Republicans' Big Wish Is For Things To Get Even Worse For Them
Members of the Republican Party, from Donald Trump on downward, were all caught pretty flat-footed by the announcement yesterday that President Joe Biden was bowing out of the presidential race. The only thing they could agree upon, at least in the initial hours after it happened, was a knee-jerk reaction that is just a monumentally stupid position for them to take (politically-speaking). Because if they got their wish -- if Joe Biden immediately resigned the presidency -- then Donald Trump's chances of winning the race in November would go down even further. But not many of them seem to have realized how self-defeating their calls on Biden to resign truly are.
Here's just a taste of how Republicans are reacting to the news:
"If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement. "He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough."
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said that, if Biden "is no longer capable of running for reelection, he is no longer capable of serving as President."
"It is out of concern for our country's national security that I am formally calling on President Biden to resign from office," Daines said.
To which I would respond: "Um... have you guys really thought this one through?" Because if Biden followed their advice it would immediately decrease Trump's chances of winning. The only real question contained in that statement is: "By how much?"
The reason why this would spectacularly backfire on the Republicans and Trump seems patently obvious to me. If Biden steps down, then what happens? Kamala Harris would be immediately sworn in as president. Not "acting president" or "temporary president," but President Harris. The most obvious downside of this for the GOP would be that she could then run as an incumbent.
It would no longer be theoretical. It would not require voters to use their imaginations at all. Kamala Harris would be sitting in the Oval Office, performing her duties as our president. She would already have gone down in history as being the first woman president the United States has ever had; it would just be a question of how long she'd hold that designation. And she could even still run for two full terms.
What possible benefit is there for Republicans to have this happen? To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea. After thinking about it for a bit, the only upside I could come up with is that being president would require a lot of Harris's time and therefore she wouldn't be as available to hit the campaign trail as much as she currently is. But that's a pretty thin reed to cling to, it seems.
It seems the push for Biden to resign is nothing more than a desire to fully nail his scalp to the GOP clubhouse wall. A visceral reaction, in other words. There's a convoluted case they're trying to make -- that Harris is somehow in on some scandalous "cover-up" about Biden's capabilities for doing the job, but that also seems like a pretty thin reed to be campaigning on (especially after Biden's gone, which would be the case if he resigned).
I suppose there is a possibility that Harris could royally screw something up as president between now and the election. If that happened, then at least Republicans could have something to point to as they try to make the case that she's not up to the job. But that seems highly doubtful. If Harris were sworn in tomorrow, she'd still have all the experience of the Biden team to rely on and she's been with Joe all along, so the most likely scenario is one where she essentially continues Biden's policies mostly unchanged. She could campaign on what she would like to do -- with a Democratic House and Senate -- but with the GOP currently in control of the House she's never going to get some big piece of legislation passed before November. She could do a few things through executive actions, but again my guess is she wouldn't want to rock the boat -- she'd just let things play out mostly as they already currently are.
I say this would boost the chances of Harris winning in November because Harris as president would not be the scary "ultra-left radical liberal" caricature the Republicans are now going to try to slap on her. Spoiler alert: she's just not -- take if from someone who has watched her political trajectory from here in her home state of California. By our ultra-left radical liberal standards, she's actually pretty moderate. Some even considered her too conservative to be our senator, in fact. And this would all be on display -- her charting a fairly moderate course as president, and disappointing the Republicans by refusing to rip off her mask to reveal Bernie Sanders or A.O.C. underneath. All of which would make it harder for Trump to campaign against her. At least with her just being vice president they are free to try to paint that radical picture of Harris, but as president it'd just be laughable to average voters (since they could see with their own eyes that it just wasn't true).
I should point out that Republicans have a habit of doing this -- flying off the handle at some unexpected turn of events and immediately proposing outlandish (and, at times, seriously self-defeating) actions, but then after a few days (of sifting through possible political spin and courses of action) coming up with a brand-new way of dealing with the problem. They'll have some catchy way of spinning everything by, say, Wednesday, and then all the earlier stuff will be thrown down the memory hole never to be spoken of again. At least, that's their usual way of coping with the unexpected.
I suppose I should preface that thought with: "If Republicans are smart...." If they're smart, they will soon realize that their dream of installing President Harris would be a huge mistake for them, because it would absolutely delight Democrats and give Harris a much easier path to victory. From now until the election, she would be calmly running the country while Republicans insisted that she was incapable of running the country. Voters would get completely used to the idea of having her as president since she would already be president -- nobody would have to imagine it as some hypothetical case.
If they're smart, the GOP calls on Biden to step down will die down quickly. They'll figure out some other line of attack to take and they'll all be singing from the same songbook by midweek. It's the old "be careful what you wish for" scenario, because having President Biden actually resign would immediately mean "President Harris," with all the trappings and privileges of office (and respect) that goes with that.
If they're smart, Republicans will quickly figure out this is just a bad idea for them all the way around.
If they're smart, that is.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
I thought Kamala was rated the most Liberal Senator.
