2024 ELECTION

Where do we go after Joe?

Last week: “Should Biden stay or should he go?”

This week: “Who else should be on the ticket with Harris?”

Those were/are the topics discussed at the Burton Coffee Stand (BCS) over the last few days. Nothing is settled yet, but Republican Liz Cheney still seems the best Democratic foil for Trump & Co during the campaign, and she would perhaps be best-qualified to continue his prosecution(s) into 2025, while also being a good VP choice to bring more bipartisan legislation back into the Congress, if a Harris/Cheney ticket won the election.

Of course, the VP alternatives on a Harris ticket are now more numerous. If Liz rejects the BCS’s preferred offer, the ticket could stay internal with Antony Blinken or Pete Buttigieg as a VP choice. Either one could continue to aid the administration with managerial skills, and perhaps even Biden could continue his international efforts as Secretary of State (at least until the Ukraine/Russian conflict and the Israeli/Palestinian mess creep towards solutions).

But then many other options exist, generally under two distinctive objectives:

1: A semi-traditional ticket with Harris on top and Blinken, Buttigieg, Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly, Andy Beshear, J.B. Pritzker, Gavin Newsom, “Never Trumper” George Conway … or any prominent (male) Democrat that might contribute a positive result.

2: To cater more to the “season of women’s rights”, another woman like Hillary Clinton or Senator Amy Klobuchar would help with their revolution.

All yet to be determined. But whatever the choice, this coffee-drinker hopes that NBC re-offers the Trump family “The Apprentice” or another, say, harmless and optional “Stop the Steal” TV show while our Congress gets back to a focus on SCOTUS’ ethics, the national debt, fighting climate change, or other concerns under a healthy, progressive, democratic system.

Ward Carson