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It's Joever: Biden Passes the Torch to Harris - The Monday AM Quickie 7/22/24

By Jacob Silverman —

I'm not a constitutional expert, but Taylor Swift turns 35 this December and the VP slot is just sitting there, open. -Jacob

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THE BIG NEWS

In A Dramatic Announcement, Biden Drops Out of the Presidential Race and Endorses Harris

After weeks of closed-door politicking, leaks from disgruntled staffers, and deepening concerns about the president's health, Joe Biden announced in a letter yesterday that he would not seek re-election for president. He then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. However expected it might have been, it's an extraordinary move – the first time that a sitting president will not seek re-election since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. And for Democrats, it potentially rejuvenates a political race that had been hobbled by Biden's obvious decline and his refusal to take substantive action on issues like Israel's genocide in Gaza.

By the end of the weekend, many prominent Democrats had endorsed Harris as the nominee. Unions offered their support and major donors promised to turn the money spigot back on. The heads of Democratic parties from 57 states and territories collectively endorsed Harris. Even pop star Charli XCX chimed in, writing, “kamala IS brat,” in reference to "brat," her summer-defining album.

Prominent holdouts included former President Barack Obama, who praised Biden's decision without endorsing Harris. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, an independent, was reportedly considering registering again as a Democrat and entering the race – a move that might elicit an excited press release from an obscure centrist lobbying group, but beyond that seems dead on arrival.

Harris' path to the nomination isn't assured, but several major contenders, like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, have already offered her their support. It's possible that she could be named the nominee before the Aug. 19 Democratic National Convention, or it may be decided at the actual convention. There's also a chance of an open convention in which several candidates compete for delegates' support, but that seems less likely at this point. This Washington Post article offers a useful rundown of the bureaucratic process.

In any case, unless Jeb Bush pulls off a major surprise, this will be the first presidential election since 1976 that doesn't have a Biden, Bush, or Clinton on the ticket for either party. Progress?

Republicans Struggle To Figure Out How to Attack Harris

Prominent Republicans from Donald Trump on down seemed unsure how to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris as she emerged as the likely Democratic presidential nominee. Professional bigot LibsofTikTok said that Harris laughed too much; creepy Trump adviser Jason Miller warned that she wants to ban plastic straws; venture capitalist David Sacks and other MAGA donors claim that Harris executed a coup; a right-wing lawyer said that Harris is unqualified because she has no biological children; and a Team Trump opposition account mocked Harris for describing what she was wearing to a group of disability activists, some of whom were blind. If you look online for more than a second, you can also find a lot of unvarnished racism, with more surely to come.

As for Trump, he complained on Truth Social that Biden's dropping out meant that "the Republican Party [should] be reimbursed for fraud." He also asked that the next presidential debate be moved to Fox News. It all seemed rather desperate, which may be a good sign for Democrats.

Trump Is The Old Guy in the Race Now

With President Biden officially stepping aside, 78-year-old Donald Trump is now officially the oldest person to ever be a presidential nominee. While Biden appeared frail at times and often made verbal stumbles, Trump is in another category of crazy, and his erratic thinking and narcissistic rambling should now receive the kind of scrutiny that was difficult to muster when Biden was in the race. Unlike Biden, Harris has proven herself capable of speaking extemporaneously about abortion and other major issues of concern for Democratic voters. It sounds prosaic, but if voters aspire for some kind of normalcy, a compos mentis Democratic candidate could go a long way.

QUICKEST QUICKIES

  • Israel and Yemen's Houthis Trade Attacks On Friday, a Yemeni drone managed to infiltrate Israeli air space, crashing into a building in Tel Aviv and killing one person. On Saturday, Israel launched major air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen while the Houthis fired back with missiles, at least one of which was intercepted. The Houthis say they are responding to Israeli aggression in Gaza. via NYT, AP, and CNN.
  • The Kamala Coconut Tree Meme That Won't Go Away You might be wondering why coconut and palm tree emojis are proliferating across the internet. If you haven't learned about the Kamala Harris coconut tree meme, now is a good time to start. via NPR.
  • Companies Are Still Recovering From A Major Tech Outage A faulty update to software made by CrowdStrike, a prominent cybersecurity company, took down millions of computer systems on Friday, and many businesses are still trying to recover. The outage affected everything from small psychiatry practices to major airlines, offering a potent reminder of just how fragile some of our technical infrastructure can be. via AP and NYT.
  • Inside Arizona's School Vouchers Disaster Two years after it passed the largest school voucher program in the country, Arizona is facing a $1.4 billion hole in its budget, partly due to the soaring costs of sending the state's students to pricey private schools. The result is major cuts to essential programs like water system improvements – just as Arizonans are suffering under extreme heat. via ProPublica.

SOME NUMBER

$96 million

That's about how much money the Harris for President campaign will inherit from the Biden-Harris presidential campaign. The DNC and state parties have about another $144 million at their disposal. While the Trump campaign currently has more cash in the bank, Democrats had one of their best fundraising days ever yesterday, pulling in at least $50 million in online donations.

ON THE SHOW TODAY

7/22: Happy Monday! Sam and Emma break down the biggest headlines from another eventful weekend.

DON'T MISS MR CLIPS‌

JD Vance Is Actually Much Worse Than You Realize

New York Magazine's Sarah Jones joined the show to discuss the ominous ideology behind Vance's good-old-boy image.

Rudy Giuliani Suffers Massive Hiccup Bubble Before Literally Crashing The RNC

Hizzoner fought a folding chair and the chair won.

PARTING WORDS

"It was a favor to Peter"

-- From comments by Frederic Moll, the former CEO of Circuit, a biotech company that hired J.D. Vance as an executive after he graduated from Yale Law School. "Peter" refers to Peter Thiel, the right-wing libertarian venture capitalist who has essentially bankrolled Vance's entire career, including his run for the Senate. Thiel was also an investor in Circuit.

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