A proposal is circulating in Washington to dump President Joe Biden and hold a “blitz primary” to choose a replacement. The proposal is the work of Rosa Brooks, a Georgetown University law professor who worked in the Obama and Clinton administrations, and Ted Dintersmith, a venture capitalist and education philanthropist. The proposal is gaining support with party insiders and repeats the hyperbolic claim that this is essential to avoid a “democracy-ending defeat.” It is disappointing to see a law professor repeating this unfounded alarmist claim. Yet, the most glaring contradiction is found in the stated desire to give delegates a choice after the party worked to prevent any choice for voters in state primaries.
The authors promise an “uplifting” path in which candidates would pledge not to attack each other. They would then have a few weeks as named celebrities like Oprah and Taylor Swift would moderate discussions. Delegates would then use ranked voting before the August 19th convention.
The authors proclaim that “we can limp to shameful, avoidable democracy-ending defeat. Or Democrats can make this Our Finest Hour. While we hope for help from Lord Almighty, the Lord helps those who help themselves.”
One wrinkle is that Biden himself spent Sunday pledging again that he is not stepping aside. He also continued his penchant for bizarre statements like stating that “even when I was running for Senate, each time I ran – quite frankly, not a joke – Philadelphia, in particularly, got me across the line. No, I’m not joking. No, I mean it, seriously. Organizationally and in terms of fundraising, the whole deal.”
Either Biden was confessing to using Pennsylvania votes to win elections in Delaware or he was hopelessly confused. Seriously.
The “finest hour” for the party is coming a bit late given the concerted effort of the Democratic establishment to strip away opposing candidates from ballots and crush anyone offering an alternative to Biden. At the same time, both the press and pundits attacked those who raised the President’s infirmity, including calling unedited videos “cheap fakes.”
For the last year, Democratic secretaries of state were trying to remove Trump from 2024 ballots and Democratic leaders in Florida, North Carolina and other states were refusing to allow other candidates to run against Biden in their primaries. For those voters, the primary might have seemed like a “democracy ending” election.
At the same time, the Democratic establishment opposed any debate where Biden’s infirmities might have been observed when there was still time for voters to make another choice. They did so even though every poll showed the majority of Democratic voters thought Biden was too old and wanted an alternative choice. (Notably, I also favored a debate in the GOP primary. While Trump did not participate in any debate, he was widely available for media questions and pressers).
Now, after quashing opposing candidates when the public would have had a chance to make a state-by-state choice, insiders are calling for an “uplifting” blitz election by the party establishment and activists.
I am still curious how this will work. Donors gave money to the Biden-Harris ticket. That money would now have to be used for different candidates. Absent a formal acceptance to the alternative slate, it could raise tough questions under federal election laws. Likewise, the DNC is coming up on a number of states with drop-dead dates for ballot changes. Finally, there is the rather awkward problem of a President who is still very much alive and running.
As Biden objects over and over again that he will not step aside, Brooks and Dintersmith are already planning his political eulogy where Biden would be celebrated as a “modern-day George Washington.”
Once again, the Democratic Party seems to be channeling Monty Python in planning for a departure of a president who does not want to go.
I stopped reading at Oprah and Taylor Swift moderating. They should consider The Marx Brothers, The Three Stooges or The Ritz Brothers. It doesn’t matter that they’re dead Joe won’t know the difference.
Harpo made more sense than Biden.
The concept of a “blitz primary” at the convention is a canard. It is simply a way for the Democratic Party elites to pick a malleable candidate of their choosing without those pesky voters getting in their way.
Of course, there’s no way this prospect would escape Turley’s swift boating PR op. To run a primary with minimalist media fanfare is wildly threatening to the fox/msm business model.
And to grant access to to ranked choice voting is a big first step in dismantling the country’s reliance on a the fatally flawed electoral college in presidential elections. Ranked choice combined with absolute reliance on an unpolluted popular vote is an unparalleled threat to Turley and friends.