Because if they got their wish -- if Joe Biden immediately resigned the presidency -- then Donald Trump's chances of winning the race in November would go down even further. But not many of them seem to have realized how self-defeating their calls on Biden to resign truly are.
I disagree..
If Headboard Harris becomes POTUS, then it would likely soon become obvious to anyone with more than 2 brain cells to rub together that she is in way over her head..
The BEST way to defeat Headboard Harris is to show how bad a POTUS she would actually be..
What better way to show the American voter that than to actually LET her be POTUS... :D
What possible benefit is there for Republicans to have this happen?
Uh... have you MET Headboard Harris!!??? She is the epitome of incompetence... She is the queen of the word salad...
Hell.. She makes BASEMENT BIDEN look presidential!!
I suppose there is a possibility that Harris could royally screw something up as president between now and the election.
Exactly!!! NOW yer getting it!! :D
But that seems highly doubtful.
Again.. I have to ask..
Have you MET Headboard Harris!?? Recall her {sic} "brilliant" presidential campaign where her ONLY claim to fame was sticking the RACIST label on Basement Biden.. :eyeroll:
I should point out that Republicans have a habit of doing this --
You mean, like putting a senile dementia-riddled doddering fool up for a POTUS candidate w/o even letting him be battle tested in a primary!??
You mean like that?? :D
If they're smart, Republicans will quickly figure out this is just a bad idea for them all the way around.
Unless, of course, the succeed in 25th Amendment'ing Basement Biden and Headboard Harris PROVES to the world how utterly incompetent she really is..
THEN... Republicans will be fantastically prescient...
"We can't discard a possibility just because we don't happen to like it."
-Martin Sheen, THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
"Good talk..."
-Rodney McKay, STARGATE ATLANTIS
I thought Kamala was rated the most Liberal Senator.
Probably..
She was certainly rated the most moronic Senator... :D
She is the queen of the word salad...
That's rich coming from a Trump supporter...
I should point out that Republicans have a habit of doing this -- flying off the handle at some unexpected turn of events and immediately proposing outlandish (and, at times, seriously self-defeating) actions, but then after a few days (of sifting through possible political spin and courses of action) coming up with a brand-new way of dealing with the problem.
I know, right!? Just yesterday (Sunday) before President Biden made his announcement that he would "stand down" and not seek reelection, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was on multiple Sunday shows claiming that Democrats would face legal challenges from Republicans in multiple states that would force Joe Biden to remain the candidate on the ballot.
Spoiler alert: While President Biden is obviously the incumbent president, he is not currently the nominee of the Democratic Party and therefore not already officially on any ballot. President Biden is the presumptive nominee because voters participated in Party primaries and (stupid) caucuses and awarded almost every delegate to him. If Biden wished to remain in the race, the delegates are all his and no one could stop him. If, however, he decided (for whatever reason) to release his pledged delegates and not seek reelection, that too is his choice to make. The delegates can choose whomever they want, but obviously they're quickly coalescing around Biden's own endorsed candidate, his Vice President.
Tough shit if you are Mike Johnson or any other MAGAt who wants to force Biden's name onto a ballot when he isn't yet the nominee of the Party, and tough shit if you want to force President Biden out of office when he's the duly elected President of the United States despite your collective efforts to submit fake elector certificates in multiple states and force Mike Pence on January 6, 2021, to recognize the fake slates of electors and ignore the will of the voters.
Did anyone hear Mike and the MAGAts whining hysterically when Nikki Haley released her delegates to vote for Convicted Felon Donald Trump? Rhetorical question.
They'll have some catchy way of spinning everything by, say, Wednesday, and then all the earlier stuff will be thrown down the memory hole never to be spoken of again.
Exactly... because not even 24 hours after Mike Johnson was insisting that Biden must remain on state ballots, the MAGAts and Mike are whining hysterically that Biden should be forced to resign the presidency. *laughs*
So which is it, MAGA morons: Must Biden be forced to remain on ballots or be forced to resign his office?
Spoiler alert: Neither.
If MAGAts were actually concerned about a Party ignoring the will of the "Democrat voters," they would naturally have shown some concern when Donald Trump's campaign admittedly submitted documents to the National Archives wherein slates of electors in multiple states falsely claimed that Donald Trump had won the most votes in their state when they knew he did not, and they would have naturally been outraged when Trump tried to strong-arm his (now former) Vice President into recognizing the multiple forged illegal certificates with false slates of electors of multiple states in order to keep Donald Trump in power when he obviously lost the 2020 election.
Have you MET Headboard Harris!?? Recall her {sic} "brilliant" presidential campaign where her ONLY claim to fame was sticking the RACIST label on Basement Biden.. :eyeroll:
You mean that presidential campaign wherein Biden named her as his running mate and she was subsequently sworn in as Vice President after defeating Trump/Pence in a landslide (by Trump's definition) despite the Trump campaign's collective efforts to ignore the will of the voters in multiple states?
