Things happen in politics when someone says out loud what many are thinking and then the blood pours in the water from that point.
At a recent taping of his show, honest witty relatively common sensical liberal Bill Maher had this to say about the current veep.
“What I could see is replacing the vice president. “Because she’s just not very popular anywhere. And it didn’t seem to work out. And, I don’t know, that’s been done before on a ticket.” This provoked serious applause from his liberal audience. Guaranteed the White House and the DNC were watching or heard about it.
“I just think she’s a bad politician,” Maher continued. “I think she’s a very bright person, but I don’t know- I can see them doing that because a lot of the problem with ‘Biden being old’ is- oh, if he dies, then you’re going to get this person.” Bright? Uhhh, no. Ever heard her put together a series of coherent sentences? Me either.
Maher complained that the “problem” for the Dems is that they’re “so boxed in by identity politics” that they would have to have on the ticket either a “woman, a person of color or a deaf Eskimo.” He’s right. Thus throwing a black woman off a national ticket would not sit well with the vile racists in the Democrat Party. But it may happen anyway because Kamala is so out to lunch.
Atlantic staff writer Caitlin Flanagan was also on the show. “In addition, for some reason, an off-putting person, she also has, I think, a lot of baggage that wouldn’t do well under a lot of scrutiny” Flanagan opined.
If the Party or the White House tries this there is precedent. In 1944 the Dems dropped FDR’s communist-sympathizing veep Henry Wallace and replaced him with Harry Truman. Truman went on to become a good president, for a Democrat.
The backstory is that by the 1944 election the Dems knew FDR was a dying man. The possibility that the Bolshie symp Wallace would inherit the Oval horrified the then non-commie Dems. Truman had made a national name as the head of a Senate war efficiency committee and had received good press. Thus Wallace was called to the White House for a “come to Jesus” meeting and bounced from the ticket. Wallace went on in 1948 to run on the Soviet-backed Progressive Party ticket and got clobbered by everyone.
Who could be the Harris replacement? Gotta be a chick. Grisham from New Mexico, Duckworth from Illinois, and Michelle Obama come to mind. The usual suspects would love Obama, as would the press, and forget all about Kamala. But that Dem ticket would get beaten badly against a DeSantis, Scott, or Haley. Against Trump? Trump would probably win, but by a closer margin given that half the country hates his guts.
So the Dems could get away with throwing Harris under the bus. But if things continue as they are for Biden they are only rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. That is, if she doesn’t become president first because Joe resigns as a midterm scapegoat. Then, all bets are off.