No one knows for sure how the nomination process would work if Joe Biden did indeed step aside, but many Democrats are predicting that Vice President Kamala Harris will be named the contender more rapidly than ever before.
For weeks, behind the scenes, informal discussions have been going on about the potential dynamics of a race to succeed Biden as vice president. But because so much is still up in the air, many Democrats, including those who have strong reservations about Biden, are hesitating to publicly oppose the president’s candidacy for fear that the next step would be even more chaotic.
“Don’t bother with me; I’m coconut pilled. According to a prominent Democratic strategist, “I just want this to stop.” This refers to the internet craze that began with a video of the vice president quoting her mother, who stated, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”
Everyone isn’t suddenly on the same page, but fatigue is turning into agreement.
It has come to light that Harris, according to internal polls, would be more beneficial in increasing Democratic enthusiasm and assisting down ballot campaigns. Claims that she could organize a campaign more quickly are falling flat. She is starting to fantasize about adopting a harder line against Donald Trump.
Rumor has it that Biden intends to return to campaigning next week once he heals from COVID-19, thus many are purposefully avoiding discussing hypotheticals. Two dozen prominent Democratic politicians and operatives told AWN that they cannot imagine this ending any other way if that suddenly changes.
As part of their pre-convention virtual nomination plan, some are advocating for a closed and expedited procedure where delegates would approve the exchange.
For many reasons, including personal preference or aesthetic objections, some people are opposed to the concept of a coronation. However, with little more than a hundred days to go until the election and much less time until Democrats are supposed to congregate in Chicago, no one can agree on how to implement the idea of holding a series of town halls or blitz primaries. But some of Harris’s supporters still think this is a good plan, because they don’t think anyone would really confront her despite all the backstabbing.
On Friday, AWN asked several Democratic lawmakers who had demanded Biden’s resignation if they were prepared to endorse Harris as the nominee, but they all declined.
If nothing else, those involved with other, more serious possibilities would probably feel constrained by party allegiance and their own aspirations for the future. After the recent month of infighting, there will be a lot of pressure to unite, and anyone who challenges her runs the danger of damaging their reputation with the base in a possible 2028 open primary if she is perceived as weaker because of it and loses.
Some Democrats are of the opinion that the matter could still be resolved on the convention floor in late August, notwithstanding the possibility of early ballot deadlines. A number of Democrats, however, have forecasted that the desire for a resolution will only grow in the event that this drags on for that long.
According to those politicians and operatives, the likelihood of this happening has grown due to the approaching election and their admiration for the vice president’s handling of the Democratic issue in recent weeks. At her campaign stops—which will continue on Saturday at a fundraiser she’s headlining in Provincetown, Massachusetts—the vice president has shown herself to be passionate and committed to Biden, they say, and no one has caught her scheming—even in private chats.
In my opinion, the vice president is the only viable candidate. Under the mantle, she is fighting hard for election as the rightful heir. An anonymous Democratic House member expressed the importance of swiftly uniting behind her in the event that the president is not nominated. The member wished to remain anonymous so as not to be perceived as undermining the president.
An important gesture from Biden
Many people cannot fathom Biden stepping down from office without appointing his running companion to succeed him. If we were to treat her differently, it would be an insult similar to the one that Biden felt when Barack Obama chose Hillary Clinton over him in the 2016 presidential campaign. Also, as he emphasized at last week’s news conference, he would be casting doubt on his own judgment in selecting her as qualified for the position four years ago.
Additionally, it would entail ignoring the fact that Black voters and Black leaders, such as South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn, who has stated time and again that he prefers Harris to Biden, were instrumental in his 2020 victory and are now among his most ardent supporters.
It would be more difficult to challenge her, given her history of a failed 2020 campaign and a shaky start as vice president, with that kind of backing, but it would convince voters and delegates alike.
According to Eleni Kounalakis, a former friend of Harris’s and a Democratic convention delegate who is on the rules and bylaws committee—and who is also the lieutenant governor of California—it is crucial to keep in mind that the president won the Democratic primaries by praising the “Biden-Harris” achievements, should he decide to step down.
She announced her intention to back the vice president for nomination, saying, “When people voted for him as the nominee they were voting for this ticket.” This would be the greatest way to honor the primary voters’ choice, she added. “As the person selected through the primary process and our president, I believe most delegates would honor President Biden’s wishes if he asked them to support Hillary Clinton, even in the face of a public and chaotic media swirl.”
That kind of thinking reverberates all the way down the ballot.
I believe that the leaders of the Democratic Party understand the importance of stability more than anyone else. One Democrat’s aide in a battleground district told AWN, “When there is chaos, they’re the ones who suffer the consequences.” The stock market is analogous to frontliners.
The powerful Congressional Black Caucus is a potent tool for rallying grassroots support and boosting enthusiasm for November, but senior Democrats and aides across national politics are afraid that if the party were to implement an open process at the convention, it would cause chaos, drag out the party’s drama, and destroy support.
Some Democratic members running for reelection in close districts share this view; they don’t see much benefit to sending party members on a weeklong pilgrimage to try out a new candidate—and that’s assuming anyone wants to take on Harris in this election, since failing to do so would jeopardize their political careers.
Internal strife is causing us much distress. A Democratic member who spoke to AWN on the condition of anonymity said, “There is no world in which you can push Kamala to the side.” This person was discussing the Democrats’ politically challenging current situation.
