Mix and match any of these: Jamie Raskin, Cory Booker, Jared Moskowitz, Katie Porter, Jasmine Crockett, and probably a dozen others that are good
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The article that got shadow-banned at youtube Comments discussing WHY a Gore candidacy. [I suspect many youtube comments discussing the poor prospects of Biden/Harris have been redacted by the efforts of the Biden/Harris media campaign, with the cooperation of somebody they know at youtube/google. If you link to an external poll or merely an editorial, they are claiming “spamming” -never mind that many external links ARE permitted in Comments! My Comment with a link was up there for a day, and only then did they redact it. Biden/Harris media campaign workers are reaching out to someone they know at Google as they find any negative, yet civil, comments.]
Please don’t presuppose things; read the explanation completely.
[This article does NOT generate revenue for its author!]
The biggest challenge for any replacement candidate other than Harris is the campaign warchest. Even if the delegates were to strongly endorse an alternative to Harris, given the rules of campaign finance law (they stated in the fundraising it would be for Biden/Harris!), a new candidate cannot access Biden/Harris campaign funds and would have to start fundraising from scratch. A clever workaround (discussed in that article…) is to IMMEDIATELY form “blank-slate” PACs, to donate money to whoever is chosen at the Convention. To give a further incentive to donors, there could be a very short timewindow after the Convention (1 week?) within which a donor could request a refund should they not like who was ultimately chosen (a requirement of a sizable minimum could cover the added trouble of arranging that option…)
I was most relieved to hear from Cenk that blank-slate PACs are now forming. EVERY day will count for any non-Harris replacement to have a chance. By the time of HOPEFULLY an Open Convention, the argument that we have to go with Harris because of her warchest goes away. $100 million, for example, would not be enough to win a national campaign; but a lot more money could be raised immediately after the Convention if the pick is an inspiring one, and considering what is now at stake.
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Harris: it’s a return to the scene of the 2016 Diversity Crime (Clinton being a woman…) Yes, I get it: many female black voters might take her being passed over as offensive; but not only do we have to win electoral votes in Swing States, but we have to energize the base and win both Houses to achieve legislation that checks the nutjob Supreme Court conservative majority. You can’t deny the mediocrity of her polling -and they haven’t even begun to SERIOUSLY attack her yet!
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Wes Moore: He ain’t bad, but you know the Repubs will say that handling one bridge collapse does not immediately qualify you to be President. Perhaps Gore and Wes Moore as VP.
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Katie Porter: She is FANTASTIC; but unfortunately she has not racked up enough experience yet to qualify for the role as President. Maybe the VP, but she might be getting more done for the Dem+Prog cause working in Congress. Perhaps an appointment to a strategic cabinet position, should we somehow pull off the miracle of replacing BOTH Biden and Harris…
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Sanders: a return to the scene of the Age Crime, his present mental acuity notwithstanding. Also: when the Dems pulled the de-registration stunt in the New York primary, it served as a presidential litmus test for him which, unfortunately, he failed. Given that Sanders would not push back against the dirty pool of the Dem machine, do you really think he would have pushed back against the Repubs when they played dirty pool? He’s a FANTASTIC legislator; but he was not cut out to be President. His losing in 2016 was Darwin.
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Newsom: do you really think the homelessness in California (not his fault, but the fault of a protracted “Great Closing” that should not have been more than 2 weeks, and no national policy to stabilize housing costs…) will inspire the Swing States to turn out in droves for him?
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AOC: that would turn off Never-Trumpers, whose votes you need in Swing States.
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Warren: she is a very capable legislator; the problem is she tends to be a bit rigid in her demeanor and manner (her photos with her dog notwithstanding…) I was very gung-ho on Warren for the 2016 election; but after seeing her campaigning then, she lacked the personability of most other popular politicians (like Biden had years ago…)
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While much of Cenk’s strategy to replace Biden has been great, I would point out one thing he does that actually sabotages his efforts to change the minds of people fast: he focuses on attacking Biden’s fitness, as opposed to simplifying the argument and just say: “Hey, we can debate back and forth whether he is actually sufficiently fit; but do you think, given present polling, and those videos from the debate that the Republicans will inevitably use (AND the fact that the ONLY remaining debate will now be JUST before the election…) -do you REALLY think he has an electoral chance??” I understand completely what he is attempting to do: he is trying to awaken people from their slumber. But by focusing on fitness, he triggers an anti-Repub reflex that speaking ill of Biden is just to be pro-Repub. His focus instead should be just on electoral reality. Hey -maybe it’s simply that he just screwed up. Guess what? He has to accept responsibility for that and step aside.
Also: to Cenk and others anxious about his not immediately stepping aside and SAYING that he will remain in the fight, something you have to appreciate: he got some BIG contributions to date. If he dropped out immediately after the debate, when anybody with a shred of logic could see that an electoral win would be impossible, it would be a big finger to his loyal donors. So right now he is trying to put on a good show for his donors: “Hey, I really tried…” But I would agree with Cenk that it cannot go beyond this week!
