2022 Midterm Election MEGATHREAD

[garbon]

Also, they didn't seem to have such a problem when it was initially en vogue to cover how difficult she was to get along with. Then articles were like wildfire...

[Sheilbh]

I really don't think that's it.  Strategically if Biden is elderly and risking to appear a little bit out of it, why wouldn't you want to emphasize you have a youngish and vibrant vice president?  It's not like Biden has any further ambitions after being President.

If you feel it's a weakness/vulnerability there's nothing that'll draw attention as much as a contrast, plus a bit of ego which I think all top level politicians have at some level. But you're probably right.

a. Biden just doesn't have a great rapport with Harris.  I think I've read that Biden still tends to rely on some of the same team of advisors from Delaware that he's used for years and decades.  Ironically though Biden and Obama apparently had really good relationship; or

Yeah it does seem weird as the Obama-Biden relationship was very strong and Biden did work very closely with the White House. Of course that raises the possibility the issue isn't with the White House but Harris' team.

b. Harris just isn't as interesting to cover.  Joe Biden always made for good copy (compelling personal story, would speak without as much of a filter, the whole Onion "waxing his Corvette on the WH lawn" thing), but Harris much less so.

I thought Harris seemed really interesting but thought her primary campaign was a bit underwhelming. I wonder if that's rolled on - plus, as you say, she's been given the border to deal with which seems like a very canny use of a Vice President, but not great for her career.

[Barrister]

b. Harris just isn't as interesting to cover.  Joe Biden always made for good copy (compelling personal story, would speak without as much of a filter, the whole Onion "waxing his Corvette on the WH lawn" thing), but Harris much less so.

At least as far as the current media stance is considered. I think there is a lot of interesting things that could be covered based on Harris's biography.

I don't really see it.  She's the daughter of two university professors, grew up if not in affluence then in comfort.  Spent part of her childhood in Quebec which would be interesting, but makes her quite dissimilar from ordinary americans.  Her racial background is unique (mixed Caribbean black - Indian hindu) but again very hard to relate to for many.

She's had a very successful legal and then political career, but again I don't know if that makes her "interesting" to the average American.

Her personal life is even less interesting - she married at age 50 and is a step mom to her two white stepdaughters.



Compare that to Biden - grew up in more humble circumstances.  One of the youngest senators ever.  The whole story of his wife and child's death.  Grew up to overcome stuttering.  The struggles with Hunter's addictions.


Now don't get me wrong.  After I complained about Buttigieg having a thin resume to be President Kamala Harris has an excellent one - even before becoming VP.  I was just speculating on why she gets little media coverage.

[garbon]

b. Harris just isn't as interesting to cover.  Joe Biden always made for good copy (compelling personal story, would speak without as much of a filter, the whole Onion "waxing his Corvette on the WH lawn" thing), but Harris much less so.

At least as far as the current media stance is considered. I think there is a lot of interesting things that could be covered based on Harris's biography.

I don't really see it.  She's the daughter of two university professors, grew up if not in affluence then in comfort.  Spent part of her childhood in Quebec which would be interesting, but makes her quite dissimilar from ordinary americans.  Her racial background is unique (mixed Caribbean black - Indian hindu) but again very hard to relate to for many.

She's had a very successful legal and then political career, but again I don't know if that makes her "interesting" to the average American.

Her personal life is even less interesting - she married at age 50 and is a step mom to her two white stepdaughters.



Compare that to Biden - grew up in more humble circumstances.  One of the youngest senators ever.  The whole story of his wife and child's death.  Grew up to overcome stuttering.  The struggles with Hunter's addictions.


Now don't get me wrong.  After I complained about Buttigieg having a thin resume to be President Kamala Harris has an excellent one - even before becoming VP.  I was just speculating on why she gets little media coverage.

Difference makes a person uninteresting?

[OttoVonBismarck]

It's looking like D will be around 214 in the House, amazingly better outcome than we were expecting even a week ago. What's a little annoying is if New York's Democratic party wasn't criminally inept, the Dems very well could have held the House.

[Berkut]

It's looking like D will be around 214 in the House, amazingly better outcome than we were expecting even a week ago. What's a little annoying is if New York's Democratic party wasn't criminally inept, the Dems very well could have held the House.

Yeah, I would not start holding your breath on that one.

[Josquius]

damaged position as a uncontroversial centrist

What? 

He was elected presenting as a centrist. Appealing to the right as a non crazy option.
At the same time not alienating stupid people on the left (the smart ones obviously seeing him as the best option by far).
Through being a real acting president he will have alienated many who hoped for things to go one way or the other with him.

[Berkut]

I think the Dems are actually going to go up 1 seat in the Senate.

Without Kemp sharing the ticket, I think Walker loses a runoff in Georgia.

Kelly looks to hold her margin in Arizona, and I think Nevada ends up going blue - the gap is 1% right now, and there are over 10% of the votes to go, and those are all from the more populous areas of Nevada, which I think trend Dem. This is a bit more of a long shot then the other two, of course.

[Berkut]

Actually, Nevada isn't even that much of a stretch.

The Republitard, Laxalt is ahead by about 9,000 votes, and there are over 55,000 votes still to be counted, almost all of which are from Clark County, which is where Vegas is located - and that area is predominantly Dem.

[Zoupa]

I just want Dems to get 51 so no one has to hear about Manchin ever again.

[celedhring]

I just want Dems to get 51 so no one has to hear about Manchin ever again.

Then you'll hear about Sinema 

[Berkut]

I just want Dems to get 51 so no one has to hear about Manchin ever again.

[Berkut]

I just want Dems to get 51 so no one has to hear about Manchin ever again.

Then you'll hear about Sinema 

But you can work much more effectively with two recaltricents when you only need one of them.

[Berkut]

There is still a possible, but narrow scenario where the Dems keep control of the House....

I woke up this morning to a CNN analysis where they basically parroted my post from last night.

There are 95000 votes left to count in Nevada, all from the two more populous counties (Where Reno and Vegas are located). If the Dem gets 60% of those votes, she wins by about 10k votes.

[alfred russel]

Zoupa and Berkut, you guys will be much happier in 2025 when Manchin is out of the Senate and you really never have to hear of him, and the seat is held by some random republican that just votes his party line.