KHive and Bernie Bros, Unite

Strange times get even stranger.

As of writing, the President maintains he will not step down as the Democratic nominee, after a tone-deaf, softball interview with George Stephanopoulos. Although my political predictions are almost always wrong in some fashion, I am in the majority who do not believe that he will remain as the nominee.

I haven’t parsed the campaign finance laws, party rules, or ballot logistics around Trading Spaces: Presidential Edition, so I am eager to see some enterprising journalist cut their holiday short and do an in-depth, state-by-state analysis of the possibilities and hurdles between today and November 5. Based on early reports, there are significant legal and logistical challenges of bypassing the Vice President, not to mention the potential political fallout, described as a “kiss of death” by a top allied Congressman.

While Harris has her share of gaffes much like pre-debate Biden, and while she probably has the wrong staff around her that knock her off even footing, three of every four Americans do not believe the sitting President is capable of doing the job. It is an impossibility to win an election with those numbers.

So given that Democrats are stuck on a high wire with sharks swimming below and a tornado whipping around them, let’s agree that we have to pluck the best option out of a smorgasbord of suboptimal ones.

It is otherworldly to think that prior to the debate, the Israel-Gaza war was all that Democratic political watchers could talk about. Biden was seeing extreme attrition within the left flank of his base over his appeasement of Benjamin Netanyahu.

A Harris/Sanders ticket helps to solve that gnawing problem, putting Michigan back into play. Sanders brings young votes with him, speaks credibly on the conflict as a Jewish person and anti-appeaser, and has progressive bona fides that are Harris detractors’ sharpest jab. And more importantly, we must pressure and hold out hope that a substantive peace deal is achievable pre-election.

Sanders can also refocus the election to corporate greed and monopolies as a prime driver of inflation. While many economists and Fancy Beltway People scoffed at the “greedflation” that was ultimately vindicated, it is difficult to see Harris drawing such a harsh interrogation light on this part of the economy, while it comes second-nature to Sanders.

Yes, Sanders is very old. But I think he will not be so arrogant to believe he can run for President in 2028 or beyond. His brain is also far from melting point, so his age would not be part of the public discourse.

Yes, it is a big deficiency that Sanders calls himself a socialist. I don’t even know why a politician would choose to do that anywhere in America. It’s basically cutting off your own legs before a marathon. I’ve also never met a socialist who is actually fun and pleasant to be around (prove me wrong).

It seems easy enough to draw a contrast between Trump’s full courtship of the billionaire class and corporate America, which is in stark contrast to his 2016 run. Sanders can and would deploy Martin Luther King Jr.’s, “This country has socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor” quote, which I believe would resonate.

Democrats must also not make the mistake of engineering a running mate who is boring. Senator Kaine, while capable, added nothing to balance Hilary’s shortcomings in 2016.

Democrats must remember this painful lesson. There is plenty of chatter from the political and media cognoscenti now about Harris, but there is absolutely none about a VP Sanders, which is very concerning.

Early mentions of potential running mates include political unknowns who may be able to deliver a swing state and are perceived as “moderating” Harris. But that misses the truth: that Harris’ instincts don’t need moderation, but instead need to be paired with a bold, fearless, clearcut, vision for America that can inspire demotivated and moribund voters on the left and center.

Everyone paying attention to politics is feeling stressed and like they are slipping into varying degrees of insanity. Harris’ mannerisms, goofy impressions, and proverbs, in this post-debate light, suddenly look approachable to people…albeit in a kind of weird way that might admittedly be heavy on my own post-debate copium.

But the bottom line is that her brain did not melt on national television in front of 50 million people. Off to a great start!

Leaning into her funny, sometimes cringey wine-mom vibes would actually be an enjoyable campaign. One of the troubles with Trump is that he often does look to be enjoying himself and does seek to be entertaining on the campaign trail, even as unsettling and apocalyptic as his messages can be. Democrats never had a great counter to that other than trying to ratchet up even more high-pitched dismay, anxiety, and panic, as motivators.

While that worked narrowly in 2020, I’m open to having some fun, while we’re on the crazy train this time around. We can kick the can down the road of the issue of politics becoming Hollywood (and Hollywood in turn becoming just unhinged TikTok screaming and flailing).

Let Harris be Harris.

Let her take stances that she actually believes in, instead of painfully striving for gif-able clips and soundbites that get adulation then are awkwardly walked back.

Let her let loose and, if the President is to resign and elevate her, let her bask in the honeymoon period of this great nation having its first female President, which the media will fawn over for at least a month.

Let her go on SNL with Maya Rudolph and Julia Louis Dreyfus and deliver the funniest, most irreverent sketch of all time, pointing at all the absurdities of our modern day and the election.

Let her be Kathie Lee’s and Hoda’s guest for a week and have fun, while also uppercutting Dobbs.

Let her cackle a little too long at her own jokes and be a little too loud at random times, while we all smile through it.

Let her make and sell coconut tree merch because that would be a monster hit and funny as hell.

Let her be a little unserious. Because that’s probably the only way she can defeat our country’s serious problems.