My last post detailed my reservations about Biden dropping out and the possible media reaction given the likelihood that Kamala would be the candidate to replace him. He dropped out two days later, and so far it looks like most of my fears have not come to pass, and there’s a strong possibility that they won’t.
For one thing, it is quite clear that going forward the Democratic Party will be unified. The only candidate out there other than Kamala is Marianne Williamson, and if she has a single delegate willing to nominate her I’d be surprised. As an aside, we have a friend who’s a delegate, and he forwarded a voicemail he received prior to the withdrawal from the Williamson people asking him to support an open convention. She’s not a threat, and you have to wonder if she’s on some hallucinogenic drug. I also read that Joe Manchin briefly considered putting his name out there, but once again, you’d likely be hard pressed to find a delegate willing to nominate him. He is universally disliked among knowledgeable Democrats, and most delegates are fairly knowledgeable Democrats.
The Republicans, at least so far, appear to be flailing in their response. I really think that trying to play the birther card is unlikely to work. It didn’t work against Obama and it’s less likely to get traction with her. They’re also ramping up other coded racist slurs, but again, the ones I’ve heard about will only resonate with the racists already in their camp. It’s possible that they’ve become so focused on that base that they’re incapable of understanding how to appeal to the folks who aren’t watching Fox or the other right wing propagandists 24/7.
So far, too, the press seems to be okay, though that may soon change. Maybe they figure that they owe her a few days of relatively positive coverage, since they’ve been pushing for Biden to pull out so they’ll leave her alone while they take their victory lap.
I hope I’m not looking too much on the bright side. In any event, if my previous post turns out to be all wrong, I’ll be delighted.