Before now, I never knew that Bill and Hillary Clinton were part of KHive. I’m so pleased that they are, in fact, huge supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris. In the wake of President Biden’s sudden Sunday-afternoon announcement that he was dropping his reelection campaign and throwing his support and campaign apparatus to VP Harris, there was an influx of tributes to Pres. Biden’s presidency and decades of service. Within those tributes, many Democrats immediately followed Pres. Biden’s lead and threw their support behind VP Harris. The Clintons were two of the first to do so, and many others followed their route:
Statement from President Clinton and Secretary Clinton pic.twitter.com/R7tYMFWbsu
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) July 21, 2024
In case you’re looking for the specific KH endorsement: “We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her….Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her. America’s future depends on it.” As I said, the Clintons were very quick out of the gate, issuing this statement roughly eighty minutes after Pres. Biden dropped out of the race. Many Democrats followed suit – praising President Biden, then in the next moment, throwing their support behind VP Harris.
President Obama was not one of those Democrats. He issued a statement about President Biden, and he was completely silent on his endorsement. Considering many of Obama’s former staffers were front and center in the effort to push Biden out of the campaign and Obama sat by and did nothing publicly to support Biden in his time of great need, this all has left a really bad taste in my mouth over all things Obama. Here’s Obama’s statement:
Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded — again — that he’s a patriot of the highest order. Sixteen years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I knew about Joe’s remarkable career in public service. But what I came to admire even more was his character — his deep empathy and hard-earned resilience; his fundamental decency and belief that everyone counts.
Since taking office, President Biden has displayed that character again and again. He helped end the pandemic, created millions of jobs, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, passed the first major piece of gun safety legislation in 30 years, made the biggest investment to address climate change in history, and fought to ensure the rights of working people to organize for fair wages and benefits. Internationally, he restored America’s standing in the world, revitalized NATO, and mobilized the world to stand up against Russian aggression in Ukraine.
More than that, President Biden pointed us away from the four years of chaos, falsehood, and division that had characterized Donald Trump’s administration. Through his policies and his example, Joe has reminded us of who we are at our best — a country committed to old-fashioned values like trust and honesty, kindness and hard work; a country that believes in democracy, rule of law, and accountability; a country that insists that everyone, no matter who they are, has a voice and deserves a chance at a better life.
This outstanding track record gave President Biden every right to run for re-election and finish the job he started. Joe understands better than anyone the stakes in this election — how everything he has fought for throughout his life, and everything that the Democratic Party stands for, will be at risk if we allow Donald Trump back in the White House and give Republicans control of Congress.
I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight. For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life. But I know he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America. It’s a testament to Joe Biden’s love of country — and a historic example of a genuine public servant once again putting the interests of the American people ahead of his own that future generations of leaders will do well to follow.
We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond.
For now, Michelle and I just want to express our love and gratitude to Joe and Jill for leading us so ably and courageously during these perilous times — and for their commitment to the ideals of freedom and equality that this country was founded on.
“I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.” Motherf–ker, the outstanding nominee has already emerged – President Biden said it’s Kamala Harris. The party establishment – minus Obama and Nancy Pelosi – are all throwing their enthusiastic support behind VP Harris. Obama seems to be endorsing disarray at the convention. What the f–k is he doing? What the f–k has he been doing for the past month?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Getty.
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- Former US President Barack Obama adjusts his headphones as he attends a panel discussion held in front of the Brandenburg Gate at the German Protestant Church Congress in Berlin, Germany, 25 May 2017. Photo: Ralf Hirschberger/-Zentralbild/,Image: 525735530, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: UK and US ONLY – DIRECT SALES ONLY- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Ralf Hirschberger / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
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- President Barack Obama adresses drive-in rally on election eve to get out the vote for Joe Biden, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock on November 2, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia,Image: 567022217, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Sanjeev Singhal / Avalon
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- Bill Clinton 2022 Clinton Global Initiative held at Hilton Midtown Tuesday September 20, 2022 in New York Cit Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com,Image: 724909162, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Bill Clinton, Credit line: J Graylock / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- President Joe Biden , Former President Barack Obama , John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro attended a Grass Roots get out and vote rally at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia on 11/05/2022 .,Image: 735525927, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: William T. Wade Jr/Photographer / Avalon
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- Hillary Clinton bei Cinema for Peace 2024 im WECC – Westhafen Event & Convention Center Berlin. *** Hillary Clinton at Cinema for Peace 2024 at the WECC Westhafen Event Convention Center Berlin,Image: 848830712, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Dieter Baganz / Avalon
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- United States Vice President Joe Biden and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attend the ceremony where the official portrait of US Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat of Nevada) is to be unveiled in the Kennedy Caucus Room on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Thursday, December 8, 2016.
I have NEVA been on the Obama band wagon once I saw the NEOCONS like Arne Duncan & Rham Emmanuel et al that he had on his team & I will NEVA FORGIVE him for UNLEASHING Emmanuel on my hometown of Chicago who FURTHER decimated my city as if he were HEAD of the GOP😡 And the citadel he’s currently building on the Southside of Chicago has displaced SO MANY BLACK FOLKS WHO SUPPORTED HIM😪😲
+ 1000% He is a neo-liberal centrist at best and a great friend of Wall St. and corporate America. I think so many projected on to him what they wished him to be and have a difficult time accepting who he really is, unfortunately.
🎯
Calm down folks. I think Obama’s just trying prevent the feeling of Kamala being anointed. That’s all. Please devote your energy towards preventing that orange menace from getting back in the White House. Please donate and sign up to volunteer. Please, I beg of you all. Stop the unnecessary drama. You see Biden yourselves. He just is not physically up to the task right now. Believe me. My politics are to the left of these people, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for Joe as a president and as a father. But it’s time to move on.
But why does he need to “prevent the feeling of her being anointed”? That’s the whole point of endorsements? This does explain why the pod save America guys (all Obama guys) were pushing for Biden to get out. Who tf are they hoping to announce? Someone who magically has more $$$?
I am nor FOR or AGAINST Kamala. She has to earn my vote. I need to hear her speak, and hear her debate. Just because Biden says she’s “The One” is not good enough for me. I respect Obama on his silence. There may someone else that the Democrats officially select. I personally like Gavin Newsome.
Dani, she has to earn your vote? The alternative is we don’t get another election where the votes are counted correctly. I wish I was joking, but republicans openly love Putin and his elections where he gets 90% of the votes. I’m in Texas and it is already on its way to fascism. Open carry guns, folks harassing ppl at the polls, reduced number of polling places because they want to make voting harder, ab*rtion ban at 4 days after you can test positive for a pregnancy, trying to dismantle public schools, a law for deporting ppl who “look” like they might not be citizens. We really do have to have the federal government step in and save us, because they are systematically trying to end voting as a thing. And I’ll tell yo why, Texas is 62% not white. Guys what areas have plenty of polling spots?
Yesterday was Biden’s day. Today (and every day going forward) belongs to Kamala. I believe that Obama was being respectful of President Biden. Obviously, he will endorse Kamala … plus, right now it would be unhelpful if the focus were upon him. Kamala doesn’t need to be seen as being attached to Obama because she has her own voice and strength and intelligence. She is carving her own path. She will be a great president. No disrespect or offense intended, but she really doesn’t need Obama or Clinton to hold her hand.
I really like Kamala. But she doesn’t have to earn anything more than being a vote against project 25 and trump.
Dani, Im not American nir I live there, but I have relatives who are pro orange aNd are being scared of anything dem, it is sometimes scary to hear them speak of politics.
Sorry Dani, but please stop with the 2016 fantasy. There is not going to be another person on the Democratic ticket. This is it. Sorry to reduce the issue to it’s most granular level for you: but either you support and vote Kamala, or you are supporting and voting for Donald Trump. These are your only two choices, unless you have some inside information on what the Republicans are planning.
@ Dani–then why not just type “Kamala” into the ol’ Google machine?? Like, it is not hard to find videos of her campaigning–she travels a LOT, she has done many interviews, she is not hiding FFS.
And she’s going to carry forth Biden’s legacy–she’s not very different from him politically. But she has MANY advantages over him as a candidate–she’s much younger and has a compelling backstory. She’s a black female prosecutor going after a convicted felon–I mean, it would be hard to imagine another candidate more eligible for this moment.
Dani, not sure where you’re from, but I’m from CA and I can tell you Kamala has more experience than most politicians in the house, senate or who have been President have had.
