have been civil in this thread. We should all appreciate this. You have been honest about your moderate R political feelings.
I can't vote for the 'R' presidential/VP ticket and related state and local R's who fully support that ticket.
If we were chatting at the local restaurant and having coffee; what are 3 items you would express to me as to why I should consider voting the R ticket vs the D ticket?
I chose 3 major items, as I feel this may be enough for many voters to lean in one direction or another. If there are more, please feel free to list those, too.
Thank you.
As for crime in the cities numerous reports and studies indicate that it went up during Trumps term and has gone down since then. I'm guessing that you can do a web search as easily as I can but I'll start you out anyway.
ABC News says it's a misperception
NBC News
PEW Research Center What the Data Says About Crime in the US
No one else chose to run against Harris. She was endorsed by every realistic potential candidate against her.
It should be obvious that there can't be a contest without competition. This just happened at the GOP convention. All of the candidates opposed to Trump dropped out and endorsed him. None of them forced a floor vote. None of them can be credibly thought of as a small group of Republican leaders that chose Trump. End of story.