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The state of the unions

The New Neo Posted on by

Most people are of the opinion that the Democrats would dearly love to replace Joe Biden as a candidate for 2024. But there are various stumbling blocks and it might not be possible. One of those stumbling blocks is: what to do about Kamala?

Harris isn’t a stronger candidate than Biden and therefore can’t take his place; in fact, she’s probably an even weaker one than he is. Plus, if she’s kicked off the ticket, quite a few people are going to be angry. That may be especially true of women voters and black voters, two of the Democrats’ core constituencies.

One of the things the Democrats need is an excuse to get rid of Kamala. So far it’s been difficult to find one. But there are rumors and rumblings that one might be emerging from an unlikely source.

You may recall that, back in early February of 2023 on the evening of Biden’s State of the Union speech to Congress and the nation, there was a startling encounter between Jill Biden and Kamala Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff. In case you missed it at the time, here it is, with contemporaneous commentary:

Very odd indeed, but people explained it away. Although the presidential and vice presidential couple don’t ordinarily travel on the same plane for security reasons, it’s not as though Jill Biden and Douglas Emhoff are strangers, either. Au contraire. For example, see this article from the summer before the 2020 election, when the campaign was ongoing:

“Dr. Jill Biden & Kamala Harris’ Husband Doug Already ‘Have a Real Bond'”: “I think that their bond is about that they can genuinely like each other and have that friendship and can do it together,” Harris told PEOPLE.

Maybe the only people who know what it’s like to be on the presidential campaign trail, other than the candidates themselves, are their spouses — which helps explain how Joe Biden’s wife and Kamala Harris’ husband “already were buddies” even before joining the Democratic ticket.

“They have a real bond and that’s also very special,” Harris told PEOPLE recently, in her first joint interview with Biden since being named his running mate.

In that conversation, via Zoom only days after the former vice president chose the California senator, the pair discussed the shared values that bond them and how they’ll work together in the Oval Office even when they may disagree.

The day after the Aug. 11 Zoom call where Biden offered her a history-making spot on the ticket, Harris and Emhoff drove up to Wilmington, Delaware.

“One of the first stops was to visit with the vice president and Jill at their home, and we just hung out [with] homemade chocolate-chip cookies and just caught up,” Harris said. (Family photos were pulled out, she says, adding: “Then Joe called my in-laws, Barb and Mike, and we surprised them.”)

Speaking with PEOPLE, Biden and Harris also talked about the quick ways in which the new foursome — Biden and wife Dr. Jill Biden, a community-college professor and the former second lady; and Harris and attorney Doug Emhoff, whom she married in 2014 after being set up by her best friend — had already clicked.

… Dr. Biden and Emhoff have also been trading supportive social media messages — the de rigueur show of easy camaraderie.

…Harris said. “They were on the trail together. So what ends up happening is that the candidate spouses, they take to the road on their own and go to various places that we can’t be. So Doug and Jill did the gay pride parade together in Las Vegas. They’ve done presentations together, and they sit next to each other at debates.”

There’s more in that vein at the link. One can only imagine that the bond may have gotten stronger since then, and another part of the bond is that – because Joe Biden had been Obama’s VP for eight years – Jill could appreciate what Emhoff fells like as the spouse of a veep.

But now rumors are circulating that there’s something more going on between the two, and that their respective spouses aren’t happy about it. I think these rumors are false, but my guess is that the goal is to use this as an excuse to dump Kamala from the ticket. Emhoff will be made the bad guy, of course, rather than Jill.

It’s not the greatest of solutions to this knotty problem. But it’s rather late in the game, and there aren’t many alternative approaches in sight. It’s already April 1, after all, and there are only seven more months till the 2024 election.

Comments

The state of the unions — 53 Comments

  1. I still think your Trump/Kard ticket post from 2016 is one of the best examples of this type of post that I’ve ever seen.

    ??

  2. }}} Plus, if she’s kicked off the ticket, quite a few people are going to be angry. That may be especially true of women voters and black voters, two of the Democrats’ core constituencies.

    I dunno, this seems obvious — replace her with a similar choice — another black female.

    Are the Democratic candidate choices actually lacking in anyone fitting that bill? Especially one who might agree ahead of time to step down when such is desired by the Dem party?

    Also, can’t see the actual base themselves getting in too much of a huff — what are they gonna do, vote for Trump?

    =====
    }}} It’s already April 1, after all, and there are only seven more months till the 2024 election.

    BTW, I strongly recommend everyone watch this.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXpdyAWLDas
    It discusses the changes in “AI” (aka “Machine Learning”) with regards to video “manufacture”. There have been some very serious improvements in it in only the last year. Now, it is unlikely that someone serious could make anything actually LONG that was a fake in the next six months, but it is not inconceivable that it would be possible to make a (b)short video — 10-15 seconds, perhaps — which could be rather damning. Then drop it as a Late October Surprise.

