Democrats Look to Taylor Swift and Michelle Obama to Save Election

Joe Biden On Friday he reiterated that unless “the Lord Almighty» do not tell him to abandon the presidential race, he will remain in the race and face Donald Trump in November. But two Democrats are hoping he will change his mind so they can implement a new plan to save the party’s chances that includes the participation of Taylor Swift And Michelle Obama.

As reported from Traffic lightthe Georgetown law professor Rose Brooks, who worked in the Clinton and Obama administrations and as a volunteer policy adviser to the Biden campaign in 2020, and venture capitalist Ted Dintersmith, who have donated to several Democratic campaigns, have circulated a memo proposing that:

• Biden should step back and give up his candidacy within the next week and, with the support of Kamala Harris, “flash primaries” announcements for the party
• People who believe they can run as presidential candidates have “just days to take up the challenge,” leading to “snap primaries in which the six candidates who receive the most delegate votes pledge to run ‘positive-only’ campaigns in the month leading up to the convention.”
• Every week, “cultural icons” such as Swift, Obama and Oprah they present themselves alongside the candidates to enthuse the voters
• The candidate, chosen by the delegates with ordered preference voting (ranked-choice-voting), is announced on the third day of the Democratic National Convention; Biden, Barack Obama And Bill Clinton they appear together on stage for the announcement

The authors say the plan would work because it would hypnotize the country, attract huge donations, and position Biden as a “modern-day George Washington.” They write: “We can limp toward a shameful and avoidable defeat that ends democracy. Or Democrats can make this our finest hour.”

Of course, the plan has some problems, not least of which is that Biden apparently remains adamant in his commitment to stay in the race; a spokesperson for his campaign pointed out to Semafor the president’s statement last week in Wisconsin, where he said: “I will not let a 90-minute debate erase three and a half years of work. I will stay in the race and beat Donald Trump.” Then there’s the fact that, as noted Traffic light“key voters” may be upset that the plan wouldn’t automatically make Harris the nominee. A competitive race would also make the “positives only” rule impossible. And it’s not clear whether Swift or the former first lady intends to have anything to do with any of this. (A spokesperson for Swift did not respond to a request for comment from Vanity Fair. While the idea of ​​Michelle Obama conversing with the candidates is probably more reasonable than dream of one of his candidacy, This is probably still a remote hypothesis).

Meanwhile, the news surrounding Biden continues to look increasingly grim. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that “according to official visitor logs, a Parkinson’s disease expert from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center visited the White House eight times in eight months from last summer through this spring, including at least once for a meeting with President Biden’s physician.” The expert, Dr. Kevin Cannarddid not respond to requests for comment from the Times; the White House commented generally that “many specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat the thousands of military personnel who work there.” After Biden’s annual checkup in late February, Dr. Kevin O’Connorthe White House physician, wrote in a six-page letter that the president had undergone “an extremely thorough neurological examination” that revealed “no findings consistent with” Parkinson’s, stroke or other central neurological disorders. So it’s possible that Cannard’s meetings had nothing to do with Biden’s health.

On the other hand, even if Biden had Parkinson’s, having him at the helm of the country could still be the lesser evil.