The electoral college is what separates, for the time being, the entire US from being run by the homogeneous coastal $hithole mentality. Look at nearly every (all?) democrat stronghold in the nation and you see a failing/faile middle class, a mindless ruling elite, and a rapidly growing impoverished population. That is by design. That is what they do, not just in the US, but everywhere.
They sing a sweet tune about equality and diversity and prosperity, but you get the opposite, a homogeneous ruling elite of the few and everyone else suffers because they are dependent on a financially and ethically bankrupt government. When they tell you that the right is fascist, simply look at the military industrial complex, look at the pharma industry, look at the financial industries, and look at AG. They are all in league with big government and they are F’ing you over.
Democracy…lol, the left never wants democracy, they want total power – The constitutions of most communist states describe their political system as a form of democracy, FFS.
Translation: we live in a minority party ruled, increasingly Christian nationalist government only held in place by a voting mechanism designed to procure power for slave owners originally.
While it is true that after the 2020 election we are ruled by the minority, we do not have a xtian nationalist government or even an increasingly so one, despite the fact that you want to pretend that anything that has a moral or ethical standard is xtian nationalist. The only people who have been enslaved/oppressed in the US have been so by overreaching government regulation, coastal banking elites, and opponents of racist DIE/AA policies.
Your coastal elite sexual deviants can F right off. – not a Christian
Translation: I am a drunk
The electoral college has certain advantages – it assures that presidential elections will be nationwide, and it assures that the Federal Execuitive will severe the inmterests of all americans rather than those of massive metropolitan regions.
But it is imperfect.
There is no objectively perfect means to elect a president – or anyone else.
Ranked choice voting has a large collection of its own problems.
But if its advantages appeal to you and its flaws do not concern you – sell it and change the laws and the constitution.
It has recently been tried in NYC and Alaska and there is no evidence that it works any better than what proceeded it.
Arguably it works worse. It is actually less transparent and less trustworthy. It is hard enough to trust election officials to get it right counting a the unranked votes of voters. Do you really think that election officials can be trusted through multiple rounds of processing ballots ?
Regardless, you are free to discount my objections, win the argumant and change election laws and the constitution.
All my objections to ranked choice are exactly like yours to the electoral college – you do not like the process or the outcome.
There is no perfect way of voting. There is only the lawful and constitutional way and all others.
If you want change – change the law or constitution.
Ranked choice voting and eliminating the electoral college would require changing the law…
And would also bring the nation closer to a true democracy…
Which is why you’re not a fan of it.
Why do you want a true democracy? Whose majority voice isn’t being heard, now? Didya know we aren’t designed to be a ‘true’ democracy? Didya know that the nations that proclaim being true democracies are all communist nation, which aren’t true democracies?
Why do you believe that the people of east Baltimore should have a say over Ag policy in western Iowa? Who is going to protect the rights of the infinitesimally small groups like US Steel manufacturers or transgender people?
We are not a democracy, for a reason. Which is why you’re not a fan of it.
That’s not logical. I’m not a fan of true democracy because there are too many idiots and people willing to take advantage of them, basically democrats.
The Democrats need to stop bedwetting and simply accept that Kamala Harris is their replacement. The mention of Taylor Swift being involved is ominous, because she is the only VP who can drag Kamala across the finish line.
andrewp111 said: “The mention of Taylor Swift being involved is ominous, because she is the only VP who can drag Kamala across the finish line.”
Surely you can’t be serious? Taylor Swift is a prodigious talent. My 15 yo granddaughter is a huge fan of her music. But I’m confident that even she would question Swift’s qualifications to be Vice President.
If the Dems are going to a ‘replacement’, then a Biden Administration Clone will not cut it (think about that).
It’s not to late for the DNC to accept RFK Jr. – except Hillary and the DNC is to Group-Think to allow it.