    Think of a video which had Trump openly colluding with someone to commit a crime… or anything seriously damning — not a long one, but 10-15s, again, where it’s clear “what he is doing”. This would require someone to have access to this software, make a suitable video with this software, then some sound expert to add a realistic audio track to it. But this is a lot easier than what they likely did in 2020. And probably a hell of a lot cheaper.

    The public needs to be inoculated against this kind of video, to not believe it cannot be faked. Because the merdia will take said video and run with it, with all kinds of “experts” saying “it cannot be fake”… and if the public isn’t already prepared for the possibility, they may fall for it long enough to cost the election. Yeah, it’ll be found out “after”, but what will they do? RE-do the election?

  3. Someone seems to be ‘Grooming’ KH:

    Kamala Harris pushes the envelope as Biden struggles with some Democrats

    March 29 (Reuters) – Hosting rapper Fat Joe at the White House to talk about reforming marijuana laws. Visiting an abortion clinic. Calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at the historic Selma bridge in Alabama. Walking the bloodstained crime scene of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting.

    U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has stepped out of the shadow of President Joe Biden in recent weeks as part of a high-profile effort to persuade the fractious coalition of voters who sent them to the White House to give them a second term.

    Nikki Haley may haunt the GOP forever if KH ends up as president…

  4. Not sure it makes a difference who is or isn’t on the Democratic ticket.
    Not sure they’re worried at all.
    IOW, it’s all theater.
    (To be sure, they have to behave—and sound—AS THOUGH they’re worried…especially the barking mad Chihuahua Media….)

  5. Well, this would be an unusually ugly way to get rid of a problem, but then, it’s Democrats.

  6. All relatives never heard of Ray Epps. All relatives have no idea who Fanni Willis is. House squatting was a ‘ where did you hear that” thing.

    and so it goes.

    people know NOTHING.

    Were screwed.

  10. I’ve always thought the Emhoff-Harris pairing was weird. Emhoff is a reasonably successful L.A. area attorney who could presumably have had his share of younger and much more attractive romantic partners. But he went for…Willie Brown’s booty call? Makes no sense to me.

  11. really 60 minutes, most recently touting dezinformatya expert kate starbird, was giving encomiums to Ray Epps, yesterday was havana syndrome time, from the usual ‘not ready for prime time players’ taylor, toye, polymerous

  12. Well done Neo. You usually lead with such a post rather than after the serious ones. You set the table nicely.

  15. As to the core voters; a lot of people see a, possibly moral, difference between staying home and voting for the other guy. So while blacks and women might not actually cast a vote forTrump, they could excuse not voting.

  17. Jill Biden is 13 years older than Emhoff. Not happening.

    Why I didn’t think anything of that kiss when it happened.

  18. Although…

    Titania McGrath & The Babylon Bee have lately been accused of being prophetic. Perhaps the Boss here is onto something…?

  19. April Fool’s is like conspiracy theories and sarcasm now. How can you tell any more?

  21. Nicely played, Neo. I would believe it if not for the fact that Emhoff is, well, Yuck.

  22. F, Biden himself is Yuck.

    It would be hilarious if such a rumor began to circulate.

  24. That is what made it such a good April Fool, an entirely plausible scenario given what is known of the Brandons …..

    The dark side is the Brandon junta disinformation Internet police and the Left now finding humor to be a crime.

  25. Been quite vocal neither Sundowner nor Harris will be running in 2024. Until the Democrats convention is over the fat lady isn’t singing who it will be.
    It may require to each a offer they can’t refuse.

  26. Meanwhile, I’ve got the sads:
    _________________________________________

    I always said that YouTube was something I would keep doing as long as it was still fun for me and the truth is, it’s just not anymore.

    –The Critical Drinker, “Thank You, And Goodbye…”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW0yhZgqBic
    _________________________________________

    I’ll miss you, TCD.

    Er … what?

  27. Are they friends of the Clintons (soon to be RIP)?

    huxley:

    That is sad that YouTube has managed to kill another talented and original content provider. It’s how they roll.

  30. Nicely done Neo, you fooled me. Such is the Country we are living in. What did not fool me was the column in one of our local papers which somehow did fool enough readers that the paper had to issue a clarification statement and remove the part that (sadly given some of the other items) caused the most uproar. Read about it here:
    https://www.christopherfountain.com/blog/2024/4/1/how-pathetic
    In re: https://www.greenwichsentinel.com/2024/03/30/mick-jagger-to-play-gtp-the-backstory/

  32. Nope. It’s as plausible as anything else. April Fools jokes are supposed to be silly and obviously impossible.
    This was not and could have run on any other day and been taken seriously. Because dumber things have happened.

