#Harris/buttigieg 2024

[mai-komagata]

Ok I’m ready for president Kamala Harris.

[originalleftist]

This is what happens when you elect Democrats- no talking points lifted from the Third Reich, no constant whining and lying on Xitter, no coup attempts.

Just steady, competent governance that no, may not fix everything all at once, but does keep the country running while making life meaningfully and measurably better for the working class.

[deadpresidents]

do you think the democratic nominee will end up being kamala for sure and if it is who do you think will be her vp and who would you choose if it was up to you?

I received about 90 (that's not an exaggeration) different versions of these questions yesterday, but like I said, I wanted to give President Biden's remarkable act of political courage and patriotism some room to breathe and be appreciated in the hours after he stepped aside on Sunday. Now we can get down to business, however.

First of all, I'm pretty confident that Kamala Harris is going to be the Democratic nominee for President. I think the Democratic National Convention is going to be an open convention in that President Biden will release his delegates to support another candidate on the first ballot of the convention, but considering how quickly most leading Democrats coalesced around Kamala on Sunday, I think there's a very good chance that she'll be nominated on the first ballot anyway. Nearly all of the candidates who had been talked about as potential challengers for the nomination against Vice President Harris endorsed her as the Presidential nominee almost immediately. I think most Democrats have felt that the campaign has been chaotic enough in the wake of the debate debacle and ensuing questions about whether or not President Biden would drop out of the race and feel that it's in the best interests of the party to not have a potentially messy battle for the nomination in next few weeks before the convention in Chicago. I was actually (pleasantly) surprised in how quickly the leading Democrats across the ideological spectrum of the party unified behind Kamala in just a matter of hours. Most of the people mentioned as potential candidates in an open convention didn't even seem to dip their toes in the water after President Biden dropped out of the race, and I think that type of unity is a very strong signal that the party is going to be in a good place by the time the convention kicks off in Chicago in a little less than a month.

As for running mates for Kamala Harris, I still think her best bet would probably be a moderate/centrist Governor from either a battleground state or a red state where that Governor has demonstrated an ability to win statewide elections in a place that Democrats don't usually win and haven't carried in recent Presidential elections. Here is what my shortlist would be for Vice Presidential nominees alongside Kamala Harris: •Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania: This has been the name mentioned by nearly everybody in the past few days, and it makes a lot of sense. Shapiro is a popular Governor in a tremendously important battleground state. He's only been Governor for less than two years, but he's one of the fastest rising stars in the Democratic Party. •Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky: One of the most popular Governors in the nation, and a two-term Governor (he also won a statewide race as Attorney General) in an otherwise solid red state (Bill Clinton is the only Democrat who has carried Kentucky since 1980) with a Republican supermajority in their state legislature. •Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg: Another one of the Democratic Party's young rising stars. Like Beshear, Buttigieg would help symbolize the long-awaited generational shift in Democratic leadership. A Harris-Buttigieg ticket would excite the progressive base of the party and energize voters in a way that North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper or Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker could not. •Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona: Kelly checks pretty much all of the boxes for a running mate that balances the ticket. He's a moderate Democrat from a battleground state who could appeal to voters in the center. He's not only a military veteran with significant combat experience, but he was an astronaut. He knows the dangers of the current climate of political extremism because he's married to former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords who was nearly killed in an assassination attempt. I'd just be very hesitant in risking losing a safe Senate seat in a state where it's very difficult for Democrats to win, especially when the margin for majority control of the Senate is razor-thin.

But if I was personally asked to choose Kamala Harris's running mate, who would I pick?

•Admiral William H. McRaven: Anybody who has been following me for a while knows that I've spent over 10 years suggesting and promoting my belief that retired Admiral William McRaven is the type of candidate for President or Vice President who could truly reach voters from both sides of the aisle and possibly change the current trajectory of American politics by being an Eisenhower-like figure. McRaven is well-respected by political leaders across the ideological spectrum, and has a resume that no politician can deny being impressed by (except, of course, for Donald Trump). A former Navy SEAL with 40+ years of combat experience and the longtime Special Operations commander, McRaven just happened to plan and implement the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. McRaven also oversaw the capture of Saddam Hussein, the mission that killed Saddam's vicious sons Uday and Qusay, the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates, and scores of other missions that we'll probably never hear about. McRaven literally wrote the book on Special Operations warfare. I think McRaven would open the door to voters that might otherwise stay home in November and, in my opinion, a Harris-McRaven ticket would be borderline impossible for Trump-Vance to defeat.