Despite MAGA's demonstrable ignorance, she obviously has many more claims to fame from that presidential run. If she didn't, there is a massive collection of MAGA neanderthals who would obviously have no reason to fall all over themselves in their demonstration of perpetual knuckle dragging.
It has been comical to watch the hysterical MAGA Meltdown.
Kamala Harris makes the MAGA monkeys dance on cue... and always has. :)
Test
Ya'all just HAVE to appreciate the irony here..
President Trump dodges a bullet and it kills Basement Biden.... 's campaign.. :D
Now THAT's funny... :D
On a more serious note...
So much for the claim that Democrats are the defenders of democracy..
They just ignored the votes of millions of Democrats and coronated the Demo rat nominee by fiat...
Hypocrisy.. It's not a bug in Democrat programming. It's a feature.
Ya'all just HAVE to appreciate the irony here..
President Trump dodges a bullet and it kills Basement Biden... 's campaign.. :D
Now THAT's funny... :D
On a more serious note...
So much for the claim that Democrats are the defenders of democracy..
They just ignored the votes of millions of Democrats and coronated the Demo-rat nominee by fiat...
Hypocrisy.. It's not a bug in Demo-rat programming. It's a feature.
ACK!!!
CW,
When EMOJIs are used in posting, I get a:
This page isn’t working
If the problem continues, contact the site owner.
HTTP ERROR 405
Apparently, Weigantia doesn't like EMOJIs..
Just FYI..
slut shaming is so forty years ago
i honestly don't think it would make an iota of difference to the campaign if Kamala were president.
i also think the brighter folks in the right wing universe don't really mean it literally when they say it; to them it's just a form of trolling. everyone knows that Biden was forced out against his will, so it's a way of calling out Democratic leaders as hypocrites.
Biden is neither unable to govern nor unable to campaign. he is old and has trouble speaking, so they think he can't win. that may be true, but the way they've responded to that makes Democratic leadership look like terrible people. that was the biggest advantage Biden still had, that he's a good person while even most people who voted for trump acknowledge that he is not. now Democrats can no longer claim moral high ground; they've ceded it to panic and poll numbers.
Forced out or forced to accept reality? Age sneaks up and one might not notice it until it's too late. If he really wanted to stay in all he needed was one of his State of the Union level speeches and that would have shut up most his detractors, but he has not been able to muster anything close since the debate. I think he realized, with help from the top democrats that he is past that point and needs to pass the torch.
It's beyond winning or not. He might not be effective in his second term and have to step down in his first year or so. At least now the American people know what they are voting for...
Michale-
Oh the hysteria! Cranking the insults and misogyny to 11 only shows you are scared of Kamala. She has raised two months of Musk donations in 24 hours and directly into the campaign coffers, not some super PAC. Trump is already trying to chicken out on a debate while whining that he spent too much money on attacking Joe's age. And now he is finding out that medicine is bitter...
Ya, it's still old school around here. Typographic emojis only :-)
You have not worn Trumpism well, no relevant movie quotes, can't handle old school emoji. Gettin' old like your candidate :-(
Kamala Harris was to the left of Bernie Sanders when she was in the Senate? I don't think I want any of what you're smoking.
Something I'm especially interested in seeing is how effectively Harris can run a presidential campaign in the space of only about 3.5 months instead of the norm of more than a year. It's long been said that our presidential campaigns are too long, and this might actually put that assertion to the test. Will she have the ability to put up a strong campaign that lays out her positions and energizes voters in that time? Will her opponents have time to dig up all the dirt there is to find on here and present it in a compelling manner? Basically, I'm really curious who is going to benefit more from this unusually short campaign, Harris or Trump, and if it proves to be Harris, will people see it as a fluke or a fact?
Donald Trump and the MAGA morons are still attacking President Biden... as if Trump actually won something and as if Biden is still running. It's freaking hysterical because:
* December 2019 - Donald Trump got impeached (the first time) for threatening to withhold U.S. foreign aid in a quid pro quo attempt to force the newly elected President of Ukraine to announce an investigation into the Biden family. Donald Trump obviously did not want to run against Joe Biden.
* August 2020 - Joe Biden became the official candidate of the Democratic Party despite all Trump's efforts to the contrary.
* November 2020 - Joe Biden and Kamala Harris defeat Donald Trump and Mike Pence in a landslide election (using Trump's own metric, of course).
* January 2021 - Donald Trump is impeached in bipartisan fashion (the second time) for his premeditated efforts to disrupt the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College votes. Despite Trump's efforts, Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
Donald Trump has never and will never defeat Joe Biden because Trump will never again be given the chance.
Donald Trump himself keeps claiming repeatedly that Joe Biden is behind all the civil and criminal lawsuits he's facing in multiple courtrooms across America, and if Trump really believes that, then Trump obviously knows without question that Joe Biden has seriously been kicking the Adjudicated Rapist and Fraudulent Convicted Felon's fat ass... a very large target, obviously. :)