Donor: Obama and Pelosi did not want Harris as nominee

[Joe Biden 2028]

Take this with a grain of salt

https://www.yahoo.com/news/obama-pelosi-did-not-want-175908589.html

"Democratic megadonor John Morgan joined “CUOMO” on Monday night to discuss the failed Harris-Walz campaign, claiming former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not want Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee to replace President Joe Biden."

"“I think it was to say, F you to Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama and every representative that was pushing him out… and I think he was pissed,” Morgan told Cuomo."

While I can believe that neither Obama nor Pelosi thought Harris was the strongest possible nominee, I have a hard time seeing any other Democrat stepping up. Nor did the DNC want to upset black women.

[GAinDC]

The more I think about this election and how crazy it was, I’m actually shocked the Dems didn’t get blown out by a lot more.

[New World Man]

I don't believe any of that.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Again, if there was going to be a mini-primary, Harris most likely still comes out of it as the winner between her name recognition, position as Vice President, and pretty much every other potential candidate recognizing that and preferred her to be the sacrificial lamb she was.

[Sopranos Republican]

Ya know, I voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and I don't hate him by any means.

I do however, totally buy that he was upset by the way his departure was handled and think it's completely plausible that he may have lashed out like this as a result. The man also won the most votes of any Presidential candidate ever, so kinda hard to believe that he doesn't possess at least some level of an ego as a result.

[I love MAGA, don’t send me to the camps]

I remain convinced that the first debate was an intentional move by Democrats to show Biden the off ramp.

I have no clue about whether top D brass truly wanted Harris, though. Even if they didn’t want her, I’m sure they knew pragmatically that they were likely stuck with her.

[PALiberal]

That would actually be hilarious to think about. Biden got forced out, and he, like the other top democrats, knew Kamala would be a bad candidate. So, to get back at those who pushed him out, he endorsed Kamala almost immediately and anointed her as the nominee.

Or as this theory goes.

[EpicHistory]

That would actually be hilarious to think about. Biden got forced out, and he, like the other top democrats, knew Kamala would be a bad candidate. So, to get back at those who pushed him out, he endorsed Kamala almost immediately and anointed her as the nominee.

Or as this theory goes.

This was the rumor and there was reporting at the time it happened that this was exactly the case.

[Joe Biden 2028]

That would actually be hilarious to think about. Biden got forced out, and he, like the other top democrats, knew Kamala would be a bad candidate. So, to get back at those who pushed him out, he endorsed Kamala almost immediately and anointed her as the nominee.

Or as this theory goes.

That would actually be hilarious to think about. Biden got forced out, and he, like the other top democrats, knew Kamala would be a bad candidate. So, to get back at those who pushed him out, he endorsed Kamala almost immediately and anointed her as the nominee.

Or as this theory goes.

This was the rumor and there was reporting at the time it happened that this was exactly the case.

Nah, more like he remembered how bad it felt for a VP to be pushed aside in 2015 and didn't want that to happen to Harris. She was loyal to him.

Even if Harris was inevitable, the instant endorsement robbed Obama and Pelosi of any further say

[Wrong about 2024 Ghost]

The mess America is in, especially politically, is largely Obama's fault. I don't want to hear a damned thing from him on what the national Democratic Party ought to do, ever.

[PALiberal]

That would actually be hilarious to think about. Biden got forced out, and he, like the other top democrats, knew Kamala would be a bad candidate. So, to get back at those who pushed him out, he endorsed Kamala almost immediately and anointed her as the nominee.

Or as this theory goes.

That would actually be hilarious to think about. Biden got forced out, and he, like the other top democrats, knew Kamala would be a bad candidate. So, to get back at those who pushed him out, he endorsed Kamala almost immediately and anointed her as the nominee.

Or as this theory goes.

This was the rumor and there was reporting at the time it happened that this was exactly the case.

Nah, more like he remembered how bad it felt for a VP to be pushed aside in 2015 and didn't want that to happen to Harris. She was loyal to him.

Even if Harris was inevitable, the instant endorsement robbed Obama and Pelosi of any further say

Yeah, Biden might have been pushed aside in 2016, but he had lost his son, Beau to cancer in 2015. He simply did not have the energy for a contentious primary with Hillary at that time. But it is tough to say if Biden would have run even if that did not happen.

[Mr. Smith]

Pelosi is shrewd, so if this is true, this would've been a good warning sign to have.

But Obama? This guy was running between Warren and Beto iirc, and Deval Patrick too.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

The more I think about this election and how crazy it was, I’m actually shocked the Dems didn’t get blown out by a lot more.

The way they acted about Muslims, I think Harris was lucky to get 28% in Dearborn.

[RBH]

Nancy's gonna be 86 in 2026. I wonder if she'll ever get around to her retirement. I think we're in year 2 or 3 of people thinking she'd retire to open the door to whoever her chosen replacement is at some moment

I think any remotely viable SF Dem wouldn't run against her. But old incumbents who have been around forever and haven't had to wage their own campaign in forever are ripe for a surprise

Not to mention recent SF election results turfing out various incumbents due to municipal-level reasons

[Horus]

Nancy's gonna be 86 in 2026. I wonder if she'll ever get around to her retirement. I think we're in year 2 or 3 of people thinking she'd retire to open the door to whoever her chosen replacement is at some moment

I think any remotely viable SF Dem wouldn't run against her. But old incumbents who have been around forever and haven't had to wage their own campaign in forever are ripe for a surprise

Not to mention recent SF election results turfing out various incumbents due to municipal-level reasons

I've heard that she is going to stay put until it is a guarantee Scott Weiner doesn't take the seat. I can't blame her for that.

