Who Should Replace Joe Biden?

My pick, who is yours?

A normal American: Seriously?

This is one of the occasional THB pure politics posts. President Biden’s performance in the debate last night — which I mostly slept through on cold medicine — gets these reviews from a few of my fellow Substackers, and who overall are too kind:

• Omnishambles

• Drop out

• Step aside

That President Biden should step aside is now conventional wisdom among most Democrats and public intellectuals. Only those fantasizing about a second Trump presidency will favor Biden staying in the race, which would seem to guarantee that result.

Today I want to open things up for a discussion among the THB community of who should replace Biden — when Biden inevitably steps down as the Democratic nominee (it has too be inevitable, right?).

Let me cut to the chase. My pick is Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. Whitmer has the record, offers electoral advantages, and is pretty much a bad ass. She would be appealing to a much larger base of Americans than Biden and Trump. Her VP could be chosen from a deep pool of serious leaders — Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), or an unknown like Representative Jason Crow (D-CO).

Biden and Harris should be thanked for their service, leading us through the pandemic recovery, and setting the stage for the next generation of U.S. leadership in a post-Trump era. Their decision to go gracefully would be the most important decision that they make, for Democrats, Republicans, and Independents like me — and ultimately for the United States.

I am interested in your views. As always, keep it respectful and substantive.