mtutiger

Tim's right on this... They likely had a bunch of stuff in the can for his nomination, now they have to start from square one. Obviously the challenges are bigger for the Dems, but this comes with some challenges for Trump's campaign too

In terms of VP, it doesn't come without challenges, but Mark Kelly would be such a great contrast with JD Vance

Continues to have zero respect for the voters

Legislatively I think he's on par or even better than Obama... I also think his term has been marked by a rebuilding of state Dem parties that were previously decimated during the wave of 2010 (some of that is Trump though). But in other ways I do agree that Obama was better. Particularly in the Head of State roles.

I think he will be out there for sure...

Not that it matters much, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gets at least a modest bump in his approvals for simply doing this

I just hope the Bill Kristol types can dispense with the fantasy tickets and get behind the Veep... The fact that so many people when they speculated on this would avoid considering her probably made all of this way more tumultuous. Biden and Harris have a complicated relationship, but she's been a team player as Veep and has been likely the most effective surrogate on the campaign to-date. She's a part of his legacy, and there's zero chance he wanted her shanked in some sort of Aaron Sorkin fantasy scenario

I think it also shows him to be everything that Trump isn't... He knows the office is bigger than him. And particularly with a candidate like Trump, who he personally detests, that they need to go with the best possible option. In the end, he came to the conclusion that the best option wasn't him and acted accordingly

Well, that's that

This has become increasingly clear in recent days... LaCivita's interview with Politico at the RNC was kinda the red flag for me

This is 100% accurate.... The other alternatives arent likely to challenge her regardless.

So is he voting for Trump now?

I don't think the letter tells us much about that, tbh. If he gets behind Harris, he will likely wait till he speaks to the public

There's been a lot of nasty stuff that went back and forth throughout all of this, but we need to recognize how excruciating this decision was. I think he made the right decision, but by no means was this easy. I am proud of him

I think this whole process has been pretty unfair to Joe Biden, but she's right on this... "sit down and shut up" isn't going to fix this

Rare W from Chris LaCivita

Just from my day job I can attest that there is no shortage of concrete being poured in this country right now

1000 percent, it has to be Harris. No argument here

The 25th is the remedy for sure, but that solution evokes a lack of stability. I think there is legit concern from someabout voting for someone who cannot make it thru the term. Even if the remedy exists.

Counterpoint: if swing voters actually do think he should step aside and see him refusing to, as he is doing now, doesn't it reinforce the idea of a elderly parent refusing to turn the car keys over? And what happens if he theoretically is reelected, has a stroke, and still refuses to give up the car keys? Trump as a candidate promises less stability and majorities still hate him. But if perceptions of Biden and his age are *that* baked in, I can see how some voters might see him as just as unstable or more unstable choice than Trump. I don't agree with it myself, I would vote for a jar of pickles before I would vote for Trump... but I believe that's what we are reckoning with right now

I'm not hitching my wagon to anything lol

In a discussion about the roles of Mitt Romney and Josh Hawley, vis a vis January 6th, I continue to fail to see how any of this is relevant.

For reference, Appalachia defined from the Appalachian Regional Commission, with approximate location of Middletown circled in red: As his book goes into, he did spend a lot of time in Jackson KY as a kid due to having family in the area. And I have no doubt that it influenced him. But you are correct, it isn't Appalachia and it comes across not genuine at all for him to claim that he hails from there. On top of this, the thing that bothers me a little bit is that even with his hometown of Middletown, the reality is that he left, went to Ohio State, ended up at Yale Law School, wrote his book and landed in the VC world of the Bay Area. I don't begrudge him for getting out, a lot of people do; I went to college and ended up elsewhere - couldn't do what I do for a living in my hometown. But while growing up in a small town can influence the outlook of people who have left, the reality is that for someone like JD who got the hell out as fast as he could and graduated into the "elite" class, it comes across phony as hell when he claims to have special insight. People recognize it. There's a longer discussion to be had on how radically his views of where he came from have changed since the time he wrote his book as well - whether one agrees with Kevin Williamson's views, his piece on JD does a really good job of breaking down the discrepencies and is well worth the read. https://thedispatch.com/article/government-isnt-your-mamaw/

I mean, you are the one who invoked Mitt Romney's faith to impugn his motives and/or character here.