cyrusr Posted August 11, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted August 11, 2020 1 minute ago, Chindie said: No. Biden and Harris drink from similar ends of the trough. Harris is more to the right. The hope was that Biden would pick a running mate that would be a nod towards the left of the party. Instead he's gone to the opposite. Yep, got mixed up with another Dem candidate. They somewhat all blurred into one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 1 minute ago, Chindie said: No. Biden and Harris drink from similar ends of the trough. Harris is more to the right. The hope was that Biden would pick a running mate that would be a nod towards the left of the party. Instead he's gone to the opposite. And still the Trump campaign is painting her as "radical left" in the slander tweet video Funny country the US. What goes for radical left there would be pretty much right wing nutter in Sweden. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 14 minutes ago, Chindie said: The hope was that Biden would pick a running mate that would be a nod towards the left of the party. The hope of whom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted August 11, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted August 11, 2020 1 minute ago, ml1dch said: The hope of whom? The Sanders wings of the party. Evidently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 1 minute ago, Chindie said: The Sanders wings of the party. Evidently. Well, not really evidently otherwise I wouldn't have felt the need to ask. Your phrasing of "the hope was" seemed to suggest a broader feeling or analysis that went beyond the personal wishes of people emotionally attached to that particular outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 19 minutes ago, Chindie said: No. Biden and Harris drink from similar ends of the trough. Harris is more to the right. The hope was that Biden would pick a running mate that would be a nod towards the left of the party. Instead he's gone to the opposite. For a Senator, she's fairly liberal to be honest. Warren was always a non-starter regardless of her politics, because a Republican governor would have appointed her replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colhint Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 I think it's a good move. The Dems need to appeal to the traditional republicans, they already have the moderates. The game is to win. A left then more left duo would have Fox calling them commies. But a left and not so left leaves them in a bit of a quandry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted August 12, 2020 Author Share Posted August 12, 2020 It's the smart pick. She will hold her own against Pence in the debate, she's camera friendly and not prone to gaffes. Black women voters in Georgia and the Carolinas will be motivated to vote for her. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyblade Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 45 minutes ago, colhint said: I think it's a good move. The Dems need to appeal to the traditional republicans, they already have the moderates. The game is to win. A left then more left duo would have Fox calling them commies. But a left and not so left leaves them in a bit of a quandry. Oh don't worry, they think Harris is a commie too. Glad to see her and Joe worked out their differences on segregation though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 I think it’s a pragmatic move. Elections are won in the centre. It hasn’t stopped Trump calling her a radical leftist though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 Good thing she got a helping hand along the way. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 4 hours ago, LondonLax said: I think it’s a pragmatic move. Elections are won in the centre. It hasn’t stopped Trump calling her a radical leftist though I don't really agree, either that 'elections are won in the centre' necessarily (look at the incumbents, and compare to their opponents in 2016), or that Harris will make a positive difference in that regard (Biden is already seen as 'in the centre'), or that this election is close enough for the political views of the VP pick to matter (Biden is up by about 8-9 points in the polls and traditionally VP selections make very little difference to the race), but I do agree that this was the 'pragmatic' choice. The actual process here appears to have been a case of applying a series of filters around demographics that reduced the field to a tiny number of possibilities, and once it became clear that the only competition Harris had was Susan Rice, a woman who has never run for an elected office at any point in her life, it became absolutely certain that Biden, ever cautious, would inevitably pick Harris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 Just now, HanoiVillan said: I don't really agree, either that 'elections are won in the centre' necessarily (look at the incumbents, and compare to their opponents in 2016), or that Harris will make a positive difference in that regard (Biden is already seen as 'in the centre'), or that this election is close enough for the political views of the VP pick to matter (Biden is up by about 8-9 points in the polls and traditionally VP selections make very little difference to the race), but I do agree that this was the 'pragmatic' choice. The actual process here appears to have been a case of applying a series of filters around demographics that reduced the field to a tiny number of possibilities, and once it became clear that the only competition Harris had was Susan Rice, a woman who has never run for an elected office at any point in her life, it became absolutely certain that Biden, ever cautious, would inevitably pick Harris. Sure, it’s difficult to package people into left/centre/right etc especially in a country so politically different as the US. Harris is pro police but also pro ‘Green New Deal’ and pro universal healthcare for example but I think she’s intelligent and capable from what I can see. As a thought experiment, when you compare the four people who make up the President and Vice President nominations from both sides I think for me Harris comes out as the most ‘impressive’ of the 4. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 6 minutes ago, LondonLax said: Sure, it’s difficult to package people into left/centre/right etc especially in a country so politically different as the US. Harris is pro police but also pro ‘Green New Deal’ and pro universal healthcare for example but I think she’s intelligent and capable from what I can see. As a thought experiment, when you compare the four people who make up the President and Vice President nominations from both sides I think for me Harris comes out as the most ‘impressive’ of the 4. Yes, I think that's right. She didn't run a very good campaign in the primary, but you don't end up Senator for the biggest state by being useless at politics. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 ‘If and when’ doing some heavy lifting here as CNN make it fairly clear what the Democrats game is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Awol said: ‘If and when’ doing some heavy lifting here as CNN make it fairly clear what the Democrats game is. It’s an odd tweet. I read the article in the link and none of the analysis in there talks about Biden stepping aside so I’m not sure where that came from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 Just now, LondonLax said: It’s an odd tweet. I read the article in the link and none of the analysis in there talks about Biden stepping aside so I’m not sure where that came from? Socialising the idea with voters. Biden doesn’t appear to be mentally fit for the position, I can imagine many US voters thinking the same. Would make sense to plant the idea that it’s not a problem really as the VP is more than up to the task. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 1 minute ago, Awol said: Socialising the idea with voters. Biden doesn’t appear to be mentally fit for the position, I can imagine many US voters thinking the same. Would make sense to plant the idea that it’s not a problem really as the VP is more than up to the task. You mean CNN’s social media guy is planting these ideas on behalf of the Democrats? Or are the Democrats directly telling CNN’s twitter guy what to write? I think it’s just that whoever wrote the tweet was editorialising based on their own thoughts, not a coordinated strategy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 12 minutes ago, LondonLax said: It’s an odd tweet. I read the article in the link and none of the analysis in there talks about Biden stepping aside so I’m not sure where that came from? Biden has said on more than one occasion that he views himself as 'a transitional president', a formulation of words that most media people have taken to mean - possibly with knowledge of conversations with members of his team behind the scenes, that tends to be how these things work - that the plan is for him not to run for reelection. Of course that isn't a promise, and he might decide he really likes being President and run for reelection. But I think they're trying to find a way to blunt the inevitable attacks about his mental competence and the fact that he is the oldest major party nominee in history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 1 minute ago, HanoiVillan said: Biden has said on more than one occasion that he views himself as 'a transitional president', a formulation of words that most media people have taken to mean - possibly with knowledge of conversations with members of his team behind the scenes, that tends to be how these things work - that the plan is for him not to run for reelection. Of course that isn't a promise, and he might decide he really likes being President and run for reelection. But I think they're trying to find a way to blunt the inevitable attacks about his mental competence and the fact that he is the oldest major party nominee in history. Yes, him going for re-election is probably something that will be genuinely discussed in 4 years if he does win this year. The wording of that tweet is a bit more ambiguous though and plenty below the line seem to have taken it to mean that he will win election then quickly step aside to usher in a candidate unelected who couldn’t get more than 2% in the primaries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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