Re: what's the alternative if Biden steps down -- here's the best summary I've seen so far of the options. Because of the way it's published there's no easy way to guest-link to it so I'll paste in the whole essay:
The Smartest Way for Democrats to Choose Another Nominee
Re: what's the alternative if Biden steps down -- here's the best summary I've seen so far of the options. Because of the way it's published there's no easy way to guest-link to it so I'll paste in the whole essay:
The Smartest Way for Democrats to Choose Another Nominee
Jonathan Alter, New York Times, July 19, 2024
As Democrats hear rumors about President Biden withdrawing his candidacy, they are slowly crawling out of the fetal position. If he steps aside, what should they do when they are fully upright and ready to move? The party has three options:
Coronation: Short on time and battered by its divisions over whether Biden should have been the nominee, the 4,000 delegates quickly close ranks around Vice President Kamala Harris.
Audition: Candidates approved by Biden and Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama appear in six town hall meetings in two weeks, with the proviso that they stick to laying out their visions instead of attacking one another. This would be followed by remote balloting in mid-August, just before the opening of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Open convention: Leading candidates give speeches on the opening night of the convention, followed by intense politicking and live, suspenseful balloting.
I favor an audition. Here’s why:
In the event of Biden’s withdrawal, Harris would be the strong front-runner. She is next in line, already vetted and much improved as a candidate. As a former prosecutor, she could amass the evidence against Donald Trump and make an especially strong case on reproductive rights.
At the same time, it would be a bad look for a small number of party insiders to engineer Harris’s nomination without giving the public some say in the process. Harris would be a stronger candidate this fall if she impressed Democratic voters in town hall meetings. Having been handed the vice-presidential nomination in 2020, she should earn the top spot this time.
Even if Harris got every important endorsement and was the presumptive nominee, she should still address state delegations and make TV appearances with a few other contenders. It would hone her debate skills and give her and the voters a chance to kick the tires on possible vice-presidential nominees.
And if one of the rivals should outshine her and open up a bigger lead than she had against Trump in the polls? Well, in that case, delegates would be duty bound to at least consider nominating that candidate.
Given the electoral map, delegates should take a hard look at popular battleground-state candidates for both positions on the ballot: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan (has a strong record and a powerful stump speech), Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania (skillfully frames issues and has the backing of a third of Trump supporters in his state) and Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona (is a former astronaut with personal experience with gun violence). Throw in Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia (is an eloquent moderate) and Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky (matches up well with J.D. Vance), and you have a galvanizing set of choices.
Finally, an open convention wouldn’t be smart because, while exciting, it would deprive the party of three nights of pressing the case against Trump and the Republicans. And by then, all of us would have had enough drama and suspense to last a lifetime.
Re: what's the alternative if Biden steps down -- here's the best summary I've seen so far of the options. Because of the way it's published there's no easy way to guest-link to it so I'll paste in the whole essay:
The Smartest Way for Democrats to Choose Another Nominee
Jonathan Alter, New York Times, July 19, 2024
As Democrats hear rumors about President Biden withdrawing his candidacy, they are slowly crawling out of the fetal position. If he steps aside, what should they do when they are fully upright and ready to move? The party has three options:
Coronation: Short on time and battered by its divisions over whether Biden should have been the nominee, the 4,000 delegates quickly close ranks around Vice President Kamala Harris.
Audition: Candidates approved by Biden and Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama appear in six town hall meetings in two weeks, with the proviso that they stick to laying out their visions instead of attacking one another. This would be followed by remote balloting in mid-August, just before the opening of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Open convention: Leading candidates give speeches on the opening night of the convention, followed by intense politicking and live, suspenseful balloting.
I favor an audition. Here’s why:
In the event of Biden’s withdrawal, Harris would be the strong front-runner. She is next in line, already vetted and much improved as a candidate. As a former prosecutor, she could amass the evidence against Donald Trump and make an especially strong case on reproductive rights.
At the same time, it would be a bad look for a small number of party insiders to engineer Harris’s nomination without giving the public some say in the process. Harris would be a stronger candidate this fall if she impressed Democratic voters in town hall meetings. Having been handed the vice-presidential nomination in 2020, she should earn the top spot this time.
Even if Harris got every important endorsement and was the presumptive nominee, she should still address state delegations and make TV appearances with a few other contenders. It would hone her debate skills and give her and the voters a chance to kick the tires on possible vice-presidential nominees.
And if one of the rivals should outshine her and open up a bigger lead than she had against Trump in the polls? Well, in that case, delegates would be duty bound to at least consider nominating that candidate.
Given the electoral map, delegates should take a hard look at popular battleground-state candidates for both positions on the ballot: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan (has a strong record and a powerful stump speech), Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania (skillfully frames issues and has the backing of a third of Trump supporters in his state) and Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona (is a former astronaut with personal experience with gun violence). Throw in Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia (is an eloquent moderate) and Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky (matches up well with J.D. Vance), and you have a galvanizing set of choices.
Finally, an open convention wouldn’t be smart because, while exciting, it would deprive the party of three nights of pressing the case against Trump and the Republicans. And by then, all of us would have had enough drama and suspense to last a lifetime.