It is inevitable that we are discussing a Clinton replacement. In fact, Cokie Roberts of NPR said that they were talking about such a possibility even before Sunday’s medical incident.
“The fact that it comes now when the polls are tightening and Democrats are already saying that Hillary was the only candidate who could not beat Trump and it is taking her off of the campaign trail, canceling her trip to California — it has them very nervously beginning to whisper about having her step aside and finding another candidate.”
When asked if that really could happen, Roberts called it “unlikely to be a real thing,” but floated the name of Vice President Joe Biden as a possible replacement.
“I think it is unlikely to be a real thing,” she added. “And I’m sure it is an overreaction of an already skittish party. But you know, they have looked at what happens in that circumstance. The Democratic National Committee chair convenes the committee and they vote. Now ironically, the candidate who everybody looks at is Joe Biden, who is older than Hillary Clinton. But then again, so is Donald Trump and by the way we know nothing about his health.”
Let me be a bit skeptical about VP Biden replacing Mrs. Clinton:
First, is the party ready for two white guys? How is that going to fly with a party more and more dominated by Hispanics and African Americans? Why wouldn’t the delegates demand a woman, such as Senator Warren for president or even vice president replacing Senator Kaine?
Second, is VP Biden up to it? I’m not talking about his health but his mindset. My guess is that VP and Mrs. Biden were already planning for a little time off after January.
Third, and perhaps most important, what about the Sanders supporters? Don’t they have the right to demand a voice after the numbers that he put together in the primaries? Would a Biden-Kaine ticket keep most of them home?
Again, we wish Mrs. Clinton well but there are legitimate reasons to doubt that she can go on campaigning or standing up for 90 minutes in a debate two weeks from now. In my mind, there are also sound reasons to doubt that the Democrats will just hand over the nomination to VP Biden.
This is only starting and will get even more interesting over the next few weeks.
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