[voidingintotheshout]

Pete Buttigieg is the best. He’s describing this era of Trump’s reelection attempt as the final season of a TV show where things get so ridiculous but also boring. I really vibe with that. Like this does feel like the final season of Trump, The Political Candidate. I hope it is.

Image ID: Pete Buttigieg’s tweet: “Cats! Dogs! Geese! Laura Loomer! Look, now he’s attacking Taylor! / Like the last season before a show gets cancelled for being over the top and, at the same time, boring. / This election is about jobs, wages, climate, healthcare, abortion. Not his show. Your life.”

[stopandimagineloveforever]

Do yourselves a favor and watch Pete Buttigieg on the Daily Show 🔥

[classycoffeecat]

First they get Pete and now Misha!! Go white dudes GO!

[just-emerald-star]

I knew what had to be done. My inner gleek understood the assignment 😂💀

[simplegenius042]

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[myvoteismyvoice]

Pete Buttigieg: “Vance was at his most effective when he talked about ho...

Epic Takedown of JD Vance.

[deadpresidents]

I know I'm jumping ahead of things and you don't like what ifs but who would you want Kamala Harris to pick as VP if she was the presidential nominee?

If President Biden steps aside and Vice President Harris becomes the Democratic nominee, I think she needs to pick a Governor -- and probably a solid moderate to balance the ticket. If it were up to me, her running mate would be Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. Governor Beshear has won three consecutive statewide elections (one as Attorney General and two as Governor) in a state that only Bill Clinton has won in Presidential elections dating back to 1980. Beshear was re-elected in 2023 and campaigned on protecting abortion rights, demonstrating that it's an issue that can win elections in conservative states. And Beshear is one of the most popular Governors in the nation despite the fact that he's battling a Republican supermajority in Kentucky's state legislature.

I think some of the other good options would be Governor Jared Polis of Colorado, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania (who has only been in the job for a short time but is very popular and runs one of 2024's most critical swing states), and Governor Jay Inslee of Washington. I've heard Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois mentioned as possibilities, but I'm not as high on either of them. On paper, Governor Cooper makes sense as a Democratic Governor who has won two statewide elections in a solidly red state, but I don't think Harris-Cooper is a ticket that energizes voters. I'd be intrigued by former Montana Governor Steve Bullock, who also won two statewide elections over the past decade in a deep red state and may be able to reach voters that Democrats often give up trying to win, but he has very little name recognition nationally. I think Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg would make a really interesting ticket. That's a ticket that would energize voters in a way that most combinations could not. I wouldn't look to either chamber of Congress for a potential running mate.

[longlivetv]

he dropped out of the race...

Yep. I saw his tweet. I’m feeling very

about it because, well…

I’m going to vote for whoever is put forward but no one has really bothered to mention what ticket they thought should replace him and my government classes didn’t exactly cover this and I’m so over living through historic events

[netscapenavigator-official]

If Harris had chosen Buttigeig as her running mate, I have no doubt in my mind there would've been "Gay Son AND Thot Daughter - 2024" (in presidential campaign font) shirts for sale on Etsy.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Edwards at Raw Story:

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg rebuffed Fox News host Shannon Bream on Sunday after she suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris was unqualified to lead the country. During an interview on Fox News Sunday, Bream noted that one conservative New York Times columnist had called Harris's candidacy "anti-democratic."

"That's the playbook of ruling parties in autocratic states," the Times column charged. [...] Bream argued that Harris had not received any Democratic delegates during primary voting. "The idea that somebody hasn't been tested or vetted when they have been the vice president of the United States for nearly four years just doesn't make any sense," Buttigieg disagreed. "She is in obviously one of the most visible leadership roles in the country." "And she's demonstrated both her effectiveness in that job and a vision for the country that Americans agree with," he continued. "And that's a real reason I think she's going to win, is that most Americans already agree with her on the issues that they care about the most, that affect them the most, whether we're talking about choice and her stance on defending a woman's right to choose versus Donald Trump, who eliminated a right to choose in this country."

Potential VP candidate Pete Buttigieg went on Fox News Sunday yesterday, and he masterfully pushed back on host Shannon Bream’s assertions that Kamala Harris is “unprepared” for the job.

See Also:

The Guardian: Buttigieg: Republicans calling Kamala Harris a diversity hire is ‘a bad look’

From the 07.28.2024 edition of Fox's Fox News Sunday:

[harriswalz4usabybr]

Speech Governor Walz gave in Grand Rapids, MI!

[meret118]

He does such a great job of dealing with bullshitters, and staying on message. I hope Harris keeps him on in her administration in some role if he wants. I could even see him being Sec. of State. She already knows him after all, and they get along well from what little I've read about them. He may be ready for a break though.