The DNC under the rule of Hillary Clinton and Other Brass has blown it ever since her run for president.
They need to wake up, the Hillary ‘formula’ doesn’t work. The DNC has a short window of opportunity to re-engage RFK.
Otherwise what small ‘Swing Vote’ they had will be gone to the opposition.
My bet is, the DNC is to full of itself to make a retraction on RFK’s Candidacy and put him in front of the Democratic Ticket.
The Dems have already lost the 2024 Election, they can’t ‘salvage it’ in 4 months.
-TRA
Kennedy has pretty thoroughly committed to end many manifestations of the Deep State gravy train. That, in itself, makes him poison to a very large part of the Democratic Party.
That’s a fair assessment (DemParty & Uni Party Neocons). The Democratic Party is in need of ‘cardiac resuscitation’ because it is D.O.A.,
There’s no pulse except Whack-a-Doodles. RFK would at least put some clothes back on the King.
– The Dems have been totally exposed –
Thank goodness we have smart people in Congress. Thank you Majorie Taylor Green for showing how dumb you are.
“The average age of the signers of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 was 44 years old, but more than a dozen were 35 or younger: Thomas Jefferson: 33 John Hancock: 39 James Madison: 25 Alexander Hamilton: 21 James Monroe: 18 Aaron Burr: 20 Paul Revere: 41 George Washington: 44,”
She forgot DJT, I”m sure he signed it and he is only 32 today and weights 220 lbs and is 6’3″ A true god of a man baby.
This is about the Democrat party and THEIR election. They are in complete disarray. That is what this discusdion is about.
BUT here you are bashing Trump and Republicans.
You just can’t help yourself.
You have no self control, somehow
Trump’s weight is the issue.
Deflect. Deflect. Deflect.
Brooks may be betting placing Barack Obama on this….https://cornerstonelaw.us/22nd-amendment-doesnt-say-think-says/
Talk about channeling Monty Python. For the past 3 1/2 years, Turley & Republicans have laughingly devoted their time & energy to impeaching Biden & removing Trump’s politcal opponent from office. So now that the leader of the Biden Crime Family is about to withdraw from the race, Turley is up in arms about delegates, donations & federal election laws.
Love your deft comic musings, Professor!
ROTFLMAO!
Don’t miss the forest for the trees, fella. At the end of the day, it is all about ‘delegates, donations and staying withing federal election laws’. They call that ‘the bottom line’.
ATS – it was never likely that Biden would be removed from office – the requirement to get 2/3 of the senate to vote for removal is too high to be met – and democrats are far more partisan than Republicans in 1972.
The purpose of Republican investigations of the Biden crime syndicate was to bring to the american people the actual character of JRB.
To a large extent that purpose has been accomplished.
Right now, it is best for republicans to do little or nothing.
First and Foremost it is NOT in the interests of the Republican party to get rid of Joe Biden at this time.
He is a massive albatross arround the neck of the democratic party.
Paraphasing Sun Tzu – when your enemy is making a mistake – LET THEM.
Neither Turley nor Republicans are up in arms regarding the pickle the democrats have gotten themselves into.
We are merely joyously pointing out the mess you have made for yourselves.
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we first practice to deceive.”
Noting the massive hypocracy of democrats is not being “up in arms”.
It is laughing at the tangled web you have made for yourselves.
As democrats violate their own rules – if that is what they chose to do, It is not going to be republicans mostly challenging their lawlessness in court – it is going to be other democrats.
Right now most republicans have little interest in the outcome of the democratic games to remove Biden.
Republicans are more interested in celebrating the exposure of democratic hypocracy.
Hoist by your own petard
Please don’t use quotes incorrectly, especially when you do not understand their meaning. A petard is a small explosive device, and the work hoist used to mean blown up. Therefore the quote, which is from “Hamlet,” and reads in partial context:
“For ’tis the sport to have the enginer
Hoist with his own petard; and ‘t shall go hard
But I will delve one yard below their mines
And blow them at the moon. ”
evokes the bomb-maker exploded with his own bomb. William Shakespeare was an excellent ironist.
