Thanks Nancy Pelosi, No ThanksBernie & AOC

 

Subscribe to My Blog! July 26, 2024 Thanks Nancy Pelosi, No Thanks Bernie & AOC & Other Thoughts PREVIOUS BLOGS: TERRYBAUM.BLOGSPOT.COM PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. PODCASTS, EVENTS, INFO, POSTERS: LilithTheater.com In this photo it does appear as if Pelosi is threatening to punch Biden's nose. But in real life, she was a great deal more subtle.

THANKS, NANCY PELOSI. At some point in the lengthy struggle to persuade Biden to opt out of running for President, it occurred to me that this was a job for Nancy Pelosi. Besides Biden, she is the dominant Democrat in office, even if she is now "only" a Congresswoman. She's been in it an awfully long time, as he has. They have worked long together. If Pelosi actually said the game was over, then Biden might very well accept her authority to make that judgment. In her coyly diplomatic way, she never publicly said Biden should withdraw. She only said "It's the President's decision." She refrained from saying what she thought that decision should be. On the other hand, she also refrained from saying anything that could be interpreted as meaning, "I support Biden as the Democratic candidate for President." So basically it was clear, to me anyway, what side she was on. I think she hoped Biden would take the hint. But he was not in a hint-taking mood, as we all witnessed. Then both Pelosi and Senator Schumer spoke privately (and I think separately) with Biden. And only THEN did Biden meet with his intimate circle and tell them he'd decided to withdraw. Okay, I haven't done the research to really pin down the sequence of events. But I do believe Pelosi no longer supporting his candidacy was crucial to his giving up. And I am grateful to her for using her power in this way. I'm not used to thinking well of Nancy Pelosi, let alone feeling grateful. I realize she is pretty much universally adored. But I have hated her ever since she voted for the Patriot Act and supported the invasion of Iraq. I ran against her in 2004 because of those particular dastardly votes. I have rarely appreciated how she has used her extraordinary power. But I sure am happy she had all that power to use, to help Biden have the clarity and guts to pull out of the race. NO THANKS, BERNIE & AOC On the other hand, it has been my great joy to ADORE Bernie Sanders and AOC. What the hell did they think they were doing by stoutly backing Biden in all his frailty? Someone explained to me that they had made a deal with Biden that he would aggressively push some of their projects if they stayed with him in the battle to remain the candidate. But if he's incapable of winning, what good would it do them?!? I still don't get it. OTHER THOUGHTS I think it's interesting that so many Democrats of color remained loyal to Biden. It seemed that it was mainly WHITE Democrats who were afraid that a Trump juggernaut would push them out of office along with Biden. But certainly a Trump victory would be at least as bad for black people as for white people. This is another thing I don't get. Do any Bloggellinis have any insights into this question? I would love to hear them. I would like to understand this phenomenon better. Did people of color have more compassion for Biden? Did they identify with him as the underdog? Overall, I am very relieved to have Kamala Harris as a candidate and I'm also very worried about her as a candidate. In the 2020 primaries, she started like gangbusters and then almost immediately washed out. Harris's first elected office was San Francisco District Attorney. Her campaign platform included a commitment to never seek the death penalty. When a policeman was murdered, she was under tremendous political pressure to abandon her principles and seek a death sentence for the defendant. But Harris stood firm. Not many politicians would be that strong. I'll never forget that. All for now, Bloggelinis.