[Adam Griffin]

I mean...are people debating that Pelosi and Harris Obama didn't want Harris as the nominee? They were the 2 highest-profile Democrats effectively calling for a de-facto open primary/nomination process in the wake of Biden's departure - and as I recall, this was after Biden endorsed Harris.

The most recent electorally-successful former Democratic President and the most successful Democratic legislative leader since Tip O'Neill being in unison on this matter & clamoring for what plenty of us knew for ages shouldn't be surprising: that America is not yet ready to elect a woman, let alone a black woman (or that the uphill battle is so great in doing such that those efforts are better spent elsewhere by nominating someone who doesn't earn such institutional electoral ire), and that with the combined burdens of the incumbent administration, a total reset in terms of the candidate would've been better.

Obama and Pelosi are the closest analogs to "the machine" as you can realistically get at this point (at least without having any electoral consequences). They knew what was best for the party, and their advice was cast aside.

[SWE]

I mean...are people debating that Pelosi and Harris didn't want Harris as the nominee? They were the 2 highest-profile Democrats effectively calling for a de-facto open primary/nomination process in the wake of Biden's departure - and as I recall, this was after Biden endorsed Harris.

No I'm pretty sure Harris wanted Harris

[Redban]

I think that Harris was the only one who could've inherited Biden's money. So as a practical matter, they didn't have another option. Biden needed to leave sooner

[wbrocks67]

I think that Harris was the only one who could've inherited Biden's money. So as a practical matter, they didn't have another option. Biden needed to leave sooner

And Biden knew this. It also makes sense that given Biden's pride, he would want his own VP to be his successor - and get the credit for that. It also doesn't appear that Biden and Harris have a personally frought relationship either, so I don't buy any of this stuff that paints Biden throwing Harris out there in a negative way. I think he knew she was the only option that worked logistically but also knew she was his natural heir.

[Redban]

I think that Harris was the only one who could've inherited Biden's money. So as a practical matter, they didn't have another option. Biden needed to leave sooner

And Biden knew this. It also makes sense that given Biden's pride, he would want his own VP to be his successor - and get the credit for that. It also doesn't appear that Biden and Harris have a personally frought relationship either, so I don't buy any of this stuff that paints Biden throwing Harris out there in a negative way. I think he knew she was the only option that worked logistically but also knew she was his natural heir.

Giving Biden too much credit here

Simply: Biden, like many of his supporters (yourself included), legitimately yet mistakenly thought he could win. Hence, he sought a second term and didn't drop out until quite late. I don't think he sought a 2nd term and then deliberately  dropped out late just to make sure his VP would be the nominee

[Crane]

Nancy's gonna be 86 in 2026. I wonder if she'll ever get around to her retirement. I think we're in year 2 or 3 of people thinking she'd retire to open the door to whoever her chosen replacement is at some moment

I think any remotely viable SF Dem wouldn't run against her. But old incumbents who have been around forever and haven't had to wage their own campaign in forever are ripe for a surprise

Not to mention recent SF election results turfing out various incumbents due to municipal-level reasons

I've heard that she is going to stay put until it is a guarantee Scott Weiner doesn't take the seat. I can't blame her for that.

He's 32 years younger than her so that's going to be a battle she probably can't win if true.

[Horus]

Nancy's gonna be 86 in 2026. I wonder if she'll ever get around to her retirement. I think we're in year 2 or 3 of people thinking she'd retire to open the door to whoever her chosen replacement is at some moment

I think any remotely viable SF Dem wouldn't run against her. But old incumbents who have been around forever and haven't had to wage their own campaign in forever are ripe for a surprise

Not to mention recent SF election results turfing out various incumbents due to municipal-level reasons

I've heard that she is going to stay put until it is a guarantee Scott Weiner doesn't take the seat. I can't blame her for that.

He's 32 years younger than her so that's going to be a battle she probably can't win if true.

He is a scandal waiting to happen, we have some mutual acquaintances. He is not the kind of voice we need in DC.

[Sir Mohamed]

I don't believe any of that.

Yup, I'm skeptical, too. Especially all these people or journalists coming out briefly after an election who claim they knew better from the start.

[BlueSwan]

I don't believe any of that.

Yup, I'm skeptical, too. Especially all these people or journalists coming out briefly after an election who claim they knew better from the start.

I believe it, at least about Pelosi as she's said stuff on record that could be interpreted that way. I do think it is pretty delusional to think that there was really any other option than Harris that could have quickly united the party.

[Open Source Intelligence]

Pelosi is shrewd, so if this is true, this would've been a good warning sign to have.

An article that came out a week after the election was making this case for Pelosi and I ranted this was transparent cover my ass from her.

So I'll give you a time machine and we'll go way back in time to the week prior to Biden withdrawing from the race. You're able to get in a room with Pelosi, the door's locked, no one leaves until this question gets answered, and you ask Pelosi "after Biden withdraws, who do you think most likely becomes nominee?" I'm not asking who she wants to be nominee, I'm asking her to answer who she thinks is most likely becoming the nominee. Key difference there. Bear in mind Pelosi was the biggest proponent behind the scenes of Biden withdrawing, so in a sense of "you break it, you own it", she owns this. Tell me her plausible answer to that question that is not Harris, and how that occurs.

And if she didn't want Harris to become nominee, what was she laying down in the weeks before Biden's withdrawal that she was again leading the charge on to ensure that is not what happened? If you want to go hardcore cynical politician, you do the Spiro Agnew and get rid of her not thinking she's fit for task - find some dirt on her (Pelosi and Harris are both from San Francisco, I'm sure Pelosi knew something on Harris) and tell Harris privately if she runs for President, you're afraid a Republican activist has found this out and will anonymously leak it to the press.

The Bob Woodward-style tell-all books on this election are going to be amazing just for the Biden withdrawal behind the scenes stories.