She was District Attorney of Alameda County, City attorney of San Francisco’s DA office, the was elected District Attorney of San Francisco. She was elected attorney general of California in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. She was the junior U.S. senator from California from 2017 to 2021, followed by VP. She is bad ass, and I fully support her.
What exactly does this woman need to do to “earn” your vote? She is FAR MORE experienced than Gov. Good Hair. FFS.
This is it, do or die time. If Trump wins, he will never leave office until he dies, followed by whoever the Heritage Foundation chooses next. Look up Belarus, or Turkey for examples of xtian nationalism at work. This country will cease to be free forever if Trump wins. Our democracy will die.
You always have the best takes Proud Mary. And Kitten below too.
@Dani: there’s an expression in Persian, that goes something like this: they told the cat that her poop was precious/sacred, so she buried it.
Personally I think this Pres. Obama bashing is the last thing Madam Vice President Kamala Harris needs at this time. I am not a voting American but I assure you Democrats, your self-destruction will always be your downfall. Look at the Republicans. They’re embracing all their thugs warts and all. Meanwhile, Democrats are busy still doing what they did in 2016, bash, criticize and hold secretary Clinton to different “perfect” standards, which in turn cost them. There’s is a saying in my tribe that says “akuba owuwe akuba awuumba engalo” translates to “she/he that slaps their own’s never slaps with a straight palm but rather with a somewhat closed palm so as not to inflict as much pain”. This is what you Dems should be doing. The Republicans are watching you self-destruct and they aren’t interrupting much other than handing you more rope to hang yrselves. This is not the time to start attacking your own Democrats, wake up. Don’t hand the presidency again to Trump on a silver platter like you did in 2016. This is not the time to be attacking your own.
Thank you Lawrenceville. You expressed my sentiments precisely. Some of these meltdowns are scary. You are so correct that it’s all beginning to remind of 2016, and we know where that led us. I was a Bernie “bro” in 2016, but I voted for Hillary, because I’m not dumb. I’m a leftie, but I know what republicans are capable of. What is all the anger supposed to accomplish?
Agreed. Actually the democrats will hand the presidency to Trump. Like they waited until the last moment to have President Biden step down. They immediately realized they have nobody to take over except Vice President Harris and she doesn’t poll well. I am not saying this because I don’t support her. I’m brown woman and she is a very smart lady. Unfortunately for whatever reason she doesn’t poll well. So again as much as I loathe to say this I think the democrats will give the election up to Trump again with their fumbling. America will have the first convicted (criminal) as a President. I really really hope I am wrong.
Completely agree.
Sara, you are wrong. Even aside from being President, Joe is a major part of the Democratic party. He’s been a politician since probably before you and I were born. This was not a decision that could have been made overnight. He had the right to be given the chance to prove that he could run. I suspect they agreed to one debate performance to see if he could do it. When it failed, they all agreed for him to move on. The election has barely begun. Nothing has been handed to trump. Stop with the negativity. It’s unhelpful.
Sara, it is too soon to be saying that she “doesn’t poll well”. If you look at a sampling of polls from the past couple of weeks, before Biden withdrew and Harris was just a hypothetical candidate, both of them trailed Trump by 1 or 2 percentage points, but Harris was actually scoring the same or slightly higher than Biden. Now, she has the Democratic Party behind her, and you only have to read the comments here to see that voters are excited and energized by our new candidate. I mean, just read the comments on the Sunday post about Biden stepping down, and then today’s political posts. A lot of us seem to have gone from depths of despair to celebration in record time! We can absolutely win with Kamala Harris.
Link to the poll numbers I was referring to:
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cv2gryx1yx1t?post=asset%3Ae81aa02d-9ea0-4c6c-a8d1-7900cac9c780#post
@Sara, I really hope you are wrong too.
There is new energy in this election and I’m happy to read DNC delegates in my state are behind VP Harris.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/22/nearly-all-of-wisconsins-dnc-delegates-endorse-kamala-harris/74502546007/
https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/wisconsin-delegates-for-dnc-begin-to-rally-behind-harris
Nobody “pushed” Biden out. He made an extraordinarily courageous, selfless decision and stepped down, putting country over ego. If Biden thought he could win, there is no way in hell he wouldn’t have stayed in but he saw the writing on the wall and made the right decision.
Obama will endorse whatever the final ticket is, when Kamala has chosen her running mate.
There’s no time for tears over Biden right now guys. It’s time to coalesce around Kamala and get this shit done.
Thank you for saying all of this. People are really showing themselves when it comes to President Obama. I could be wrong but I think he knows more than any of us and was concerned for his friend too.
I’m all in on President Kamala Harris.
I agree, Ninja. You want a long news cycle. When he endorses that will be another big news story. Right now spotlight needs to be on Kamala.
And fwiw, I remember in his book about the 2008 campaign, he talked about the primaries and how he was cruising, and then wham, all if a sudden he had a fight on his hands with HRC. His reflection was the American people want to see a candidate fight for it, not a coronation. So that resonated with me then and now. Given that others are endorsing he can be the reasoned voice.
Pelosi too – they are mindful the party regulars should voice their support. then they come in so it doesn’t look heavy handed.
I rarely disagree with Kaiser, but I do on the obamas.
I agree, Duch. While I presume Kamala will be the nominee, the process of getting the nomination will further legitimize her. I like Kamala and always have and I’m not too worried that she’s going to flub this up – she’s a smart woman. Watching her compete for the nomination will be helpful for many people if they are on the fence. Not wanting a coronation is exactly right.
My social media news feed is full of “I’m with her,” which gives me hope.
I agree Duch. She even said something like “I look forward to running and winning the nomination”. So I don’t think KH expects it will just be handed to her.
Also, I think Obama wants to give Joe his time in the spotlight and honor him first. Then at a separate time focus on fully articulating support for the Dem nominee (which will be KM).
@Duch, I agree.
Almost all of the time, I like Kaiser’s takes, but this is way too hasty.
It’s only been a day.
Also, Harris is not the nominee yet. And I understand not wanting her to seem to get it too easy but have her be voted in by the Democrats as a whole.
I’d much have preferred an article about the things she has accomplished to this negative reporting about the Democrats. I see enough of that on social media by bots and rightist influenced media.
Pretty sure the donors pushed Biden out… it is not the people or the media, but deep pockets, as usual.
Big donors, not regular folks…
I totally agree @MIL. Do you guys remember when Clooney said that they didn’t want Kamala? That’s where Obama is.
I am team Kamala, period! Trump has to go.
Winner winner chicken dinner…Big donors and NYT who has been butthurt that Joe wouldn’t acknowledge their presence.
In order for that to be true, you have to pretend that the debate didn’t happen. You have to pretend that Biden’s age wasn’t an overwhelming concern BEFORE he was ever even the nominee. You have to pretend that the polls, showing Biden’s support massively dwindling in swing states, aren’t real. You have to pretend that Biden isn’t a massively confident candidate who has run for president what, four times? You have to actually believe that Biden is so weak and easily influenced that he would risk our country’s ability to beat Trump because he’s scared of the donor class.
You have to really just make a whole lotta shit up, honestly. And that’s not to say that the donors didn’t put the final nail in the coffin of his candidacy–they did–but they did that because they truly did not believe that he could beat Trump, which is a fear that was shared by three quarters of US voters.
But this is what the GOP wants you guys to believe because they want Dems to be fighting with each other–they love the disarray. They want to sow fear, distrust and hatred towards Kamala and divide the party. You can either play into their hands or you can get on the Harris train–your choice.
And look, I’m an independent who wanted Warren to be president in 2020. I was told again and again when I was phone banking for her “I LOVE Warren but she can’t win. Look at what happened to Hillary–we need a white male candidate.” My argument was always “She CAN and WILL win if you vote for her” because this kind of projection eventually just becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We WILL Kamala’s campaign into failure by getting emotional about Biden and making blanket statements about Kamala’s viability in rural states or among white women or whatever imaginary hurdle you want to use.
I am the first to admit that I didn’t always say the nicest things about Harris in the past but that ends NOW. I have never been a cheerleader for the party and I was never enthusiastic about Biden’s candidacy but I’m going all in this time around and I suggest everyone here does the same. I will be propping up Kamala’s candidacy every chance I get because doubt and fear has no place among the party right now. We need enthusiasm and excitement and we need to have Harris’s back because the misogynoir oppo from the GOP IS coming.
And lastly, while I don’t believe in God or divine intervention or whatever, I do believe that life has a funny way of self-correcting: the universe has decided that the leader of the Democratic Party should look more like their core constituency. So let’s fucking GO, guys, let’s all get behind Harris because she CAN and WILL beat Trump.