I am familiar with the history
Your critique is of both because my use is correct and because we are almost 500 years past Shakespeare
Almost no one knows what a petard is
But they know what the quote means
Please do not tell me what I do and do not know
It is also very unwise to make a claim of ignorance and misuse against another and the prove the use was correct in your own remarks
Would it make you happier if I said democrats blew themselves up with their own bomb ?
Democrats just completed a long primary season in which they overwhelming chose Joe Biden as their candidate.
They did not chose Harris, or Newsome or Shapiro or any of a long list of others waiting in the wings right now.
The Dump Biden effort is being lead by the Democratic Party leaders and the media who now realize they can not possibly drag Joe across the finish line again.
There is not some groundswell of democratic voters repudiating their primary vote.
While this is fun to watch – this is a disaster of democrat leaders and the media’s own making.
And it is far larger than who will be the democratic candidate for president.
This is a come to Jesus moment for the democratic party and the media.
You can fool all of the people some of the time
you can fool some of the people all of the time
but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
The problem is NOT Biden.
The problem is the further destructiuon of the credibility of those on the left
Democrats and the media.
John Say,
“While this is fun to watch – this is a disaster of democrat leaders and the media’s own making.”
That right there!
And, yes, it is fun to watch!
To the extent I have any interest -= beyond as a spectator, and beyond reveling at the hypocracy of the left boldly on display,.
It is my hope this entertainment goes on for a long time.
It is likely already to late for democrats to pull a rabbit out of the hat.
But it might not be too late to avoid this dragging down their hopes for the Senate and the house.
Though frankly that has been a problem for democrats from the start.
Trump voters have consistently been twice as likely to vote as Biden voters.
And this is not 2020 where democrats could count on anti-trump anger.
If anything the enthusiastic ANTI vote favors Trump. More people are Never Biden than Never Trump.
The p[roblem for the democrats is that Trump voters are going to vote – in all 50 states.
Possibly as much as 20% of the Biden vote (or more) could decide to stay home.
With something like 9 incumbent democrat senators running very close races that is a disaster.
In 2022 DOZENS of house seats were won by less than 1% of the vote and the difference between a red tsunami and a fizzle was that magically democrats won the overwhelming majority of 50:50 elections. Republcians might have had an additional 10 seats if 50:50 elections were decided by a coin toss.
Turnout and enthusiasm are massively important in this election.
Thje problem with Biden’s debate performance was not that he came accross incompetent, or even that democrats and the MSM were caught in a lie.
Having Seen how bad Biden has performed since 2020 I thought he did better than I expected.
The problems is that the man who showed up in Atlanta was not someone people were enthusiastic about supporting.
The pre debtate hype was that expectations for Biden were law and would be easily met.
That never sat right with me.
The problem with the debate was that the anti-Trump and Anti-Biden vote was already locked.
Nop one walked away from the debate saying “I was going to vote for Trump, but I have changed my mind”.
While plenty of people appear to have decided they are not voting for Biden. Probably not voting at all.
You seem to have coined a new term “hypocracy” meaning government by hypocrisy, in which the emperor has no brains or clothes and decisions are made by a shadowy cabal rather than democratic elections, while they keep chanting the mantra that democracy is on the ballot. Good one!
John Say,
There were indications of traditional Democrats mostly Blacks and Asians were not going to vote at all, and some even considering voting for Trump.
The Free Press had a few articles on it last year.
I know my sister is seriously thinking about voting third party.
Absolutely
There is a lot going on in this election
We have been in the midst of a once a century political realignment
Trump did not make that happen
But he saw it coming and has been riding it
But the most dangerous thing for democrats is this is likely to be a low turnout election
But only on one side
Trump has a large core that will vote no matter what
Biden has half that number of truly committed voters
And aside from democrats staying home there has been the question of how independents and undecideds break
Biden needs them to break left
What happens if they just don’t vote ?