  33. Okay. April Fool. I can picture Doug wanting someone to sympathize with him, but if he were really stepping out, it would be with someone younger. He may be lonely now, but he had a career and his own social circle in California, so he’s not exactly the stereotype of the neglected political spouse.

    Donald Trump’s uncle was an MIT professor and a pioneer in electromedical technologies, so if anybody had a time machine, it might have been him. There was a 19th century scifi novel about a boy named Baron Trump. So who knows?

  34. Nothing suggested above would be at all out of place in the Biden family.

    And people should keep in mind, when describing Kamala as useless. Her #1 job was impeachment insurance. And she’s damned good at that.

  35. My youngest granddaughter, age 7, called my wife today with really big news. She was going to be a big sister. It was a video call and a stunned look would be the reaction of my wife.
    Fortunately, our granddaughter couldn’t contain her glee and blurted out it was April fools. Our daughter wasn’t on the call, but I’m sure she was laughing hysterically off camera.
    We’re still recovering.

  36. Most people are of the opinion that the Democrats would dearly love to replace Joe Biden as a candidate for 2024. But there are various stumbling blocks…

    Better keep Joey away from those stumbling blocks!

    Ha ha, Neo, you fooled me! Although I was puzzled by the video and the “making out” I had heard about seemed like just an affectionate kiss on the lips between (maybe French) friends.

    I’m not criticizing her appearence, but the essence of Dr. Jill is definitely Yuck.

  39. Don on April 1, 2024 at 5:47 pm said:
    [Art Deco said] Jill Biden is 13 years older than Emhoff. Not happening.

    Why I didn’t think anything of that kiss when it happened.

    But also, she outranks him in the political hierarchy. Fraternization not allowed, you know !!!
    But if the kiss was an AI fake: do we call it an affable infidelity or an affectionate instigation?

  40. I don’t see this happening simply because of the effect it might have on Joe. One unguarded moment with the press could turn him into a jerk, an even more pathetic old man, or a joke. Or all three.

    Also, I don’t know that Kamala would play along. If she and Emhoff fought back it could split the party in two.

  42. The bozo “fact chechers” are part of the disinformation apparatus, an Oceania agency of the Parry.

  43. Good April Fool, Neo! I confess that it took me a while, but what finally did it for me was the realization that only someone as clueless and as evil as Joe could ever go for someone like Dr. Jill.

  44. April 1???
    Or, as Babylon Bee watchers have noted, absurd has now often become current events.
    I don’t believe Biden will be the Dem nominee in Nov. But really don’t know who will be, and the process of changing to somebody else is intermittently interesting; sometimes fascinating, like here (for some), often seemingly to be useless speculation.

    Were there a medium young (40-50?), photogenic, somewhat unknown but also with some good competent Dem history, like Obama in 2008, that would be the kind of Savior the Dems want. It’s getting late to identify any such unknown, but there don’t seem to be any attractive known political Dems. So Newsome remains top alt pick, despite his incompetence/ terrible record.

  49. “Baron Trump” in the novel was actually a Baron, and the Don in the novel was Spanish, so the parallels to present-day reality weren’t as close as early reports said.

    Democrats aren’t going to get a savior. Remember 2020? There were any number of half-way competent (straight, white, male, boring) candidates in the Democratic primary race, but none of them got any traction. As bad as Biden is, it would be a lot harder to bring an unknown into the race than to go with what they already have.

    But if Kennedy can get above 5% isn’t Biden toast? Or will Kennedy take away enough votes from Trump that Biden still survives? If he does, I wouldn’t want to live through the years of servile puffery that the media’s going to give Biden, the Comeback Kid and the new Harry Truman.

  51. It simply does not matter how voters feel about anything. All that matters is which ballots get counted. The Dems will see to it that enough ballots for the D candidates, whoever they are, however determined (primary shenanigans, Hawaiian judges, whatever) get counted in the deep blue precincts that matter to swing the Electoral College.

    Something like 30% – 50% of voters don’t vote their own ballots. The D’s get them counted for D’s. The R’s do not do this. That’s how it works now.

    We’re setting ourselves up for another “red wave” mirage if we don’t take a hard look at the new reality of how elections actually work. Not the Schoolhouse Rock stuff that may have been true 50 years ago, about how people are doing in polls.

    Polls long ago ceased to be a tool of measuring public opinion, they are now purely for shaping media narratives. You can measure public opinion if you want and you have the money to pay for it…

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