Harris would be running to not just be the first female president but also the first non-white woman. In terms of trying to decide whether the base will come out to vote for her, I think that the desire to see a historic outcome will be sufficient to get people to go to the ballot station.
She really gains very little by trying to pull in the left.
There are a lot of Republicans who actually believe in Republican values - lawfulness, a balanced budget, global lawfulness, unionism, republicanism, etc. Those ones can be convinced to stay home or even cross aisles. That’s going to have a much larger effect on the outcome.
If you can convince those that you’re not the anti-christ, through your VP pick, you’re going to get a good showing during the election.
Cooper is 67, so if he served two terms he’d be 75 or 76 at the end. That seems like what we’re trying to get away from. OTOH, Gov. Walz seems like a good candidate, and I don’t think we should rule him out just because he looks old.
Yeah, I’d say that anyone over 60 should probably be ruled out. You should generally assume an 8 year presidency when making your pick for VP and Harris isn’t so young or wide-eyed seeming that I feel like she needs to bring in some elder statesman to give an air of gravitas. She should just get someone useful, who could win the chair again in 8 years.
We already have a literal prosecutor on the ticket, I don’t think we particularly need to duplicate those skills. Also, he’s Jewish (I’m amazed at how many Jews seem to be coming up in this discussion). He’s also a member of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, so apparently he’s a Jewish atheist. Not sure how that would go over in flyover country.
(I don’t really disagree that Harris needs to deliver a positive agenda that outlines how they will make people’s lives better, but they ALSO damn well need to continue to dunk on Trump mercilessly).
Mark Kelly was well known before becoming a politician. I would expect he has the most name recognition of the four. Certainly more than Shapiro and Cooper.
He is thoughtful and articulate. Likable. Obviously smart, and forceful without being mean. I don’t think he’ll be picked by Harris, (and that’s okay) but I would like to see his profile raised over the next few years. I’m a big fan.
He also lost a son to suicide a few years ago, and has more recently battled cancer of some type. (apparently successfully).
I remain unconvinced that Shapiro being Jewish is going to tank Michigan because of its large Muslim population. While maybe they stay home on Election Day, I think most people for whom Israel is a major election issue are going to see Trump as a far more dangerous alternative.
Regardless, I think Bashear or Kelly is a better alternative.
Ultimately, she needs to avoid picking someone who is boring. This campaign needs energy, and a team that people can get excited about.
True for some, but there are enough Muslims and Gen Z and zillenials who either don’t think Trump is more dangerous or who want to send a message to Democrats. From this article:
“If it came down to Trump and Joe Biden, I will vote for Trump. Because it doesn’t get worse than Joe Biden,” a man named Salah told me. His friend, Amad, added, “Biden was supposed to be the peacemaker. The comfort-maker. Instead, he became accessory to the biggest genocide in modern history.”
I think Shapiro poses a risk to more than just Michigan.
I remember seeing an organizer of the “uncommitted” campaign in Michigan being questioned about whether it was really wise to attack Biden, given that Trump would be so much worse.
She replied “60 members of my family have been killed in the last few months, how much worse could it be?”.
I mean, sure, it could be worse, but I’m not going to try to sell that woman on a “lesser of two evils” argument.
You’re not going to be able to sell it but the unfortunate answer is things could be a lot worse particularly for those members of her family that live here.