Biden desperately needs voters who do not love Trump to vote for him
He loses if they look at him and Trump and just say no
John Say said: “But it might not be too late to avoid this dragging down their hopes for the Senate and the house. ”
I am very hopeful that the aspect of prominent Democrats at each others’ throats over whether Biden should remain the D candidate or be replaced, from now until the D convention, and possibly beyond, will be a major drag on their down allot prospects. It certainly is not going to enhance efforts to get D and D-sympathetic Independent voters to the polls.
“down ballot prospects”
This is fun to watch
Democrats have flown into a box canyon
Honestly they have no one besides Biden
2028 follows 2024
Where is the future of the Democratic Party ?
Newsome ?
Whitmer ?
AOC ?
Most of the 2020 pretenders ?
Conversely republicans have a deep bench
Trump voters want Trump
Not Trump lite
But n 2028 they have a long list of future Trumps
Without the baggage
Dems’ definition of a “democracy ending” event: people freely choosing someone other than a Democrat. They also think boys are girls, they can’t define “woman,” they insist the border is secure, inflation will be “transitory,” and conservatives are at fault for their covering up Biden’s dementia … and they treat the Supreme Court as a political branch of government (when they are not physically threatening the individual justices). Nothing they say is truthful and I suspect this is an intentional strategy to demoralize the American people. We at least can refuse to go along with their lies and refuse to be demoralized by countering the lies with truth.
Hear , hear !
Yes, and KBJ might have simply said she uses Websters definition of “woman” as follows: An adult female. Defiance was more important.
As John says, above, I only have a ” spectators interest” in the coming train wreck. Am I the only person here old enough to remember 1972, when George McGovern chose Congressman Thomas Eagleton as his VP running mate? For those that don’t know the story, a few weeks after the convention, it was revealed that Eagleton had spent time in a mental institution (IIRC), certainly disqualifying for someone a step away from the Presidency.
The ensuing furor forced McGovern to remove Eagleton and replace him with Sargent Shriver. This total debacle by the Democrats was part of the cause of the Nixon reelection landslide. Now, this is also what made Watergate so damned stupid. They were cruising to an easy reelection, and no “dirty tricks” were necessary.
Anonymous 8:51 AM .
Eagleton also underwent electroconvulsive therapy for his depression. That’s where you are paralyzed with a curare type muscle relaxant (paralyzed) with ventilator support and then 2 leads are placed on both sides of your head and a current is passed thru your brain to cause seizures (convulsions) . Effective at the time for refractory depression but the side effect of memory loss was worrisome. I Assisted in some of those ECT events as a Pulmonary Fellow in late 1970’s . Kind of frightening to watch. Rarely if ever used now .
In case Biden becomes depressed, the side effects of this therapy would seem to be negligible!
The ‘dirty tricks’ were necessary to oust Nixon if he won, which was obviously gonna happen. Having a few more dems on the CIA’s “gotcha” list was gravy.
I had eaglton as a professor in college in the mid 80’s and I remember to be rather engaging and well spoken. I wasn’t old enough to have paid attention when he ran and don’t remember if I was aware of all the backstory other than his senate service.
He seemed perfectly fine and I am guessing that in todays world there would be numerous alternatives that would be a far cry from what we think of today as a mental institution
Or possibly, he was truly crazy which is why I got an A in the class
But TRUMP……..
DEMOCRACY….
Steal an election rig a primary…….. so this is DEMOCRACY in action???
Rosa Brooks and Ted Dintersmith are gaming the Bet that a younger viable candidate will be more successful against the Republicans.
Further, they are thinking that a new Candidate will cover-up the Biden’s criminal activities (Joe & Hunter’s ), the War in Ukraine, and the failed DEI agenda of the Democract’s among a litany of other things.