“In a letter, the president defies calls from some members of his own party to stand aside and says the speculation must end…”
Too bad such edicts are not and will not affect polls…
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I know! I just addressed his tone-deaf letter here:
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Is the Dem Party going to have to resort to a threat of using Article 25 now?? After Friday, they might have to. Maybe nobody will win if they do that, but nobody will win anyway based on current polling if he barricades himself in.
Hey, if he has a 10 point jump in polls by Friday, maybe he should stay. Think that’s going to happen?
Part of this is being driven by his knowing in his heart of hearts that Harris can’t win given current voter perceptions and electoral outlook.
PERHAPS they are doing a poll test right now: make a speech saying damn the torpedoes, then gauge the reaction to it.
People who are or have been in the Dem Party need to speak up now that they will volunteer to help by running…
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Wes Moore/Sanders
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I agree with this 1000%.
"This isn’t about who the correct Biden replacement is, rather it’s about the CORRECT PROCESS to find his replacement. [...] The BIGGEST MISTAKE THE DEMS CAN MAKE IS TO RIG THIS, EITHER BEFORE OR DURING THE CONVENTION. COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY IS MANDATED."
Biden shouldn’t have been anointed as the candidate just because he’s president. I don’t think Harris should be anointed as his replacement just because she’s VP. Raskin, Whitmer, even if somehow Bernie were chosen — it shouldn’t be chosen by party insiders. I don’t think anyone should be chosen by party insiders behind closed doors. An open, fair process must be used.
My opinion is the convention is the best way to do this since there’s no time for a primary do-over. Let the candidates make their case to the American public and the delegates. As Cenk has mentioned, the convention used to be how the candidate was chosen anyway instead of just a formality like it has been recently.
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We have many options that would/could fare better against Trump with the prevailing viewpoint on Biden’s fitness for office. Any choice that isn’t Biden is likely to be used as reasons for his failure. This coming from the same DNC that dissuaded options in the primary. This shitshow is the direct result of denying and gaslighting the public. I have my preferences, but Trump is an existential treat to not just this country. Imagine the impact on Palestinians, Ukrainians, and likely the Taiwanese should he be reelected. My personal preferences be damned. Make a poll and give me a ticket I won’t regurgitate my lunch to vote for.
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K-hive. The “War Chest” reportedly can only be legally shifted to VP Harris. 
buzz buzz
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(I know message boards tend to block links from “new users” (even though I’ve been a TYT member since 2016) so we’ll see how this turns out)
Trying to be a bit quantitative, looking at who is “Most popular”:
(YouGov Public figures quarterly poll)
today dot yougov dot com/ratings/politics/popularity/public-figures/all
Several are either dead or otherwise not qualified to be president.
also, there is validity to the statements that, Kamala Harris being the VP, picking someone other than a Black woman would lead to sour many voters to this already undemocratic process. So from the list above that gives:
#5 Michelle Obama
#15 Kamala Harris
and, even ignoring that limitation above gives:
#3 Jimmy Carter
#5 Michelle Obama
#9 Bernie Sanders
#15 Kamala Harris
All the rest are either dead, served 2 terms already, or not born in the US
I’d suggest either Michelle Obama or Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket and Bernie as the VP candidate (failing that, one of the others not chosen from among the four)
side note - AOC rounds out the top 20, I wouldn’t object to her as VP pick either
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If it’s not Biden, it will be Kamala. Naming a bunch of random politicians is just silly.
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I like Tim Ryan, but I’d suggest someone who has awesome name recognition in Pennsylvania. Harris/Shapiro
Co-rrect. Read my posts on this thread of the importance that a whole lot of money now get directed into a blank-slate PAC or PACs: the money would go to whoever wins an Open Convention. They should have an option to retrieve a refund in a short timewindow after the Convention (1 week?) should the donor not like who is chosen, and they should have a sizable minimum requirement, to compensate for the trouble of the refund option…
Why will it HAVE TO be Harris?
The DNC has two choices here: have an Open Convention, or not. Voters will then have two choices: stay home on Election Day or not. Hey, if they want a rinse+repeat of 2016, go for it.
If enough money is raised through blank-slate PACs (and some are open now!), and IF the Convention is open to all comers, an alternative to Harris IS possible. If she proves in the month remaining that she will have what it electorially takes, and an OPEN Convention agrees with that, she can be the candidate…
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If this topic is also about the process of selecting a new ticket then wouldn’t Biden still have the democratic right to strongly endorse a candidate (or ticket) AND encourage his delegates to support that candidate (or ticket)?
If Biden selflessly decides not to run, publicly endorses a ticket (Harris/Shapiro), listed his reasons why he supports that ticket, and then encouraged an open convention…what would be the result: that new ticket would win “unopposed” at the convention.
Harris/Shapiro-2024
I think I agree with your larger point: it is financially/logistically cumbersome without Harris at the top of any new ticket.
The most important thing is to pick the candidate that has the best electoral chance; that polls strongest in Swing States (and will stop the bleed-out in purple and blue ones!) We don’t have to accept a strategy that will restrict our options, given the importance now of what is at stake: a cabal of anti-Constitutional lunatics seizing control.
If the blank-slate PACs don’t raise a significant sum by the Convention, then I agree it’s moot. Have you seen all the MEGAdonors who have announced they are pausing donations to Biden/HARRIS until this is sorted out?
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