@Kitten but that’s exactly what happened. After the debate, the big donors got on the phone with politicians and said, if you don’t publicly say that Biden should step down, we’re pulling funding. So we can’t act like all the politicians standing against Biden were doing it because of genuine concerns of his age etc. Many of them were given orders to do so, or risk losing significant funding.
As Kaiser says in this post, it just became one big cyclical mess – so while the polls showed him down, they showed him down BECAUSE of the last month of the media and George Clooneys etc talking about how Biden should step down. So while the polls were getting worse for him, the polls did not happen in a vacuum.
if the party leaders had shut up and rallied around Biden a month ago, I think those polls would have looked different.
We can’t pretend the donors didn’t play a huge role here when we know they were the ones calling the shots.
@ Becks1–I didn’t deny that? My point is that the donations drying up was the final straw–not the catalyst because the donors would have hung on for dear life if they didn’t see the writing on the wall. Biden lost the confidence of the broader electorate FIRST and then the donors followed suit–not the other way around.
@Kitten – I just want to say that I am fucking LOVING your energy today!
I absolutely disagree with you. Regardless of any big donors, if Biden own inside polling looked good, he would have hung on. But I suspect the writing was on the wall for a long time. But even so, two things can be true at the same time. It can be true that he lost big donors, and that his poll numbers were incurably bad.
It was reported that the debate didn’t change the polls in any way. Biden was pushed out by the rich donors. We read their articles both anonymously and with their names signed. Come on now, let’s not change the recent events.
That’s a fact! The “new polls” showing he was trending downward was utilizing a survey type that hasn’t been used in decades because it’s biased.
“It was reported” where exactly? Show me the polls that came out after the debate that had Biden beating Trump. Just drop a link right here, thanks.
Did you even watch the debate?
Because I did. My family did. My friends did. And we all came away thinking Biden is not capable of beating Trump. It’s weird that you guys think people like us don’t exist because we do and we vote.
And here’s the thing: the donor class *also* watched the debate and *also* came away feeling the same. And your premise falls apart on it’s face anyway because 1) donors can do whatever the fuck they want with their money–they don’t HAVE to give it to the incumbent if they don’t believe he’ll beat Trump–that’s their right and 2) they want to give their money to the candidate that they think has the best chance of beating Trump because what’s in it for them otherwise? What would be the motivation to get Biden off the ticket?
In this situation, the donors aren’t puppet masters working behind the scenes to take your candidate out of the race FFS they have the same motivations as us in that they want to beat Trump. They decided that wasn’t Biden and instead of stewing in hurt feelings, it’s time to get on-board with the candidate that he endorsed.
It majorly changed things.
“It was reported” means nothing without a source. People on twitter fancy themselves reporters nowadays.
The debate hurt him badly.
@Kitten I am 100% with you. I kept saying that I would vote for Biden’s corpse over Trump, but there are plenty of people not like me who saw that and were suddenly really, REALLY concerned. Frankly, I’m still concerned because he has to govern for another 6 months. The gaslighting of people saying we didn’t see what we saw was really starting to tick me off. The debate hurt him badly and gave the Trump campaign 90 minutes of footage to use in attack ads. Then, he came out and did only scripted events for the next week. The only damage control the WH or campaign did was to tell all of us that there is nothing to see here and doesn’t the emperor have lovely clothes.
@kitten, @sarahlee, 💯💯💯
@kitten, @Flowerlake,
There were multiple articles about no change on polls. Here is one I found with a quick google search: https://www.npr.org/2024/07/12/nx-s1-5036518/biden-trump-poll
When I say “reported”, I always mean from trusted news sources, not Twitter people. I don’t even have a Twitter account, lol.
I’ll counter with this: “Ratings of Biden’s mental and physical fitness to be president declined following the debate.
Before the debate, 27% of likely voters rated Biden as good or excellent when it came to his mental fitness to be president. Following the debate, that level declined to 20%. The decline was steepest among Democratic respondents, going from 56% before the debate to 42% after the debate.
These levels also saw sharp declines among Black respondents (-15 percentage points), those aged 65+ (-11), and those with a Bachelor’s degree or higher (-10).
Ratings of Trump’s mental (39% pre-debate, 41% post-debate) and physical (43%, 45%) fitness were stable.”
https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/538-ipsos-june-2024-presidential-debate-poll
So the debate DID have an effect on people’s perception of Biden, even if that didn’t translate into withheld votes.
Loyal Dems who said (pre-debate) that they’ll vote for anyone over Trump still felt that way after the debate yet many who were undecided now firmly rejected Biden’s candidacy, post-debate. And as you know, swing voters aren’t typically loyal to any party–they’re not partisans–and those are the votes we need because the loyal base was never enough to take Biden over the finish line.
The donors pay attention to polls and if they see Biden losing MN, VA, NM, NH…they’re gonna take their money elsewhere. And they did–they started focusing on congressional races and down ballot tickets.
From Ipsos article: “However, in spite of Biden’s low-rated performance, many likely voters report that they are still likely to consider voting for Biden.” Also, let’s consider that CNN debate didn’t fact check Trump’s lies during the debate, so he lied like a madman with no check from the moderators. That doesn’t happen in every debate. Also, let’s consider that Hilary won every debate and still lost the election. The public trusts Joe and he is the candidate who won against Trump. The matter of the fact is, the rich donors made Joe step down, not the public. I have doubts the donors are now gonna support Kamala as the candidate due to the very articles they wrote, asking Biden to step down. I really hope I am wrong.
@sevenblue, a capable candidate could have fact-checked during the debate. Biden was not capable of doing that.
@SarahLee, lol what?? It isn’t the candidates job to fact check other candidate, you have to answer your own questions with the time limit. It is the journalists’ job who are moderating the debate and asking the questions. That was what happened in previous debates. CNN just decided they are not gonna fact check Trump.
I agree with your assessment, Kiaiser. CNN (whose CEO is a Murdoch British hack) started the rumor that Biden should step down, even though rank and file never waivered after the debate. In fact, donations went up and the polls showed no movement, as I recall. These initial rumors, also spearheaded by the Republican never-Tumper Steve Schmidt and Dean Phillips (a Biden challenger in the primaries) were behind this push and in cahoots with CNN. Other media outlets followed suit salivating at the thought of some election drama. This, in turn, panicked right-leaning donors (who btw also give $ to Trump) enough to extort the Dems to submission. The Dem elites bent over and let these donors have their way. Basically, the right-wing hijacked the Dem Party without too much push back from those in charge or with great influence. I expect VP Harris will be challenged rigorously at the Convention. Such names like Senator Manchin (former Dem but almost always voted with Repubs) and Tulsi Gabbard are being put out there as challengers to VP Harris and her running mate. Harris as our Dem candidate for POTUS is not a done deal. I think the Convention will be a blood bath. That’s my view. We shall see…
@Sevenblue- Again, the voters you’re referring to are like many on this site, who would vote for anyone over Trump. And again, that is NOT enough. If you see polls showing Biden losing in every fucking swing state, that’s pretty clearly illustrative of the faction of voters that folks like you think don’t exist (apparently). The point was that the base needed addition, not subtraction and the abysmal debate put an end to that.
And Biden was the one who agreed to a debate that would not involve fact-checking. His problem was that he was completely unable or unwilling to call Trump out on his lies–something Kamala has been doing daily on the campaign trail. And it’s easy AF to call out Trump on his obvious lies–it doesn’t take a ge3nius to do it.
I don’t know, but Biden came away confirming all the conspiracy theories the right wing had about him. To perform so poorly against a rapist?
People are reading too much into Obama’s (and Pelosi’s) lack of endorsement yet. They simply don’t want to look like kingmakers (or queenmakers). They are giving the VP a chance to contact elected officials and delegates on her own. I agree that once she has this sewn up, both President Obama and the Speaker will enthusiastically endorse her. She spent the whole day yesterday on the phone with call sheets. She is working for it.
I agree with all of this. Obama is being judicious with his power. I’m sure he will be all in with his support— and the support that he and Michelle can muster is considerable— once Kamala is officially the nominee, as will Pelosi.
The Speaker of the House is Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana. I doubt he will enthusiastically endorse Harris.
I hope this is the case. I tend to give Obama a bit more leeway than Pelosi here, and I’m thinking he wanted his statement to solely be about honoring Biden. It does say “for now” as if there’s more to come, but there’d better be more to come. He, and Michelle, still hold a LOT of power and influence, and we all need both of them fighting for VP Harris. We need EVERYONE fighting for VP Harris.
