Vermillion Posted July 26 Posted July 26 5 minutes ago, Subomie said: Obama's political instincts intrigue me No denying his power and sway went a long way to consolidating Biden's primary victory path back in 2020, but like... wasn't Obama also the one behind Deval Patrick's ill-fated, last minute, made-no-noise entry into that primary? Massachusetts native here (current Virginia resident). Obama was not the driving force behind Deval's entry. Deval had a great press team that pulled the wool over everyone's eyes while he browbeat Barack with pleas then they ran with the narrative that he was his anointed protege solely because he was a black man Their working relationship prior was also immensely exaggerated in the press. Please don't overhype the latter - the press did it for clicks but it had no staying power - including allegedly that Obama thought he'd win. We also need to distinguish between power and instinct. I'm just going to leave this here again - credit to @Communion for posting the clips below earlier in this thread (saw it making the rounds on the blogs days prior but couldn't find it) I agree with @ClashAndBurn on Clyburn but it was a combination of the timing, that endorsement, and the power exerted in the pressure on the other Democrats running 1 1
Graves Posted July 26 Posted July 26 3 minutes ago, Vermillion said: Massachusetts native here (current Virginia resident). Obama was not the driving force behind Deval's entry. Deval had a great press team that pulled the wool over everyone's eyes while he browbeat Barack with pleas then they ran with the narrative that he was his anointed protege solely because he was a black man Their working relationship prior was also immensely exaggerated in the press. Please don't overhype the latter - the press did it for clicks but it had no staying power - including allegedly that Obama thought he'd win. We also need to distinguish between power and instinct. I'm just going to leave this here again - credit to @Communion for posting the clips below earlier in this thread (saw it making the rounds on the blogs days prior but couldn't find it) I agree with @ClashAndBurn on Clyburn but it was a combination of the timing, that endorsement, and the power exerted in the pressure on the other Democrats running Makes a lot more sense, thanks! I did know about the anti-Bernie moves (they broke my little political newbie heart back during the 2020 cycle ) but the rest is very enlightening 1
Vermillion Posted July 26 Posted July 26 17 minutes ago, Harriser said: I know the Obama endorsement is obviously significant, but there is always something self-important and cynical about his insistence on being the last horse out of the gate every single time. It irks me. Always pretending to not be a kingmaker when we all know he's making 501 calls behind the scenes It's why I've personally always had a soft spot for Hillary over Obama, in the contest of big neolib politicians. There's something more honest about her ruthless, straightforward politics - it makes her an unpopular liability prone to making politically stupid statements like the basket of deplorables etc, but there is just something I prefer about that to the slimeyness of Obama Both Hillary and Obama are self-important and cynical, Obama's just better at it and Hillary's clunky so the press frames the former as good politics. The Post source described his recent actions and holding his endorsement as that of a Jersey mob boss - I'm inclined to agree. And no, I still don't buy the sincerity or that he was "prepping" or "staggering" the endorsement. He's mad Biden didn't ask for a contested convention and doesn't think Kamala's a good politician. I genuinely don't believe any of this is sincere. I don't. I'm coming back to those instincts of his if she loses. And no, sidebar, I don't believe he wanted Mark Kelly. 2
Communion Posted July 26 Posted July 26 Quote In putting themselves in Biden's camp even as the vast majority of Democratic voters clamored for him to exit the race, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez made more than a political miscalculation. They staked their reputations on shifting the image of a quintessential symbol of the status quo. And they did so by disparaging the bottom-up revolt against Biden's place at the top of the ticket. In characterizing the opposition to Biden as élite- and donor-driven, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez ignored that, for months, polls had shown that a large majority of ordinary Democrats did not want Biden to run. Quote Biden had to make big promises to convert the anger of tens of millions of people engaged in street protests into votes for a candidate who had been in national politics for nearly five decades. And voters largely delivered. Not only did they send Biden to the White House but, in dramatic fashion, they put Democrats in both Senate seats from the state of Georgia. Yet, despite the praise from progressive Democrats, most people have experienced the Biden Administration as a period of devastating inflation. Moreover, even with Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders directly intervening in his candidacy, Biden still had remarkably little to say about the end of the right to abortion. On the issue of immigration, he adopted the right's promises to tighten security at the border, including creating tougher standards for asylum seekers—a development that some Democratic elected officials have welcomed, even as it has strained Biden's relationship with immigrant-rights activists. Quote Both Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez voiced their opposition to the war in Gaza, with Sanders describing it as "ethnic cleansing" and Ocasio-Cortez as an "unfolding genocide." But, even during Biden's most vulnerable moments, as the pressure mounted for him to leave the ticket, progressive Democrats did not attempt to leverage their support for the President to shift his position on Israel. And now with Biden out of the race, the failure of most of the so-called Squad and of Sanders to hold Biden to account for fuelling Israel's war will make it nearly impossible for them to place any demands about the war on Harris. After Biden endorsed Harris, on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Cori Bush, and Ayanna Pressley fell in line, offering unqualified support for nothing in return—except, perhaps, safety from blame should voters decline to rally behind her in kind. (Sanders, notably, acknowledged that Biden was exiting the race but has not yet endorsed Harris.) Of the Squad members, only Rashida Tlaib, of Michigan, a Palestinian American who encouraged voters to cast a protest vote of "uncommitted" in the Democratic primaries, explicitly withheld an endorsement of Harris. Tlaib instead has called for a "transparent democratic process at an open convention," with hopes of a "fair vote" on a resolution that calls for an arms embargo to stop the flow of weapons to Israel. 5 1
Яeo. Posted July 26 Posted July 26 34 minutes ago, Musicmajor said: I think it was smart to stagger these endorsements, it brings consistent energy and good headlines for her campaign. Again, I say, her team has been so smart and effective so far! If she keeps this up, its going to be one of the best run campaigns in modern history. 2
Яeo. Posted July 26 Posted July 26 3 minutes ago, Kitty Kat said: This is why Kamala's VP pick is her most important decision of her life. It can literally make it or break it for her. I hope her and her team are discussing this 24/7, discussing all the options and basing it on statistics and polling.
