Great piece, Jeremy! For Democrats who had been resistant to Harris even post-debate, what do you think had been their greatest fear? Was it just the idea of switching nominees so late in the game, or maybe something about Harris herself?
Thanks, Brad. I can't speak for everyone, but for me it was more about Joe than Kamala. I'm totally fine with Kamala, and pretty much every other name that was mentioned. But I believed Biden was the best option for many reasons: he's an obviously genuine person that is likable, he's the most vetted person in the history of presidential candidates (50+ years of service), and almost nothing negative about his has stuck, he's the incumbent during an economic boom, etc.
With any other candidate, there's risk of changing over, and the prospect of "unknown unknowns" that made me nervous. With Kamala specifically, there's the obvious racism and misogyny that will rile up the more hateful segment of our country a la Trump in 2016, but also the fact that she was a prosecutor, and could be attacked to the point of being perceived as having treated minorities unfairly, or not prosecuting someone that became a repeat offender, etc. There's just too much negative potential with her or any other candidate, I just didn't think it was worth the risk.
That said, I am happy and excited that the Dems are rallying around her and being unified, that's one key thing, and I do think this may be another Obama moment, and that she'll win and probably win big (I also thought Biden would win big). But at some point this euphoria will wear off, and if she's not leading in the polls by comfortable margins continuously up the election, I do have worries about Dems ability to soldier on, stay motivated, and not be demoralized again.
Wonderful read! I had forgotten what hope felt like and feeling the energy shift since last weekend has finally relit my fire. It's still a hell of a fight for justice ahead, but she is certainly someone who can help to lead us there!
Great piece, Jeremy! For Democrats who had been resistant to Harris even post-debate, what do you think had been their greatest fear? Was it just the idea of switching nominees so late in the game, or maybe something about Harris herself?
Thanks, Brad. I can't speak for everyone, but for me it was more about Joe than Kamala. I'm totally fine with Kamala, and pretty much every other name that was mentioned. But I believed Biden was the best option for many reasons: he's an obviously genuine person that is likable, he's the most vetted person in the history of presidential candidates (50+ years of service), and almost nothing negative about his has stuck, he's the incumbent during an economic boom, etc.
With any other candidate, there's risk of changing over, and the prospect of "unknown unknowns" that made me nervous. With Kamala specifically, there's the obvious racism and misogyny that will rile up the more hateful segment of our country a la Trump in 2016, but also the fact that she was a prosecutor, and could be attacked to the point of being perceived as having treated minorities unfairly, or not prosecuting someone that became a repeat offender, etc. There's just too much negative potential with her or any other candidate, I just didn't think it was worth the risk.
That said, I am happy and excited that the Dems are rallying around her and being unified, that's one key thing, and I do think this may be another Obama moment, and that she'll win and probably win big (I also thought Biden would win big). But at some point this euphoria will wear off, and if she's not leading in the polls by comfortable margins continuously up the election, I do have worries about Dems ability to soldier on, stay motivated, and not be demoralized again.
Wonderful read! I had forgotten what hope felt like and feeling the energy shift since last weekend has finally relit my fire. It's still a hell of a fight for justice ahead, but she is certainly someone who can help to lead us there!
AMEN!!!