Agreed. I also think he wants her to have her moment and own momentum – she’s powerful, prepared, and capable without the endorsement of the most famous Black politician (though I think that will come). I think Obama is very aware of following the process since Trump follows zero rules and processes. He doesn’t want his thumb on the scale right now – he knows she can handle it. Biden was his VP and I think he’s separating the conversations. His first post was about his friend. There’s a saying about wounds from a friend being better than a kiss from an enemy. I believe he helped move Biden out because he knew it would only get worse, and he wanted his friend to retire with the dignity he deserved and for the Democrats to have a fighting chance. Obama isn’t perfect, but he’s demonstrated repeatedly that he’s savvy and to borrow from Van Jones last night, “a leader, not a politician”. There’s a difference.
Thank you for posting some common sense on here.
Pelosi has endorsed Kamala now, we’re seeing more endorse Harris by the hour.
I think it’s really naïve of any one to even suggest that Obama and Pelosi would not support Kamala, when they were the most influential in getting Biden to step down.
Amen, Kitten! Now that the decision has been made, I’m excited about the race and fighting to see a woman in the Oval…at last!
What’s the rush for Obama to make a statement? Biden announced his withdrawal yesterday. All comment and praise should be about Biden’s extraordinary character and action to avoid decention. Obama has plenty of time to endorse Harris, which will probably happen. It makes no sense to attach such importance to Obama’s immediate endorsement. There is a nominee process for a reason. He chooses to follow it and more important, to focus on Biden’s sacrifice for democracy.
@Kitten, 100% agree and every time I find myself befuddled by the limited and/or negative focus in comment threads on posts like this, I remind myself: this is a gossip website.
It’s a placed for partisans, not political junkies and that’s fine. But people who are knee-deep in this shit are not surprised by this outcome and most are energized for Harris and proud of Biden’s selfless decision.
Yes, the negative focus without trying to analyze things from all sides with what is going on with our party has shocked me.
Agreed.
He made the decision himself. I do think Obama advised him to do so, but I find the narrative of Obama pushed him out not a correct one to state as fact.
Attacking Obama when he is probably just waiting for the final decision to give a stable unified front behind whoever gets it.
Don’t think we should be sowing unsubstantiated division like this.
Also, Obama was very supportive of Biden after the debate.
Agreed- absolutely no reason to attack Obama…he knows what he’s doing and will endorse KH and whomever she picks. I think he’s waiting for the right time.
Time to re-focus and come together!!
Yes, let’s spend our energy beating Trump. Let’s hope we can pull this off since the Dems are the masters of shooting themselves in the foot.
Yes, and I’m really surprised it’s happening on this website.
Glad to see a lot of you seeing it too.
I thought people here were smart enough to not fall into the trap of infighting AGAIN and more on defeating the evil prospect of the Republicans taking over the presidency.
Obama has drawn a clear boundary for years about not endorsing candidates in primaries. When the ticket is set, he’ll endorse and it will be a huge event and a galvanizing moment for the party. People need to calm down, and the Obama hate I’m seeing on this site is really starting to piss me off. He’s way better informed than any of us on what is really going on (which I suspect is worse than we know). Also, giving Kamala the time and space to – as she said – “earn” the nomination is a good thing. She’s already raising money and talking to donors. This will put her in a position of strength.
Thank you for this post! Your points are excellent. I agree.
I think people would go after Obama if he had jumped right in and endorsed Kamilla. It would seem like he was eager to push President Biden out for that purpose, instead of looking out for the good of the party. I do not think that certain people would try to ask the president to step down if they did not see certain things behind the scenes that cause them deep concern.
Yes to your comment and others: Obama wanted to avoid the appearance of a coronation and he knows how much weight his words carry with the party.
Yes — all this. Thanks for saying it.
SO right. Also, Obama’s never endorsed anyone before the convention.
Spot on, Kitten! Jeez, Democrats really are their own worst enemies. I very much think Obama is doing what he feels is best regarding letting the Democratic process work. It has always been how he operates.
And for all of those who were stating Obama and Clooney, etc., wanted Kamala out. I heartily disagree. I think the hope all along, as it was the only logical one for putting pressure on Biden to withdraw so late in the game, was for Kamala to be our nominee. My sibling said all along that’s what Obama wanted, and I agree. It leads to an easier transition at the DNC and the process with our vice president becoming the nominee.
No, they wanted Biden out.
Exactly, Jayna.
@StarWonderful–Yep they wanted Biden out when they came to the obvious conclusion that he was going to lose and lose BADLY.
Biden was the establishment candidate who was in government for longer than I’ve been alive, he has all the corporate ties to credit card companies etc, he is a white male. He was always AWLAYS the safest and most lauded choice for the donor class. The fact that they turned on him is merely proof of what dire shape his campaign was in because these rich dudes never wanted to give up on their guy–they HAD to.
Thank you, Kitten. DONATE, DONATE, DONATE.
Biden was pushed out and to say he wasn’t doesn’t make any sense. Big donors were going to withhold their donations and the Democratic party was basically telling him they would not give him the nomination. Biden did the only thing he could do which was announce he wouldn’t seek reelection.
I think he is waiting to hear from the public. Obama will speak up when the time’s right. There might be negotiations regarding VP, so let’s not jump to conclusions.
I agree Mil. Why are we attacking Obama when Kamala has yet to pick a running mate. Have your opinion alright but please calling someone a rat etc. is going beyond…
The people spoke when they voted during this primary in the lasf year for the Biden Harris ticket and we spoke when 81 million of us voted for the Biden HARRIS ticket in 2020 and there were reports before Biden dropped out that Obama was voicing concern to others about Biden continuing and he did nothing to stop that narrative so yes he is a rat. Biden was a loyal vice president to him who supported him at every step; if he had issues with Biden continuing he should’ve kept it to himself.
The fact that after Biden did what he wanted he not only didn’t get behind Harris but endorsed the stupid idea of a contested convention that the bros on his campaign have been publcly spewing for weeks is infuriating; he could’ve just talked appreciatively about Biden he didnt need to go there.
Perhaps Obama is simply waiting until she is the official nominee? I wonder if Pelosi is jealous that another woman might get higher up than she did.
She doesn’t strike me as the jealous type. And as VP, Harris was already “higher up” than Pelosi.
idk…Harris is already higher up than Pelosi ever was…and Pelosi never attempted to run for President…
In theory, VP is higher up in line to become president. In practice is it that powerful a position? Most aren’t as well remembered as someone who is speaker of the house or president.
Pelosi isn’t a jealous woman. She always supported women in the party. Where did you get that idea from?? She even endorsed Hilary against Obama at the time.
No way. Pelosi is from Baltimore. She’s strategic. She will use her considerable powers when, where, and how it will do the most good. You just know she’s been working her phones from the moment it was apparent that her mad skills and connections would be needed.
I am so heartened hearing about that massive Zoom call among Black women supporting Harris. After Harris is elected, we will be hearing a LOT of stories from women —and men — both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes who are working together to help her get there. 🗽
I promise you there is a strategy involved.
I can’t imagine someone saying this about a man.
Pelosi’s daughter endorsed Harris today so at least for Pelosi herself, it is likely a timing issue.
Pleasssse don’t try to spread the narrative that a woman like Pelosi is “jealous” of another woman’s success. She has done nothing but go to bat for women. This sounds like such a dude comment or maybe internalized misogyny?
@Tisme, yeah, no, Equality and their mysogyni has been around here for a while, don’t think its a dude, but you’re so dead on point about everything else it’s not even funny. @Equality, go look up the meaning of your name, and *feminism*, in a book printed post 2020 pls.
You said it yourself. People are blaming Obama for pushing Biden out based on background comments. I think Obama and Pelosi (the most influential people in the Democratic Party) are wary of making it seem like a coronation. It is clear Harris wants to earn the vote and allow the process to work. I think it is wise of Obama to allow the process as well. His endorsement doesn’t hold the same weight as that of some senator or even the Clintons.
Also – no one owes Biden full loyalty. Our love should be conditional and based on ability to win. I don’t want to be like the Republicans who will follow their dear leader down the abyss when it’s clear it isn’t what is best for the country. Maybe that’s just me though.
Excellent points made here.
