(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Kamala Harris for President [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-28 I’m a Biden man. I thought Biden was the perfect choice for Obama in 2008. In 2019 and 2020, I prayed that Democrats would choose Biden over Bernie, Pete, Kamala, and Elizabeth. I volunteered for his campaign and gave more money than I could afford. He is not only a seasoned politician and policy wonk, but a fundamentally decent, kind human being. But it is time for him to end his campaign. Last night was the nightmare that the Trump campaign has been telling us for months. I was nervous as hell going into the debate, but Joe did far worse than anything I could have imagined. It pains me to say this as lifelong Democrat and a longtime Biden supporter, but the Joe Biden we saw last night is not fit to run the country for four more years. IF BIDEN IS AT THE TOP OF THE TICKET IN NOVEMBER WE WILL LOSE IN A LANDSLIDE I’m not trying to hyperbolic when I say this—it is simply a fact. The reason will be voter enthusiasm. Last night’s debate was not about undecideds. There aren’t may of those left. By now, we all know what Donald Trump and Joe Biden stand for. Ideally, the Democratic candidate would be making cogent, convincing points for why Donald Trump is a danger to America and how he will destroy the institutions that make us great. Joe Biden can no longer do this. I was literally sick to my stomach as I tried to understand what he was saying and was despondent just watching him on the split screen. Joe Biden is a great man who has done many wonderful things for our country, but last night made clear that he no longer the person we need to take on Trump. Even before the debate, Joe Biden’s age was already an issue. The coalition that has historically been the base of Democratic support seem to be wary of Joe Biden because of his age. Maybe it’s been the success of the Republican spin machine, but polls indicated that young voters, Black voters and Latinos were either leaning more Republican than usual or were simply less interested in voting at all. Last night only served to validate those concerns. As a lifelong Democrat who has voted in every election and volunteered or contributed money in most, my vote in November won’t be for Joe Biden---it will be against Donald Trump. If a voter like me feels this way, we are going to crushed because the soft Biden supporter—the voter who may lean toward Democrats but doesn’t feel a life or death urgency to vote in each election—isn’t going to stand in line for two or three hours in November to vote for a man they wouldn’t trust to drive their car. Is this harsh? Of course, but it is also realistic. Donald Trump is not absolutely not fit to run our country, but the problem is that neither is our candidate. For millions of Americans that we need to turn out to win in November, this represents a choice that is not worth wasting their time on. Not only will Joe Biden lose, but so will dozens of Democrats down ticket. DON’T GASLIGHT US ABOUT JOE BIDEN’S PERFORMANCE This was not about a cold. Nor was it because Trump is a serial liar. Joe Biden wiped the floor with Trump in the 2020 debates. He was coherent, persuasive and quick---everything he was not last night. Four years ago, Biden gave his customary knowing smirk as Trump spun his lies. This year he stared off into space with his mouth agape. I love Joe Biden, and I know that the Joe Biden of four years ago would have crushed Trump last night, but he is no longer that man and no amount of debate prep or cold medicine is going to change that. The images and sound clips from last night are going to be ricocheting around the internet for the next four months. Those soft Biden voters I spoke of don’t watch convention speeches or CNN, they get their information from Tik Tok. Is that unfortunate? Yes. Does that mean their vote doesn’t matter? No. And no matter how many great rally speeches or press conferences he gives going forward, these voters are never going to see them. What happened last night has essentially solidified how they are going see Joe Biden. As much as I love Joe Biden and hate Donald Trump, I could not now put out a Biden sign or slap on a sticker after what I saw last night. After spending four years admonishing Republicans for supporting a man who was clearly incapable of leading the world’s greatest democracy, what does it say about us if we continue to advocate for Joe Biden? KAMALA HARRIS IS OUR ONLY CHOICE Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris in 2020 ostensibly because she was the person he felt was most capable to run the country should he not be able to fulfill his duties. That time has come. While I found Harris a very effective debater in 2020, I’m going to fully acknowledge that I don’t think that she is great campaigner. She is not the ideal candidate, and in any other circumstance, I would prefer a full on primary to determine whether she is the best candidate. We don’t have that luxury anymore. And to be perfectly honest, Democrats would look terrible if they attempted to replace the African-American female who is currently second in command with someone who would most likely be white and probably male. The obvious question will be she’s good enough to lead our country, but not our party? Right now our country is essentially split down the middle. Half support Trump while the other half do not. There are not a lot of undecideds. This election will be about which half turns out to vote. We don’t need Kamala to be another John F. Kennedy or Barack Obama. Our current media fractionalization means that people watch the news less than ever before and get their news in brand new ways and usually just in twenty second sound bites. What we need is a candidate that restores the belief that our party has put forth a candidate that is literally capable of performing her duties as president. Whether you like Kamala or not, she is clearly competent. Will she win? I don’t know. I think that putting her at the top of the ticket will likely address the concerns of young voters about the age of the current candidates, which may motivate some to turn out. There is also a chance that some of our traditional supporters will lean back in our direction if they feel our party is once again better reflects the people who vote for Democrats. I definitely think she will definitely embarrass Trump if he is willing to do another debate. But, most importantly, win or lose, Democrats will have done the right thing by putting forth a candidate who is fit for office. Right now, neither party can say that. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/28/2249540/-Kamala-Harris-for-President?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/