Joe Biden Drops out

Kamala Harris, heir apparent.

It’s official: Joe Biden is out.

Today’s decision was all but a certainty after his performance in the first debate, where he was a confused and incoherent mess. A far cry from the man the New York Times described last year as a “super-ager.” Not that he (or the first lady) wanted to give up – it took a push from Democratic leadership and Hollywood icons and wealthy donors. Political death by a thousand cuts to the man who still believes, to this day, that he is the Democrats’ best chance to defeat Donald Trump.

We guessed that the DNC may have used their rules to take out Biden after the nomination but things couldn’t wait. The Democratic National Convention is less than a month out, beginning August 19, and better to let the delegates at the convention decide the nominee than the DNC powers.

Some may say this is the Democrats in disarray. While it is that, it is also a couple other things: a change in conversation from the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump and the successful RNC, and a chance to regroup from the impending disaster of the 2024 election.

It’s a win for the Democrats. A bigger win for them if they can nominate someone other than frontrunner Kamala Harris. But she has secured the support from President Biden and the Clintons. It seems the calls that Hillary would be the nominee were premature, though you can never truly count out the Clintons from some shady backroom dealing at the DNC. And while the Obamas are letting the process play out and not endorsing a candidate, California Governor Gavin Newsome - the man who could win the 2024 nomination and be more competitive against Trump - has endorsed Vice President Harris.

Vice President Harris faces a tough road if she is the nominee. She is unpopular and unlikeable. She was a dreadful candidate in 2020. She is a poor debater and a grating speaker. Republicans - even Trump - welcome her candidacy. And unlike other potential candidates (Newsome or Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer or West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who have their own problems), she won’t be able to distance herself from President Biden’s disastrous presidency - the inflation, the foreign wars, the record numbers of illegal border crossings. She owns those problems.

Is that the person who will unite the Democratic party?

Perhaps. Maybe the Democrats will fall in line. But independents are wary and want a reset. Jamie Gangel at CNN reports that Vice President Harris is considering as her running mate Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

Newsome is a noticeable omission - perhaps he has already made clear his decision to keep out of this mess. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s name jumps out from that list. A strong candidate from a must-win state for the Democrats. But joining Harris comes with a substantial risk to any 2028 Presidential prospects, making it a stretch to assume Shapiro joins the ticket or that Kamala has her choice of running mates. Then again, the DNC might offer promises to anyone brave enough to partner with Kamala.

We’ll close with one other thought. This mess, which started with the Trump-Biden debate, has done one other thing: it has transformed the Democratic National Convention from a wake to must-watch TV. The Democrats are down but they’re not out.