Political parties have one purpose or goal. To WIN. Until yesterday, the Democrats were on track to LOSE. I know many people here don’t believe it, but this data wasn’t just coming from the public polls which we all see. The party employs experts in polling, data, and analytics who model paths to victory. Although politics often doesn’t seem very scientific, it’s called political science for a reason. What leaders were looking at was not the public polls, alarming as they were, but all of the data and models employed by the party. It all pointed to a massive loss in November. As of yesterday, we now have a fighting chance.
There’s lies, lies and damned statistics. The data was all wrong for Hillary, I don’t believe Biden would have lost in November.
The final polls had Hillary winning by two percentage points. She did. But that doesn’t win the Electoral College. The data was not wrong.
👏 👏 👏 Biden has been a politician since before I was born. This isn’t personal. The only danger here was for this to devolve into chaos and, mercifully, that doesn’t seem to be what’s happening. I’m feeling more positive and look forward to the VP announcement. I am liking the idea of Mark Kelly from AZ right now.
I’m interested in Mark Kelly as well. I’ve always been kind of blown away by the various stages of his career, and I have so much respect for Giffords as well.
We all know it’s going to be a white man, and most likely a straight white man, which is depressing to have to say, but it’s the truth. There are some good candidates being discussed right now at least, but honestly I would imagine the decision and discussions have already happened.
As much as I like Kelly, which is a lot, I don’t think Dems are willing to surrender a senate seat in a swing state.
So yeah, I like Mark Kelly but I’m thinking they want to keep his senate seat. Which has me leaning towards it being one of the many possible governors.
The knives were out for Biden, but when he caught Covid they really came for him. Sure, good friends do that out of love — not. They stabbed Biden, our most successful Dem Potus since FDR, and kicked him to the curb. And that is how he’ll be remembered in history.
@dara @jais Kelly isn’t up for re-election this cycle — the Democratic governor would appoint someone to his seat.
I love how the Clinton statement pointed out Trump promising to be a dictator on day one with his servile Supreme Court.
Me too! Never let what Trump has done, and plans to do, be forgotten.
It must always stay in the forefront of our minds.
I am completely disgusted by the Democratic Party with the way they treated Joe Biden. I am disconnecting from the MSM completely regarding the way they treated Joe Biden.
I don’t understand Obama at all now.
Perhaps it is just a matter of accepting how elders are treated in this country. I am one and have been brushed aside too.
In November I will vote Blue as that is far better than the alternative.
I don’t know if I have any more hope about the trajectory of this country though. There is the greatest sadness.
It’s an appreciative statement for a friend & president. He doesn’t need to use it to simultaneously and automatically endorse Harris. Let one shine and then in due course endorse the new ticket. There’s nothing nefarious about that.
I agree with this. Biden was Obama’s VP for eight years and I think he used this an opportunity to shine light on Biden and the stellar job he’s done in office this last term. It was a lovely tribute.
This has always been the sentiment within the party about Obama. He built the operation for his own election but not for the Democratic Party. The party is still struggling with having a strategy. It continues to have problem with putting too much money in races they can’t win and not enough in close races. Where has the Democratic National Committee chair been in this election cycle? The party needs to have an aggressive communications strategy.
They could use Obama’s playbook if they wanted, also they continue to pump money into losing elections and candidates. I agree they need a better communications strategy, hell, they need, a communications strategy.
They have sucked at going on the offensive, controlling the narrative, messaging and everything else since Carter was President.
They continue to let the other side be in the drivers seat on everything. Is just pathetic at this point to be honest.
I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t get why they pushed Joe out. I don’t get why those same people are backing Kamala. I don’t get why the Obama’s are not. Something happened and we aren’t privy to that info.
I do think there’s more going on behind the scenes than we’ll ever know.
They pushed out Biden for Harris because she has a better chance at beating Trump.
Don’t try to make things more complicated than they are, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one.
To say Biden got pushed out because Harris can beat Trump is unproven; Harris couldn’t beat Biden in the primaries so I don’t know how she’ll beat Trump.
Harris is younger and she’s the VP. That’s all there is to it.
Why the Obamas are choosing to play games now is definitely weird though. They’re media savvy and know how the game works. There’s something sus here.
Obama has made some questionable moves.
However, I think for some of the big names not endorsing Harris yet … it’s because they want the nomination to come more from the rank-and-file. Especially since the Republicans have been clamoring about how “undemocratic” this is and leadership plus MSM pushed Biden out. Much better for the delegates to voice their support and then for the leadership to solidify behind that.
Kamala is already up to 500+ delegates (including my state of NC!). I am keeping my candle lit.
I was a massive supporter, but I’ve been side-eyeing him for quite a while. I wonder who his allegiance is with now, maybe the other rich people?
Biden already had all the delegates (3900, I think), and by ousting him, we’ve lost the incumbent advantage. The Dems threw that advantage away for an “open” convention, which Pelosi and Obama want. The Dems also threw 14 million primary votes for Biden in the trash bin!
Actually, one of those primary votes was mine. I voted for Biden and Harris, believing that they were a team. So, far from being thrown into a trash bin, my vote is being counted.
Any actual evidence for your comment about wanting an “open” convention?
I read that – as he did with Biden – he’s waiting for Harris (presumably) to be officially nominated at the convention before making his endorsement. I disagree with waiting, if this is what’s going on. I wonder if she gets the 1900+ delegate support before the convention if he’d come out then.
As for Pelosi, I read that she’s going to announce her endorsement this week. Again, I wish she’d do it ASAP.
Both the Obama’s have been disappointing and I just don’t get it. They certainly aren’t the only ones, I am so tired of all of them. This isn’t a normal election during normal times, we will remember all of these people.. and since I’m not the gop that means I’m not buying their books or supporting their projects, unlike if Trump gets in office his retribution has promised to be brutal.
What exactly do you expect both of them to do? Put on their magical black folks costume and make everything go away? We’re in this mess because of people like Susan Sarandon who wouldn’t let go of their Bernie crap to the detriment of the rest of us. People like Colin Kapernick and Nick Cannon who tell others not to vote..Barack Obama is no longer an elected official and Michelle has never been one nor does she have the desire to be one. Blame Obama and the rest of the Dems for always bringing a knife to a gun fight with the Republicans. He should have just Merrick Garland on the court, things might not be so dire now. They will show up for Kamala Harris, but he and Joe Biden are close, of course he’s not going to “dance” on his political grave now.
A Former Democratic President endorsing a current Democrat candidate for President is not asking him to do anything but show support. I don’t think that is asking too much of anyone especially those getting government money even if it’s a retirement check. Which I’m sure Trump would stop on day one.
“Put on their magical black folks costume” lol. There’s a sense that Kamala Harris is bringing a gun to the gunfight. That would be a good and necessary shift. Somehow I can never forget that Michelle Obama cautioned Meghan against making full use of her platform in the BRF. The Obama’s current lack of full-throated support for Harris reminds me that they are true politicians.
BRA f’n VO @Mel
I am still salty that Hillary was not voted into office. She would have made a wonderful President.
I will always be grateful, Joe blocked Trump from a second term.
And praying everyone gets it together to get Kamala Harris in office. I still have my heart set on a Kamla/Pete B. ticket.
And I am soooo looking forward to the next Presidential debate Kamala vs, Donny will be epic. I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump drops out. He can’t handle her smoke.
I’m not sure what you expect him to do. He never endorses in primaries. How have they disappointed you? Obama knows more about what is happening than any of us do. When she’s the nominee, he’ll endorse and he’ll campaign his ass off for her.
I don’t know either. Biden dropped out less than 24 hours ago. News cycles exist and everyone endorsing at the same time would be counterproductive. Obama should strike a different tone as former POTUS–who traditionally stay out of politics. Regardless of what I think of him as a person or president (“meh” tbh), he hasn’t done anything here to raise an eyebrow at.
I think the public has shown we back Kamala already. I’d like to see Clinton’s and Obama out there helping her, she’s coming in strong but late in the game. They all need to pound on trumps corruption, mental unfitness and anti women campaign day in and day out until the election.
Yes, let’s keep talking about Project 2025 especially.
As I said last week he has poor political instincts. Thanks Obama for proving my point in real time.
Right! It’s the end of July, no time to sit back and assess. The primaries are over, we picked Joe and Joe is telling us he endorses Kamala. We need to be united behind her.
I read somewhere that as the first black president, he has always been overly cautious, and that he often allowed that cautiousness to impact his decision making.
He’s always going to be treated differently because he was the first Black president. If he endorses Kamala right now, Republicans will start gnashing their teeth about how he’s only supporting her because she’s Black too, sending this country into another tailspin of foolishness and racism. He has to thread the needle.
