Thinking outside & inside the box in far too interesting times
In the wild 2024 POTUS horse race, at the moment when I write this, Kamala appears to have the Dem Joe-mentum. Given the last two weeks, I’m almost afraid to ponder what’s coming next.
I’m way OK with Harris getting the nomination… if. Big if. Numero uno, she’s gotta channel her prosecutorial past and go after tRump like an attack dog with common sense, morality and ethics as her claws and facts as her sharp teeth. Plus only she can access the Biden/Harris campaign funds war chest. And make no mistake: this election is a war for the soul of America and survival of democracy.
I firmly believe it’s high time we had a woman president. And the times call for it, given the simmering cauldron of misogyny and not just toxic but poisonous masculinity at the heart of the MAGA movement. Abortion and women’s rights are hot-button issues that can help take the race.
Next up, obviously, is the Veepstakes. tRump failed to widen his appeal by selecting the unctuous butt-snuggling striver Vance. Harris and the Dems need to make the smartest critical move that can draw in as many undecided and swing voters as possible.
One cool radical move would be a Never Trump Republican for national unity appeal. Best one in principal would be Liz Cheney. Alas, the nation isn’t yet ready for a two-woman ticket (much as I often feel like all of us men should step aside and let the ladies take charge. They can’t fuck up the planet any worse than we men have).
Too few men in that movement fit the bill. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger has some merits, but his lean towards climate change denial is one of a few huge demerits. A return to politics by Arnold Schwarzenegger as Kamala’s running mate could be a big winning ticket in theory. He outdoes tRump on the celebrity count – a big part of 45’s appeal to low info voters – and I have no doubt he scares the shit outta Dementia Donnie, who likely thinks The Terminator is as real as he does Hannibal Lecter. And he’d make mincemeat of Vance in a debate. But two Cali candidates lacks national breadth. And as a nationalized American, he is, sadly, ineligible.
Another anti-Trumper who I surmise leans right – he’s a Liberturdian, which I refer to as such as its economic philosophy fails to take into account human nature – who could bring oomph, smarts and cojones to the ticket is Mark Cuban. He seems quite sane and sensible as compared with other billionaires like MAGA mega-brat Elon Musk and DJT, and I don’t know of any dirt on the man.
But political parties being what they are, the Dems are most likely to nominate one of their own. A number of names on their are being bandied about. But in my assessment only one stands out: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. He has serious military service cred, even spent time in space, and won his seat in a right-leaning state. As the husband of Gabby Giffords, seriously wounded in an assassination attempt, he can lead the effort to bring much-needed change to the nation’s gun laws. And maybe even – at a time when gunfire is the greatest cause of death to America’s children – a shift in cultural attitudes.
As I was writing this yesterday, articles appeared on both The Huffington Post and Daily Beast extolling Kelly’s virtues. It seems this may be an idea whose time has come.
You have made my day, Rob. First unctius butt snuggling striver ...stealing it! And then Mark Kelly who is my absolute Top Choice for Veep. I'm a little in love with him.😍