I agree with a lot of your analysis but there's still the fact that -- again -- a large part of our country was not willing to show up/vote for a woman over the atrocity that is Trump. I don't think there's anything equatable with that in Evanston.
I agree with a lot of your analysis but there's still the fact that -- again -- a large part of our country was not willing to show up/vote for a woman over the atrocity that is Trump. I don't think there's anything equatable with that in Evanston.
Let alone a woman of color. We can analyze this to death, but the bottom line is this country showed us what they think of women - which is less than a fascist atrocity.
I donтАЩt race or gender played as much into this as the fact that this candidate embodied progressive San Francisco political perspectives, along with not being so great an impromptu public speaker. The old-school Dem strategists that have had past winners would surely have told us that if the Dem candidate has to be a woman, that woman should be from the south or midwest, someone who can speak impressively on the stump, and who was a former fighter pilot, etc., or just a natural bad-ass.
Next time letтАЩs have the strategists pick, unless someone has organically risen up above the crowd as Obama arguably did.
The weird thing is, like if you view old videos of Harris talking, like the coconut tree video - she can be a very genuine and relatable speaker. But we rarely saw that person on the campaign trail and I have no idea why. We saw a little bit of that in the debate, but that's about it.
Did you not see the videos of her responding to women crying about how happy they were to see her as the candidate? Also she was a high level prosecutor and successful politician, she can speak to a crowd just fine. I think she probably was told to be less herself in that respect so as to not come off as an angry black woman.
I didn't see those videos but I believe it - there was a good one where she was talking to younger girls about public speaking, where she was very good. I think you're right.
Accidentally deleted my first response. Basically, I think its problematic to say: " if the Dem candidate has to be a woman, that woman should be from the south or midwest, someone who can speak impressively on the stump, and who was a former fighter pilot, etc., or just a natural bad-ass"
I saw Harris as "a natural bad-ass". And I often heard less of her policies being attacked than of it being said she slept her way to the top, that she wasn't a mother, and she was "unlikeable".
Also, explain how Harris did not organically rise above the crowd given than she was elected the Vice President!
Joe Biden declared he was going to pick a Black woman for VP, so the pool of talent was limited to that small group, rather than to all possible Dem VP candidates, and then she was chosen by one man to be VP (as opposed to being voted in as candidate through a proper full primary). Obama rose organically over all possible candidates in a great wave of popularity and was nominated by the Dem party because he was regarded by the Dem party constituents (the people) as truly exceptional as a political candidate.
Biden unsuccessfully tried to get the Dem nomination in 1988 and 2008. Arguably he was picked by Obama because he was a white man, not the most exceptional political candidate. Then he was VP. Then ran successfully for the presidency. He did not rise organically by any means. Harris was one of two senators from our largest state - a pretty hard office to win. She basically had a lot quicker, but the same trajectory and a much harder one than Joe Biden. But you've reduced her to a DEI hire that wasn't good enough.
I agree with you on this, CL. She wasnтАЩt perfect but she was a well qualified candidate. Would the primary process have picked her? I have no idea but she wouldтАЩve been competitive.
Yes Biden was picked for VP in part because he was white and old, but also because he had a long voting record that was moderate (and today would be rather conservative) -- milquetoast fit the bill to balance the ticket. This works for Obama's VP, but is not a clear blueprint for presidential candidate material (and Biden almost didn't even get his nomination, as it was given at the last moment effectively by the nod from Jim Clyburn of SC).
Harris rose in California among battle with other progressives, not in truly competing with moderates. If the electorate was over 50% progressives, Harris would be the perfect candidate, but it is not. Being from Bay Area California could soften the edges of a Republican candidate for president to their benefit, but it has the opposite effect on a Democrat candidate with regard to mass appeal.
Full primary processes should be held by any party as a best practice rather than just anointing its VP as The Candidate.
It was July when Biden stepped down! And the only way to use his campaign money was because it was HarrisтАЩ too. Plus she had the name recognition. Best practicesтАжsheesh.