ClashAndBurn Posted July 26 Posted July 26 3 minutes ago, Communion said: We will see in short order whether Bush and Omar's gambits were worth it, I guess. AOC and Pressley have been pivoting to angle for Senate seats, which… I could see working for Pressley in 2026 if Markey retires. AOC will have a tougher time winning statewide race in New York.
midnightdawn Posted July 26 Posted July 26 I wonder if Obama had heard this sort of stuff and wasn't confident about her Harris's ability to get pretty much the entire party behind her in just a few days after Joe Biden dropped out is tremendously impressive. On the other hand, from her time as the San Francisco district attorney straight through her time as vice president, Harris has earned a reputation for degrading underlings and burning through staff. Biden has a coterie of people who have been with him for decades, but Harris has no such group. The Substack newsletter Open the Books ran the numbers and calculated that as of March 31 over 90 percent of the staff she had at the beginning of her vice-presidential term had left. "It's clear that you're not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work," a former staff member told The Washington Post in a December 2021 article. "With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. So you're constantly sort of propping up a bully and it's not really clear why." https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/25/opinion/kamala-nomination-democrats.html 1 1
Musicmajor Posted July 26 Posted July 26 4 minutes ago, Kitty Kat said: You can just IMAGINE the absolute meltdown in Trump world right now over how terrible picking this man has been for them LOL.
Kitty Kat Posted July 26 Posted July 26 4 minutes ago, Яeo. said: This is why Kamala's VP pick is her most important decision of her life. It can literally make it or break it for her. I hope her and her team are discussing this 24/7, discussing all the options and basing it on statistics and polling. The 5% favorable rating among undecided voters is... 1
MAKSIM Posted July 26 Posted July 26 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Яeo. said: This is why Kamala's VP pick is her most important decision of her life. It can literally make it or break it for her. I hope her and her team are discussing this 24/7, discussing all the options and basing it on statistics and polling. The most attention her VP pick will get is in the debate against JD and in their convention speech. If you have heard Kelly speak, it's why I am hesitant about him being on the ticket (as well as his union views, but seems like he is walking that back now for the Veep stakes). Out of all the options, Kelly is the least effective public speaker. Look at any of his TV spots or gaggles compared to literally any of the ones in contention. Edited July 26 by MAKSIM 1
Vermillion Posted July 26 Posted July 26 4 minutes ago, midnightdawn said: I wonder if Obama had heard this sort of stuff and wasn't confident about her Harris's ability to get pretty much the entire party behind her in just a few days after Joe Biden dropped out is tremendously impressive. On the other hand, from her time as the San Francisco district attorney straight through her time as vice president, Harris has earned a reputation for degrading underlings and burning through staff. Biden has a coterie of people who have been with him for decades, but Harris has no such group. The Substack newsletter Open the Books ran the numbers and calculated that as of March 31 over 90 percent of the staff she had at the beginning of her vice-presidential term had left. "It's clear that you're not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work," a former staff member told The Washington Post in a December 2021 article. "With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. So you're constantly sort of propping up a bully and it's not really clear why." https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/25/opinion/kamala-nomination-democrats.html Her White House team for about a two year period was seemingly constantly trashing her anonymously to the press. Obama lives in DC and word travels fast. Maybe she's grown but his alleged hesitance isn't coming out of nowhere. 2
Sannie Posted July 26 Posted July 26 9 minutes ago, Vermillion said: "Something fishy is going on, I've never seen anything like this" You've never seen cars get towed for illegal parking? 7
midnightdawn Posted July 26 Posted July 26 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Sannie said: "Something fishy is going on, I've never seen anything like this" You've never seen cars get towed for illegal parking? Crooked Towaways Edited July 26 by midnightdawn 1 5
Sannie Posted July 26 Posted July 26 Men like JD Vance desperately need validation and to be liked, so knowing that he's most likely seeing all of this negativity surrounding him that is focused solely on how unlikable he is, fills me with so much joy. 3 9
Wonderland Posted July 26 Posted July 26 Ramaswarmy would have had a more acclaimed VP debut than this nnn 1
Chemist Posted July 26 Posted July 26 That call from Michelle Obama to Kamala might have changed the course of the elections
Redstreak Posted July 26 Posted July 26 5 minutes ago, Chemist said: That call from Michelle Obama to Kamala might have changed the course of the elections Which call
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