Yeah, but what I meant was we aren’t exactly a bunch of uninformed disinterested dummies. Will be interesting to see if the “experts” think quite differently.
Mitch McConnell’s term is up in 2027. Just sayin’.
ETA: This goes to Harris’s choice of running mate, as the possibility of nabbing a Senate seat in KY would be on her - or the party’s - mind looking forward. Probably not a disqualifier for Beshears, but would weigh on the decision.
It’s also got to be someone who wants the job. It’s possible some of the options presented are happy where they are and have no ambitions in securing the second-to-top job.
It’s practically the springboard to becoming the next democratic nominee. You have to go back to Harry Truman’s vice president Alben Barkley for the last Democratic winning ticket where the vice presidential nominee did not later lead the party at the top of the ticket in a presidential election. Obviously there’s an asterisk over LBJ because it was a bullet that put him in that position but Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Al Gore, Joe Biden and now Kamala Harris got to the position of becoming the democratic nominee for president because of the vice presidency.
African-Americans and some Hispanic groups are not overwhelming in their support for LGBTQ+ issues. It has gotten better, but not great. According to this website 53% of respondents object in varying degrees to Gay rights being equated to Civil Rights for African-Americans.
And frankly, I suspect there are still a decent % of white folks who support the Democratic Party who may be good with gay marriage or other issues but would balk at a gay person as President or VP.
It sounds incredibly trite, but one of the things that I think Kelly does is provide “cover” (or a safe space, if you will) for white males to support a female president.
Kelly is a fighter pilot and an astronaut. That’s Uber masculine. So he’s surely tough and manly.
So if he will stand next to Harris, and support her as her understudy, then it means that it’s still tough and manly for male voters to cast their ballot for her.
Trump/Vance are no longer the exclusive option for those with a fragile male ego.
(I know this probably sounds ridiculous, but I think there is a genuine subconscious effect at play amongst many low-intellect voters).
The GOP will try to paint any male VP candidate chosen by a woman as the poster child for emasculation. Kelly blunts that magnificently. But they’ll still try…
hijack verbiage hidden, ignore this no replies.
But dems of all parts of the political spectrum. Lots of hate for Biden, I hope you all noticed. So, not exactly marching in lock step.
Not to mention- Vance was in the Marines for a relatively short time, we need another vet to blow down any idea of the trump/Vance team being “good for the military”.
Hiding the hijack part of the post. No Bernie Bro talk allowed in the thread.
A big challenge with putting Cooper on the ticket is that every time he leaves the state, certified MAGA nut Lt. Governor Mark Robinson becomes the acting governor. Robinson is also the Republican candidate to replace Cooper this fall. Letting him govern the state for weeks on end as Cooper campaigns would give him an enormous advantage. I think this alone probably takes Cooper out of it.
Interesting that James carville thinks that mark Kelly would be too old…I guess there is a big difference between feb. and oct. of the same year?
Or is he saying go with a gen. x vp choice?
James suggests Shapiro or landrieu.
Huh, just checked landrieu is 4 years older than Harris. Huh, wonder what sort of mental image carville has of Kelly.
Also, you know, the most important swing states.
I’m going to go out there and say it - I love James Carville and have a great deal of respect for him for many things in the past.
Regarding his comment on Mark Kelly - Carville can fuck off. Kelly looks like a hardass. And while it’s been a minute since I’ve heard him speak publicly I have a memory he’s pretty damn on it.
Fuck Carville.
Carville does not have his pulse on what Americans want. Talk about someone I wish would retire.
Or start his own brand of gumbo or jambalaya maybe. He needs to STFU about politics generally.
He’s always fun on an Election Night panel though.
He’s still alive? I last remember seeing him last cycle and he looked like he was on death’s door.
As an “in the know” he’s well past his best used by date.
I’m betting against Kelly. Although he’d be a fine choice. Probably just to be contrarian as he is such a leader both here and in the betting markets. I think she going to settle in on Shapiro. PA is too critical a prize.
I’d just like to say that it’s GREAT to see the Dems show some ovaries (“balls”) for once. Even I was pretty much 50/50 on the idea, though I thought Biden stepping aside should have been done earlier, however, it really sort of worked out in a weird way. Hope we keep this momentum and tenacity up.
Love Mitch Landrieu, but I think VP is a big reach for him. He was an effective mayor for New Orleans and was also a two-term lieutenant governor, but never really became a national name.
Landrieu is older than Harris, but has kind of a baby face and has a younger man’s motor mouth. He looked “40-something” until very recently.