Yeah this is a poor move on his part. I can understand some of the reasons that people are articulating in other comments, about wanting to wait for the convention, etc, but this is not the time for that kind of thinking. He needs to come out with full throated support of Harris as soon as possible.
These are unprecedented times and he needs to act accordingly.
Let’s be honest. His active tenure in politics was relatively short. I’m always a little surprised at what a passive position he takes in current events. He could be very influential but he seems content in “retirement” or whatever it is.
I’m disappointed in him and all the Dems at this point.
…maybe Barack Obama is hoping, or aiming for Michelle to be the nominee??
I wondered that too, perhaps as a VP, but having read Michelle’s books, I just don’t see her wanting to do it.
That’s ridiculous and only a foolish right wing talking point.
Not a right wing talking point in this case: I love Michelle Obama and think she would make a wonderful politician and already is a great leader to young women. But from her own writing, I gather that it wouldn’t make her particularly happy.
No Obama wants to be the kingmaker. He was the one who called on the other candidates to drop in 2020 and to endorse Biden. He’s the one who sent out his aides and donors to force Biden to step down.
😭😭She said numerous times she doesn’t want anything to do with politics or Washington. Why does no one believe the poor woman?? She was the target of right wing racist memes, conspiracies for years because her husband was President. Leave the woman alone, for God’s sake.
Right! Listen to her words!! My husband is always saying maybe she will run, and it drives me bonkers.
Michele has always made her disinterest in running for political office clear.
that’s a no. Michelle didn’t even want Obama to go into politics and have actively steered her daughters away. Michelle will never run
Just because Biden endorsed Harris, does not mean Harris is the nominee. State delegates need to decide who the nominee is. Buckle up because the stupid Heritage Foundation is already trying to block some states from having their delegates participate in the voting process.
Thanks, Obama 🙄😡
With all due respect, Obama’s endorsement means nothing to me. He had a direct hand In enabling the chaos and division of Trump‘s presidency by favoring Hillary over Biden in 2016 and asking Biden to stand down. We all know how that turned out.
As much as I admire Hillary, she ran a terrible campaign against a beatable candidate, and we’ve all paid the price. Biden would’ve beaten Trump in 2016. They should be finishing up his second term this year instead of his first.
Hillary has admitted where she made mistakes in her 2016 campaign. When will the freaking American media, misogynists, obsessed email distractors, and James Comey admit their role in deep-sixing Hillary’s campaign? All those who didn’t vote for Hillary, raise your hand and explain the reason why! 🙄 Ask yourself why if Trump was so beatable in 2016, why did so many Americans, including many women vote for his lousy, narcissistic orange a$$?
Furthermore, fyi– Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016. Also, as was proven, Putin’s tech machinators and bots influenced the 2016 U.S. presidential election!
Well, you can thank Anthony Weiner that moron who couldn’t stop sexting minors. Leading to the laptops being confiscated and the ’emails’ on them.
Giving James Comey the chance to directly meddle in the election over nothing.
And I will never forget getting into a screaming fight with my now ex-bestie and her mother. That NO the Pope did not endorse Trump on Facebook. I told her she was just a pawn for the Russians. Haven’t spoken since then.
Exactly Aftershocks!
Gen X here. I predicted that Hilary would lose when she clinched the nomination. Why? Because white women have never liked her. They hated on her so much in the 90s that I knew they weren’t going to vote for her despite the hype. I feel like a lot of people forget the history of some of these politicians.
Obama got behind Hillary Clinton for President in 2016 because he knew he owed Hillary a debt for the way she graciously responded in getting fully behind him well before the 2008 Democratic convention after a hard-fought primary battle. This is unlike the bitterness that Hillary was met with by Bernie Sanders and his obnoxious supporters in 2016!
Despite objections from many of his campaign staffers, Obama also offered Hillary the Secretary of State role in his first administration. Again, Obama knew he owed Hillary a debt, plus he also knew what a smart, accomplished leader and public servant she is. Also, FWIW, in 2016, Joe Biden and his family were still grieving after the death of older son, Beau Biden. As a result, Joe Biden himself has said he was uncertain about taking on the exhaustive burden of running for U.S. President in 2016.
Biden opted not to run in 2016, after the death of his son.
Biden has run for President 5 times and won once. To say that he would have beaten Trump in 2016 is fan fiction. Also, Biden didn’t push him out in 2016. He was still grieving his son’s death. That’s why he didn’t run. He was happily retired until he saw Nazi’s marching through Richmond.
Two potential reasons Obama and Pelosi have not endorsed yet:
1) No competitive selection process _for the new top of the ticket_. This could lead to accusations of being “undemocratic”.
(Yeah right those accusations would be rich coming from the party of a wannabe dictator, but that’s always the Democrat’s problem, trying to play by the rules against someone who doesn’t.)
2) A good primary process “sharpens” the eventual nominee and makes them a better competitor in the general election.
I’m not sure this “conventional wisdom” is ever true, and we are in this unprecedented situation where we don’t really have time anyway, but in a normal timeline it’s good to have candidates get practice on the campaign trail.
Don’t get me wrong, I think she will be our nominee and I am going to be fighting for her! Just trying to explain non-nefarious reasons why Obama and Pelosi might not have endorsed immediately.
Um, the disarray happened when Biden stepped down. I don’t blame Obama at all for the bs that has gone down nor for his reticence. Lest we forget, Obama had beaten Hillary – who the Dem establishment had backed, the Dem establishment abandoned Obama at the first sight of non controversy invented by the right (thereby losing Congress his second term), convinced his VP Biden not to run in order to force Hillary on the public (despite a lukewarm acceptance by most at first) and have now abandoned their own President DURING an election year with just a few months to go and despite him winning all of the primaries. Although the Biden’s and Obamas are friends, Obama has never been a part of the Dem/Clinton establishment. Every time the Dems have tried to force someone on the voters, it has backfired. He didn’t initially back Hillary either. And that fast and lengthy response by the Clintons is… interesting (and a red flag to me, considering they are still not very popular with the public but much weight is given to that endorsement). Obama has always been cautious and he is all too aware of the racist onslaught that Kamala is starting to face. But Kamala is NOT the candidate the people who pushed Biden out really want, which is why she was overlooked in their tantrums. Her VP pick will be very interesting.
ETA The problem for the establishment is how to secure the Black vote if they reject Kamala. Most like me, will vote blue no matter who. What the rest of the base decides is another matter, cause most won’t want a Black female President when there hasn’t been a white one.
The Clintons still retain a great deal of popular support for their work as public servants. It is mostly Repubs and MAGA haters who don’t like them, in large part, due to a few decades of jealousy and manufactured hate against them. Young people who dislike them have limited perspectives regarding the positive contributions the Clintons have made to their country and to the world.
This feels strategic to me. It feels like a personal statement keeping the focus on Joe as a kind of litmus test to give Joe’s image a small amount of time to reset and heal and see where the chips fall poll-wise before giving Harris a full endorsement. It feels like he was advised to wait for a more impactful and optimal time to make that announcement, or he needs more time to refine it, and he holding back for the time being intentionally, because he knows how important it is that the delivery and timing is perfect. It sounds like he’s basically saying as much in the last paragraph. I’m not reading it as he doesn’t endorse Harris, so much as it isn’t the exactly right time for his endorsement to pack the most punch…
He’s deliberately holding back to do it at the convention to create maximum press coverage and the best photo for newspapers to run on their front pages the next day. I swear the way people look for reasons to criticize black folks…
This. Just think about all this hype and drama people are casting on the DNC and then he joins her onstage. It could even have a far bigger reach and impact waiting to endorse her closer to November…
@JUSTJJ. I think that’s very likely! It makes sense.
On one hand this is a gracious and warm note about his one time VP and 5he most consequential President the US has seen in a generation.
On the other hand, while I’m surprised he hasn’t endorsed Harris already, I assume he is waiting for more rank and file to endorse her so he can’t be accused by Repugs of swaying the process. I mean the repugs were already saying he was the power behind Biden.
Well supposedly there is bad blood between Joe and Obama. So maybe this is payback from Joe, lol. If enough momentum builds for Kamala, Obama will look like a chaos agent if he tries to muscle her out of the way at the convention. Joe Biden has been in politics pretty much his adult life, he knows all the dirty tricks too. Its not a game for the weak.
Agreed Justjj and Chantal1.
The Democratic National Convention is Mon, Aug 19, 2024 – Thu, Aug 22, 2024. I don’t think there is time for an open convention, select the new nominee and get them on the ballot.
