I know this is raking over old ground

[anamnua]

Last edited Tue Jan 28, 2025, 05:16 PM - Edit history (1)

but Joe should have gone in 2023. The ensuing primary would, in all probability, have delivered a Shapiro/Whitmer ticket — delivering Pennsylvania and Michigan. One more swing state and we would have been home and dry.

[Ocelot II]

1. Why beat this dead horse in a forum about the way forward?

[Silent Type]

2. Nowadays, there is no telling what would have happened. I do think his stepping aside and a primary

would have helped. But not sure we would have won.

[Skittles]

3. how is this a "way forward" ?

seriously

[brush]

4. Whitmer maybe, not Shapiro as the Gazan crisis is wha had many voting against...

VP Harris because she was perceived as echoing Biden's policies in the Arab/Jewish conflict in Gaza.

It just wasn't time for a Jewish candidate.

[suegeo]

5. Truth and Reconciliation

The way forward should include truth and reconciliation about what went down with Nancy Pelosi, Schiff, and other democrats stabbing Joe in the back. Clooney, Stewart, et. al. tightening the screws.

My own party took away my primary vote.

It was really ugly and un-democratic.

We got erased if we mentioned it at the time. When, if ever, will we be able to discuss...

For what it's worth, DJT is a liar and a cheat. He stole 2024. Him and Musk who is good with the computers. Good with the vote counting computers. The Russian tail.
Also voter suppression, see Greg Palast.

[FSogol]

6. When have the Democrats not handed it to the person they deemed was deserving? Harris was always going to be

the candidate if Biden stepped down or didn't run.

The way forward isn't by agonizing over the past. Our focus should be on winning the midterms, not finding a cult leader for 2028.

[Polybius]

7. "When have the Democrats not handed it to the person they deemed was deserving?"

2008. The entire Party backed Hillary.

[cadoman]

8. when they get the jitters and shortcut the democratic process

They were afraid of weakening Biden so rather than run a neutral primary they suppressed it into non-existence.

I understand their thinking. Hindsight is 20-20. But would the party and country have been better served if Biden had his debate short-circuit against a primary challenger rather than Trump? The administration and party could have shifted gears immediately--maybe even creating a midterm succession to Harris which might encourage the other candidates to step down. Harris gets to step in and show her chops to the voters as well as firmly establish her platform outside Biden's shadow.

It's just a thought exercise, but as far as how it applies to the way forward: trust Democracy. The primary process is scary because it exposes our candidates, but in the long run it makes our candidates stronger because it gives frustrated voices a chance to be heard and allows us to see and fix weaknesses before they're exposed in the general election.

New way forward: stop short-cutting the primary process & trust Democracy.