2024 US Presidential Elections Megathread

[viper37]

Michelle Obama is needed because otherwise skipping a black woman has terrible optics.

Is she even interested by the job?

[Barrister]

Michelle Obama is needed because otherwise skipping a black woman has terrible optics.

Is she even interested by the job?

Her name was floated back in 2016, and again in 2020.  Both times she expressed zero interest in running.  She does have zero actual experience as a politician of course, although she's been good in doing stump speeches for Barack.

[Zanza]

Trump had zero experience in 2016 too.

[Barrister]

Trump had zero experience in 2016 too.

Bullshit.  Trump had been a celebrity for 30+ years in 2016 and a TV star for 12 years.

He had no experience governing, sure - but he had the skills for running for office.

[Valmy]

Trump had zero experience in 2016 too.

Bullshit.  Trump had been a celebrity for 30+ years in 2016 and a TV star for 12 years.

He had no experience governing, sure - but he had the skills for running for office.

Sadly the skill set for running for office and the skill set for governing don't overlap much.

[DGuller]

Normally I would say that Michelle's total lack of experience should be disqualifying.  I've never bought into the infantile notion that being a US president is a low skill job that should be given only to someone who doesn't want it.  That said, her husband is still around, I'm sure he can bring connections and pointers to help onboard her.  I just hope that today's Barrack Obama is different from the law professor who walked into a knife fight and kept thinking for 8 years that it's a debate club gathering.

[crazy canuck]

Trump had zero experience in 2016 too.

Bullshit.  Trump had been a celebrity for 30+ years in 2016 and a TV star for 12 years.

He had no experience governing, sure - but he had the skills for running for office.

Sadly the skill set for running for office and the skill set for governing don't overlap much.

And a weird claim by BB given he is the one who was talking about "actual experience as a politician".  The he literally calls bullshit on someone saying Trump didn't either.  He didn't have any actual experience as a politician.

[The Minsky Moment]

I think our expectations have been warped by Cheney.  VPs are historically invisible.  If it wasn't for Burisma and Hunter Joe would have been invisible.  AlGore was invisible except when he claimed to invent the internet and got busted for making a fund raising call on an official phone.

No recall for the legendary Gore-Chernomyrdin commission?  And I thought you had pretensions to wonkery.

[The Minsky Moment]

The Harris thing is no mystery.  Her approval numbers are bad and have always been bad.  The one national campaign she ran was a flop where she ran behind expectations.  Politics, like baseball, is a numbers game. Nothing personal. If you can't put up good numbers, you aren't going to stick. Harris is like the prospect who had success in AAA but lost the strike zone when promoted to the majors and started giving up gopher balls.  If the Dems have to take their starter out because of fatigue, they want to put in an ace.

[Tonitrus]

The downside to that analogy is they only have one shot at it.  Cannot cycle through a bunch of minor leaguers during the dregs of mid-season and hope one shines.

[Barrister]

Trump had zero experience in 2016 too.

Bullshit.  Trump had been a celebrity for 30+ years in 2016 and a TV star for 12 years.

He had no experience governing, sure - but he had the skills for running for office.

Sadly the skill set for running for office and the skill set for governing don't overlap much.

This is the eternal struggle with democracy, sadly.

[OttoVonBismarck]

Michelle all but certainly is very genuine in just not wanting the job. She has experienced the Presidency at a very close level, and IMO clearly doesn't want it. It is interesting that she seems likely to win, but she is almost a blank slate--First Ladies other than Hillary are usually not very political. I don't know how well that facade would hold up to the partisan scrum that a First Lady generally lives above.

[viper37]

AlGore was invisible except when he claimed to invent the internet and got busted for making a fund raising call on an official phone.

Urban legend taken out of context by Republicans

[OttoVonBismarck]

Gore was a pretty well known Democrat Senator from a Southern State, he was considered fairly electable going into 2000.

[viper37]

Normally I would say that Michelle's total lack of experience should be disqualifying.

It's a double edged sword in this day and age, isn't it?

If you are experienced, you are part of the swamp.

If you are not, you don't really have the time needed to confront the Republicans right now.

Right now, I feel the Dems best best is to rely on someone who has political experience, like a State Governor.  Campaigning for a governorship and campaigning for the Presidency, with the right team, must not be too dissimilar, and it must happen fast.

I feel like Biden has lost the faith of the electors, from the center to the left and it will be hard to regain it.  Only hardcore Democrat voters are likely to vote again, those who would vote for the party no matter what happens or who is at the head.