Feels like Obama is trying to keep the focus in this statement on Biden and his service and legacy. Wouldn’t surprise me if a dedicated letter were to follow that focuses on Harris and his endorsement of her. He is not a man of few words, perhaps he wanted to give Biden his due before shoving him aside for Harris – as so many others have done.
@Janece: Agreed.
I have to disagree. Barack and Joe have a really close relationship outside of politics. I think Barack has been telling him not to run all along. For the sake of his health and the party. I think his public statements and actions are all Joe approved.
Also Obama adores Harris. He praised her all the time while he was in office and even got in trouble for talking about how beautiful he thought she was. The Obama’s are political machines. I’m sure there’s a reason
I don’t know if people remember, but when Kamala as AG went after the big banks, the Obama administration wanted her to settle for a little amount. She refused and in the end got a big settlement. I think, that is why both Obama and Biden have a huge respect for her and show support for her.
Obama is quoted as saying to “never discount Joe’s ability to fuck shit up”. And he’s never denied or pushed back on that either. There was a book out recently by some political knob that quoted Obama being worried about Biden screwing up his legacy, his being Obama’s legacy not Joe’s. And it was Obama who discouraged Biden from running in 2016. They have a weird relationship, more like frenemies. Anyway, I hope Obama will get on board with Kamala Harris as nominee, sooner rather than later.
I’ll 100% support Kamala (although I doubt she will be the nominee since what the plebes want doesn’t matter to the donor class.) And hopefully we will be successful in thwarting orange Hitler and Project 2025. If the Dems hold the WH, I’m seriously looking into 3rd parties, whether it’s starting one or joining one becuase the whole past month has shown how much the Dems value Black voters and especially Black women.
If the Dems run a black woman and win, you will switch parties because they don’t value black women? That makes sense, sure.
You’re making the assumption that she will remain on the ballot. We have seen time and time again that the donor class and the elite RUN the party.
They REALLY REALLY REALLY don’t want Kamala as pres which is why they were so insistent on Joe withdrawing from the race. This has been told to me time and time again by people who are close to the WH.
It would behoove you to THINK prior to resorting to snarky comments just because you don’t understand that her nomination IS NOT GUARANTEED.
So, seriously asking, bc I’m confused by this. Who do you think the elites want to be the nominee? Mancin? newsome? That’s what I’m confused by. They may not love Harris but who would their alternative be?
I think Biden endorsing her right away and giving her the keys to the campaign money will be enough to keep Kamala as the nominee. The Clintons also provided support right away too. While I can see elected officials like Pelosi, Schumer and Jeffries not officially endorsing her without a process in place by the DNC, I am wondering about Obama. Yesterday it was one thing to give the day to Joe, but they are running out of time to lock this down.
Maybe he’s waiting to set up a big announcement in Wisconsin or something. He was supportive of her in the past so the longer they are quiet, the more people are questioning things.
Doesn’t she automatically get the keys because she’s was already on the ballot?
Eurydice- i think Kamala is legally the only one who can get the campaign money.
@Rapunzel – thanks, that’s what I thought.
It would have been more helpful if Obama had been this complimentary before Biden stepped down – this sounds more like a eulogy.
In any case, I hope Kamala Harris pulls it off. For me, it’s a sigh of relief that I can vote for someone I want rather than against someone I don’t want.
It’s because these are separate and historical events. We have time between now and November. We need the momentum and focus of the news cycle. It’s already huge that Biden stepped down from reelection and it’s already huge that he announced his support of VPKH to be the nominee. Let the other huge names coming out to support her be their own historical and huge news stories. We don’t need it to all be one blip on people’s attention meter. I’m looking forward to this being the main story from now until election day. Let Obama’s support of VPKH get its own huge news story after we have thanked and acknowledged President Biden. It’s coming, let’s enjoy owning the news headlines.
I wonder if he’s too aware of how polarizing he is to want to make a broad announcement. He’s married to a black woman. He knows what WoC go through intimately through the lens of how his wife and daughters were targeted during his tenure and after. I’m willing to give him some time to see what his next move. Maybe he’s calculating. He is a father of daughters, after all. He may be very nervous about where all of this is headed himself.
All I know is that I am ALL IN on Kamala. I have always liked her and I think she will be a supremely capable, competent leader of the free world.
I think people are finding drama where there isn’t any. Obama, Pelosi, and Schumer are probably withholding their endorsements of Kamala until the DNC convention or until any possible serious opponents to Kamala emerge. That’s all.
Obama felt he owed Hillary a debt of gratitude, honor and grace. Just as Hillary had extended to him in 2008 because of his hard-fought victory and in the interest of party unity. Plus, Obama respected/ respects Hillary’s brilliant mind and her dedicated service.
No one thought Hillary was ‘owed’ the Presidency. She deserved the support, honor and opportunity to battle for it, which she bravely and beautifully did, twice! 💪 🤜🏽🤛🏻
“Owed” and “deserved” are first cousins in my book. It did feel like Clinton’s primary campaign was a formality. But who’s to say Biden would have beaten Orange Monster in 2016 when he was more of an unknown quantity? There was a lot of talk of Obama fatigue and people wanting something new. But now Trump is a known quantity with a record to run on and Democrats need to focus on that and stop squabbling with each other.
Biden ran 4 years ago, he promised it was for one term only and they would bring up new leaders.
It was selfish of him to take it this far.
At least it shows Republicans that the Dems will step up if they feel someone is unfit.
Look at you coming here with your common sense 😄. I seriously thought the whole purpose of Biden’s presidency was to be a seasoned shoe-in while they worked on bringing up newer, fresher talent and hemming up policies that would protect our key rights. It was selfish of him to take it this far, and it seemed people in the party were willing to go along until various points made it untenable.
So true.
Root Cause = Almighty Dollar.
I don’t think you should be writing on politics if you don’t have the background. This is obama’s MO whether you like it or not. He will endorse after the convention.
@Ellen – Agreed. We only have 90 days to get this done and slandering the Obamas is not a productive use of our time. I have no doubt that Obama will endorse Harris and give a glorious speech at the convention. Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries will also endorse at a time that they deem appropriate. They know what they’re doing.
Obama gave 8 years of his life to the office of the presidency, which he then had to hand over to Trump. Give the man some space to navigate this complex situation without placing so much continued responsibility on his shoulders.
THANK YOU.
Obama not endorsing Kamala right away is smart move. We don’t know what will happen at the democratic convention. Let him endorse the party nominee.
Here’s my take,
We do not have a complete ticket. Obama ran the tightest campaign the Dems have seen in my lifetime and this situation is ramshackle at best and a complete disaster at worst. I am sure he is waiting to see who she picks as her VP before throwing his support behind it and I don’t necessarily blame him. To blame him for the people who were on his staff 8 years ago is ridiculous and I can’t stand behind that. I am not a fan of Obama because I am clear about what he did internationally during his presidency that cost a lot of lives and still is, bothers me. I have had issues with the Democratic party for a while and their sponsors because they expect people to support this sort of unorganized crazy is insane. The Republicans at least have a goal and purpose they are selling where they can make room for the extreme groups in their party (that have taken over). Whereas the Dems will not do the same with the progressive and greens in their party. I don’t know what the fuq the Dems are about at this point. What is their stance besides beating Trump instead of his party and administration because this issue is bigger than Trump. Now, with that said, I am supporting Kamala, reluctantly and not for the reasons others give. But because I am tired of seeing black people and POC put in a position to deal with a glass cliff. To always expect us to save the day, to fix everything that white people have destroyed, then blame us when we can’t fix an impossible situation angers me to no end. This happens often in corporations. Kamala, imo, should not have been put in this situation in the first place and I can see it on her face that she isn’t necessarily happy about it, but will do it because she’s a good soldier. The fact that the Dems are running a POC right now during a time when a large swath of this country is anti-DEI and will see her as such is tone-deaf as fuq. I believe in doing what must be done to win and I feel the Dems are not up to the challenge.
Tanisha, I don’t know if my comment below yours will be approved (just because it might get buried in the queue), but I work in Democratic politics and agree with 100% of this. Unfortunately, we are getting (at least) four more years of Trump.
Same Britney. I worked the Obama campaign 2008 and I worked for Harris County Elections from 2020 – 2024 and I saw a lot of machinations that I will one day have to discuss. What I know is I am an amazing strategist and everything I have predicted since 2000 has come to pass. I hate politics with a passion which is why I didn’t follow Obama’s team to DC despite being offered a spot. And what happened this last week prove to me that I chose the right path by saying no.
don’t worry… a lot of people who watch the news think we’re wrong, and our insights are meaningless, so we must be wrong, and everything will be fine!