I agree with a lot of your analysis but there's still the fact that -- again -- a large part of our country was not willing to show up/vote for a woman over the atrocity that is Trump. I don't think there's anything equatable with that in Evanston.
I don't disagree with this
Let alone a woman of color. We can analyze this to death, but the bottom line is this country showed us what they think of women - which is less than a fascist atrocity.
I donтАЩt race or gender played as much into this as the fact that this candidate embodied progressive San Francisco political perspectives, along with not being so great an impromptu public speaker. The old-school Dem strategists that have had past winners would surely have told us that if the Dem candidate has to be a woman, that woman should be from the south or midwest, someone who can speak impressively on the stump, and who was a former fighter pilot, etc., or just a natural bad-ass.
Next time letтАЩs have the strategists pick, unless someone has organically risen up above the crowd as Obama arguably did.
The weird thing is, like if you view old videos of Harris talking, like the coconut tree video - she can be a very genuine and relatable speaker. But we rarely saw that person on the campaign trail and I have no idea why. We saw a little bit of that in the debate, but that's about it.
Did you not see the videos of her responding to women crying about how happy they were to see her as the candidate? Also she was a high level prosecutor and successful politician, she can speak to a crowd just fine. I think she probably was told to be less herself in that respect so as to not come off as an angry black woman.
I didn't see those videos but I believe it - there was a good one where she was talking to younger girls about public speaking, where she was very good. I think you're right.
Accidentally deleted my first response. Basically, I think its problematic to say: " if the Dem candidate has to be a woman, that woman should be from the south or midwest, someone who can speak impressively on the stump, and who was a former fighter pilot, etc., or just a natural bad-ass"
I saw Harris as "a natural bad-ass". And I often heard less of her policies being attacked than of it being said she slept her way to the top, that she wasn't a mother, and she was "unlikeable".
Also, explain how Harris did not organically rise above the crowd given than she was elected the Vice President!
Joe Biden declared he was going to pick a Black woman for VP, so the pool of talent was limited to that small group, rather than to all possible Dem VP candidates, and then she was chosen by one man to be VP (as opposed to being voted in as candidate through a proper full primary). Obama rose organically over all possible candidates in a great wave of popularity and was nominated by the Dem party because he was regarded by the Dem party constituents (the people) as truly exceptional as a political candidate.
Biden unsuccessfully tried to get the Dem nomination in 1988 and 2008. Arguably he was picked by Obama because he was a white man, not the most exceptional political candidate. Then he was VP. Then ran successfully for the presidency. He did not rise organically by any means. Harris was one of two senators from our largest state - a pretty hard office to win. She basically had a lot quicker, but the same trajectory and a much harder one than Joe Biden. But you've reduced her to a DEI hire that wasn't good enough.
I agree with you on this, CL. She wasnтАЩt perfect but she was a well qualified candidate. Would the primary process have picked her? I have no idea but she wouldтАЩve been competitive.
If anything Biden for VP in 08 was the DEI hire!
Yes Biden was picked for VP in part because he was white and old, but also because he had a long voting record that was moderate (and today would be rather conservative) -- milquetoast fit the bill to balance the ticket. This works for Obama's VP, but is not a clear blueprint for presidential candidate material (and Biden almost didn't even get his nomination, as it was given at the last moment effectively by the nod from Jim Clyburn of SC).
Harris rose in California among battle with other progressives, not in truly competing with moderates. If the electorate was over 50% progressives, Harris would be the perfect candidate, but it is not. Being from Bay Area California could soften the edges of a Republican candidate for president to their benefit, but it has the opposite effect on a Democrat candidate with regard to mass appeal.
Full primary processes should be held by any party as a best practice rather than just anointing its VP as The Candidate.
It was July when Biden stepped down! And the only way to use his campaign money was because it was HarrisтАЩ too. Plus she had the name recognition. Best practicesтАжsheesh.