Pulling a ‘in the middle of the fight’ switcheroo, will just generate more distrust in the Dems and turn into Votes for Trump.
Bottom-line is Nobody wants more of the same, mostly including what they (Dems) have done to Trump and Others over the past 10 years.
The Democratic Parties’ – Disinformation operations, Hate agenda, Economic plundering of the Nation, The Deficit, The Wars, The Illegal Immigration …
A new shiny young face will not wash it away – it’s done and over.
The DNC can’t find someone that wants the Job of running against Trump or the next 4 years for that matter – They know it’s a mess ‘They’ made.
Step Up Dems – If you want to kill your career.
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
Sun Tzu
I have merely a spectators interest in Democrats efforts to extricate themselves in a mess of their own making.
Regardless, the fundamental problem that democrats have is not Biden’s dementia.
It is many years of lying to the people about it, on top of the meany years of other lies they have been caught in.
In the fable “The emperors new clothes” it is NOT merely the emperor who is exposed, but all those that would deceive themselves and others.
Democrats can not fix their problems by replacing Biden.
Because Biden is NOT the problem
Wow! It is hard to believe that’The smartest people in politics’ would make such stupid and narcissistic decisions a few months before the election. Who in their right mind would want to vote for such people.
When one of these brilliant architects of destruction is a $$$ man for education we can see why Left Wing schools are so messed up.
Say it isn’t so. Let them keep digging. How would this even work?
The details are not important.
The mess that is coming no matter what is what is important.
Tuirley mostly addresses the moral issues – Democrats had plenty of time to deal with this over the past 4 years.
Biden barely survived in 2020 with his basement strategy. Hurr’s report suggests Biden was not competent when he was interviewed by his ghost writer in 2016.
Regardless, just sit back and enjoy the coming schiff show on the left.
Turley only touched on the legal problems.
Nothing that Democrats do, or try to do is going to be easy
nor is it likely to make anything better.
Can anybody tell me if “Dr. Jill Biden and Hilary Clinton are sisters?
If neither Biden nor Harris is nominated, won’t the funds in the Biden-Harris war chest have to be returned to the donors?
Surely you jest Professor . . .
Democracy in action or Democrats in Action. Why am I not surprised? We have gone back to the smoke filled room. If I was Kamala Harris, I would take tremendous offense to this scheme. That is the money of the Biden / Harris campaign. It almost makes me fill sympathetic for her. Once again the Democratic Party is going to try to screw their black voters. I suspect that if Kamala is not the candidate then the black vote for democrats may explode into nothingness. Rightfully so.
Yes they should have had open primaries but they strong armed everything for Biden. Stupid plan with his mind. I am hoping for a true conflagration in Chicago. I don’t think the voters in Chicago (place of the democratic convention) will look favorably on this. They may have riots that will make the 1968 convention look like a mild disturbance.
Sometimes taking the loss is less destructive than blowing up your whole party. Sounds like we are going from plan to plan daily.
It’s going to be difficult for the Republicans to put together their ads. It will be such a target rich environment that it might overwhelm their resources.
This will be better than 1968.
I believe I speak for a large number of your readers as I beg you to get a competent proofreader.
No, you don’t
You don’t care for accuracy and precision?
This is an unpaid blog not a scientific paper.
If only our scientists would be as accurate and precise as Turley.
I care about coherent thoughts, intelligent reasoning, and not calling people that disagree names.
Professor Turley does all 3 very well.
If the person was able to communicate their thoughts to you, and you understand what was being communicated – it’s all good. Sometimes we have to overlook the misuse of homophones and misspellings, but it really is the thought that counts.
Isn’t it time to understand and accept there is nothing democratic about the Democratic party?
Currently, with money issues and quaint rules, they’ve been caught in a trap of they’re own making.
A couple or three of rich girls are trying to help bypass the problem by flapping their eyelashes.