As the pressure increases President Biden will resign upon his re-election one after the race Very disappointing performance in debateThe spotlight will focus more intensely on two Californians: Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Gavin Newsom.
And though California won’t matter in the November election — whoever is the Democratic nominee will easily win the state — its huge delegation to the party’s national convention in August could play a decisive role in choosing Biden’s replacement.
Harris will top the initial list of potential choices Newsom is right behind him.
But according to surveys, Harris, 59, has been less popular than Biden. And she is considered a hindrance on the ticket. One fear of many voters is that if Biden, 81, is unable to complete his second term, Harris will replace him as president.
However, the former California attorney general spoke very scathingly in a post-debate interview on CNN. And though I’ve long been a critic of hers, watching her made me think she might not be a disaster in the campaign.
In fact, Harris could perform well on the stump. Drop the robotic script and be more spontaneous. She would certainly be a more competitive debater against Republican Donald Trump. Weaker than Biden,
Harris showed real tenacity in pushing Biden’s policies – a trait she doesn’t usually have. She tried to make the best of her performance in the debate.
“Yes, it started slow. Everybody knows that,” he said. “But it finished strong.”
Well, no, it didn’t, but he did reform – after damaging himself badly, possibly beyond repair.
One hurdle for Harris, however, is that party leaders remember her unsuccessful run for president in 2020.
If Newsom ever wants to run for president — and he does — this could be his best chance, provided Biden can be persuaded. There has been persistent speculation about him running in 2028. But he is currently in the news and any Democratic candidate could run again in four years.
Newsom is already hot. A two-time governor, Newsom is promoting himself nationally, attacking red-state policies and playing the role of an enthusiastic Biden surrogate. He has an experienced campaign organization.
Roger Strasburg of Scottsdale, Arizona, wears a cowboy hat while watching the presidential debate between President Biden and Republican presidential nominee former President Trump at a debate watch party in Scottsdale on Thursday.
(Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press)
But Newsom would have to compete for the nomination against Harris, his longtime San Francisco colleague. And he has said publicly that he won’t do that. If he did, he would be viewed as an outcast from the party, especially among Black women, Newsom has said privately.
In fact, I never thought a California Democrat could be elected president in this era of extreme polarization. Our politics are too far to the left for most Americans.
Newsom has the looks and oratory of a Hollywood icon. But his greatest political strength — being governor of California — is also his greatest weakness.
However, one advantage that both Harris and Newsom have is that California’s delegation to the Democratic convention will be its largest ever. It will likely favor California’s candidate.
It would take 22% of the vote to win the nomination for this 496-member seat. So if Biden drops out of the race, California could play a big role in choosing his successor.
Who else is likely? First up, the governors of two key battleground states: Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Also on the list are Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
No candidate is perfect. But Trump is perfectly imperfect.
Biden loyalists and slavish critics have been arguing for months that it’s too late to change horses during the presidential race, especially now that it’s approaching the final stretch. Nonsense.
Conventions were invented to fight for nominations. But unfortunately the smoke-filled rooms gained a bad reputation and the Democratic Party went overboard on reforms. And the conventions became boring television shows that few people watched.
The Republicans last fought at the convention in 1976, when they nominated President Ford over Ronald Reagan of California. Ford was then defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter. The last good Democratic fight was in 1972, when the California delegation pushed George McGovern for the nomination. He was soundly defeated by President Nixon, a California native.
That’s why conference battles sometimes take a toll on the party itself. But this year, the case may be different.
The Democratic donnybrook could spark new interest in the party and awaken a dormant base that continues to tell pollsters that it wants a much younger president than the 81-year-old incumbent.
Political leaders have a bad habit of closing their ears when the public says things they don’t want to hear.
Voters are not satisfied with any of their choices. Trump, 78, appears healthier than Biden, at least physically. But Trump is a pathological liar. Biden said during the debate that he has “the morals of a street cat.”
Voters’ concerns about Biden’s ability to adequately serve a second term were reignited by his halting, raspy voice and awkward demeanor. He seemed to lose his train of thought at least once and had trouble completing sentences.
This was the worst presidential debate performance ever.
President Reagan lost his first debate against Democrat Walter Mondale in 1984, raising concerns about his 73-year-old age. But he was not as painful to watch as Biden. Reagan fully recovered in the second debate.
Even though Biden’s decision-making ability is good, people still consider him weak. And this means he will have difficulty leading the country.
If Trump’s election truly threatens democracy, as Biden says, the president should step back to give the party a better chance of defeating the incompetent man. He will naturally oppose this. But those he trusts should join him in doing so.
“You don’t turn your back on (someone) after a performance,” Newsom told a TV interviewer. “What kind of party is this?”
A victorious party that gives priority to its principles and the nation.