/s
You definitely chose the right path, and I admire your ability to see through the noise.
I’ve been reading this website and commenting since *long* before I built a career in politics, and in the past, I probably would’ve been on the same page as most of you. But after managing five tight Democratic campaigns (four of which were successful) in the past four years and organizing within leftist spaces simultaneously… here’s my take:
Pres. Biden should’ve said exactly what Pres. Obama said, instead of anointing a successor and pretending this isn’t a Democratic process. The time to support Kamala was not “in the same breath with which you’re resigning”. It’s giving 2020 primary. It’s giving rigged.
My best friend is one of our state’s four DNC members, and she disagrees with me because she’s scared of the in-fighting and wants to get on with it. But we lost our chance to appear unified a LONG time ago. We could’ve at least *pretended* to use a democratic process for this.
Okay, now I’ve said my two cents. I don’t want to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, and I will be voting for her, but damn. We botched this one big time, month after month.
Exactly this
It’s not giving rigged. It’s giving “primary voters voted for Harris along with Biden and Biden respects those votes.” Get a grip.
One would think the democratic process occurred during the primary season which ended with 14 million votes for Biden.
Votes for a Biden-Harris ticket aren’t interchangeable with votes for a Harris-____ ticket, especially before we know what name is going to fill in that blank.
Like I said, I am well aware of this argument, and know I’m in the minority. But working inside Democratic politics has only made it exceedingly clear to me how undemocratic our selection processes can be, and how that rubs voters the wrong way and removes all chances of ever pushing the party as left as it needs to be. My opinion is that he should have at least pretended to let the delegates decide.
Yes, yes they are interchangeable, Brittney. When you vote for a VP, you are voting for them to be Pres. If you aren’t, you’re a fool. The VP is literally one car accident or emergency surgery away from the presidency. This is literally why they run on a joint ticket. Everyone who voted for Biden/Harris in primaries should have voted with the approval of Kamala as a potential Pres. Especially since Biden is 81.
Well, the primaries are over. We cannot vote for the democratic nominee again, so it sort of has to be ‘rigged’ for the person Biden endorses. IMHO. There is just over 100 days to the election and the candidate has to hit the ground running, not dilly dally letting trump bash her day in and day out.
I addressed that concern in my comment — I’m well aware of this argument. But the convention is very soon; we could’ve avoided dilly-dallying or in-fighting without coming out of the gate like this. She was always going to be the replacement, regardless.
@Brittney – Why do you say that the 2020 primaries were rigged?
I’m sorry, but this take that we need to wait for democratic process is really f–kng stupid. Harris and Biden were the ticket that folks voted for in the primaries. A joint package. The democratic process should be to honor those votes for Biden/Harris by keeping Harris in the race. Biden dropping out should automatically give the nom to his running mate. Nothing else is fair.
This bullsht about Kamala shouldn’t be annointed and should have to “earn” our vote is ridiculous. She is the remaining half of the ticket that won the primaries. If that ain’t enough for you, then you need to go back to school and realize you shouldn’t have voted for Biden/Harris in the primaries if you didn’t think Harris had what it takes to be president.
Learn how to vote, y’all. A vote for a ticket is a vote for both people on it. Any Biden supporters should automatically switch to Harris. Anything else is a spit in the face of primary voters.
Jesus, people really go crazy over WoC getting power. Would these convos be happening if Buttigieg or Newsom was VP? I doubt it.
Agree completely. A vote for Biden was always a vote for Harris considering his age. I don’t need any democrats to earn my vote, they just need to beat Project 25 and the anti-woman trump agenda.
I agree with you on the primary front but I feel like a lot of people will not see it that way. It is not like Biden got ill or died and therefore forfeited, he was pushed out by his own party. That is what will get people upset. Please see the full picture of the optics here because I feel this is why the Dems are constantly missing it. As for Kamala having to earn our votes, I feel that way for all candidates. In this case, she technically did.
Please see the full picture? The full picture is that ptimary voted for Biden/Harris. With Biden stepping down, for any reason, the head of the ticket should go to Harris. End of. Any other “optics” are bullsh–. Voters already voted. Anyone else plugged in is what’s rigged or annoited. Sticking with Harris is respecting the voice of the people and absolutely had/has to happen. Anyone seeing any other optics is ignoring what all voters should know: when you vote for a Pres/VP ticket, you are saying you want both as Pres, because a VP can be Pres at any moment. If you aren’t voting that way, you’re stupid and that ain’t Kamala’s problem. You should already support Harris as pres, because that was always a possibility. Especially with Biden’s age.
Stop imposing ridiculous standards that invalidate the will of voters. There’s no optics that justify the nom going to anyone but Harris.
President Biden stepped down in highly unusual circumstances: he’s getting to the point where his age is catching up with him. VP Harris is the best and most logical person to take over at this late date—no one else makes any sense.
The most important thing is beating Trump and getting as many Democrats into the House and Senate. The Clintons understand that! Plus, Hillary is kind of like Kamala guiding star here, because she knows exactly what it’s like to be a woman up against Trump. She is not tearing down the next woman who’s taking him on, she motivating the Democrats to get behind her!
I watched a documentary long ago when Biden was running for POTUS, called the gatekeepers on Netflix. It was about this Nun who was murdered, probably by the Catholic Church because she had incriminating evidence against a high up priest, that he’s been molesting his students. She was the kind of teacher that the kids trusted and they opened up to her about being abused and it appeared she was asking questions and trying to get to the bottom of the accusations from the students about this priest. Towards the end of the documentary it focuses on the now adult students trying to get restitution from the church and they were basically stonewalled from getting this report they were needing by the office of one DA Kamala Harris. Apparently the church was a contributor to JB’s campaign and those reports were not released to them. This has always left a bad taste in my mouth for KH
What’s the connection between DA Harris at the time and Biden’s campaign? What year was that and what was Biden running for, and why would the then DA Harris protect the Church at Biden’s behest?
Brit pokes head through the door to see cousins across the pond faced with the same dilemma I had weeks ago.
Good luck all.
I had mixed feelings for a few hours, but then I remembered it doesn’t matter who it is. Our country, our way of life are in mortal danger. We should vote for a cabbage if it’s a Democrat. Coconut tree all the way.
Please, everything you need to know about Obama is when he GAVE 7 TRILLION taxpayer dollars to “bail out” the big bank CEOs. Y’all DO realize that was the largest transfer of public treasury into private hands in American history, right?? It tells you EVERYTHING you need to know about that jackal. I have zero doubt that he is one of those that wants to put another candidate to replace her instead of supporting her. Gotta keep the gravy train moving!!
As of 7:30 pm PDT, AP is reporting that Kamala Harris has “secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee” per an AP survey. Somebody up above said Wisconsin delegates are with Kamala, and AP reported both Texas and California met today — “by Monday night, Harris had the support of at least 2,579 delegates, according to the AP tally of delegates, more than the 1,976 delegates she’ll need to win on a first ballot. No other candidate was named by a delegate contacted by the AP.”
With those #s and no contraindications (“no other candidate”), Obama has become irrelevant on this train. Sorry Barry. Hope Karma visits your bros.
This is very dumb from Obama and something he might live to regret. He didn’t need to include the part about a contested convention: he could’ve just made his comment about Joe. He unnecessarily chose to go there and as Kaiser points out given how his former staffers have been pushing the same crap it makes it looks like he tacitly approved all of this.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about the Clintons but I’m grateful for their leadership on this because other Democrats have followed suit and it is in the best interest of our party and country; people don’t want chaos we want order and competency. In the last 36 hrs Democrats finally look orderly and competent and ready to take on the existential threat to our country that is Trump and given the fact that Harris raised $81 million from over 880,000 donors in 24 hrs it seems a lot of people want this. Badly.
I think tbh Kamala just needs Taylor and Beyoncé to endorse her and perform at the Convention. That’s the MAGAs worst nightmare. I don’t know about others but my feeds in SM have been the younger generations excitement for Kamala – I haven’t see this much excitement since Obama ran for the presidency. In time, I think he will endorse Kamala. She’s shining anyways right now.
Joe Biden just checkmated the Republican Party. Like I said before, they’re going to eat their words. LolZ… Joe has always won each and every time. The loser has always been Trump these 4 years- And it’s just another repeat of a true Loser he is.
#KamalaHarrisForPresident