Víctor Davis Hanson
The Bidens (of course). Dr. Jill had never forgiven Kamala Harris for smearing her husband on the 2019 Democratic primary debate stage as a racist. Jill suspected that Kamala was aware of or complicit in the Obama/Pelosi/Schumer/Jeffries machinations to dispose of Joe in July 2024. As a result, Jill now enjoys the nemesis of Kamala’s hubris.
As far as Joe himself, whether deliberately or subconsciously, for months he had sent mixed signals on the Harris substitute candidacy: donning a MAGA hat, claiming that Harris was in on every major decision (however disastrous and unpopular) he made, siding with Gov. DeSantis in his rebuttal to Harris’s performance-art demagoguing of the Hurricane damage to Georgia and the Carolinas, his timely though disastrous outbursts, such as bragging about locking Trump up or writing off half the country as “garbage.”
So, Joe’s general post-election attitude is perhaps likely something like, “You thought I was bad? At least unlike Hillary and Kamala, I actually defeated Trump once in an election. And I won a higher percentage of Democratic voters in almost every precinct in the country in 2020 than did Kamala in 2024. I was from Scranton and would at least have carried Pennsylvania [not true]. So, just desserts to the coup plotters, Kamala included.”
Note Biden is now inviting the victorious Trump to the White House, in contrast to the Harris sort of La Résistance “concession” speech. (Some of you cynics will say, “Ah yes, Victor, but he invited Trump only because Joe obviously wants a quid pro quo deal: he will pressure local and state lawfare Democrat hacks to drop their cases against Trump in exchange for a Trump pardon of Hunter and the Biden crime conglomerate.”)
Gavin Newsom. Remember Gavin’s convention snarky statement after the anointment of Kamala and his own dashed hopes for an open convention? He smiled and blurted out, “We went through a very open process, a very inclusive process. It was bottom-up, I don’t know if you know that. That’s what I’ve been told to say (emphasis added).”
Translated: Newsome was saying that he had been prepared to dominate the post-Biden open convention and win the delegates for the nomination—until the bosses and insiders squashed the idea of a democratic selection process and coronated the race/gender DEI candidate Kamala.
But now?
Instead of a possible eight years of a President Kamala—Newsom’s rival Bay Area mediocrity—and the consumption of Gavin’s best years in waiting (he would be 65 in 2032), Gavin will be a spry 61 in 2028 and prepped to be a front-runner to replace the already lame-duck Trump. So, he is privately delighted in so many ways that Harris is consigned to career oblivion, as he still rules his Bay Area perch and readies himself for the post-Trump primaries.
Willie Brown. The 90-year-old, career Bay Area politico Willie Brown is likely delighting too that Kamala failed. Thirty years ago, a 60s-something, dashing Brown mentored a late-20s-something single Kamala, thirty years his junior. But in a few recent San Francisco Chronicle editorials, Brown’s ambiguity about his protégé was evident in a most backhanded way.
From his perspective, Willie’s paramour used the expertise and networks of Brown to get appointed to well-compensated state boards for which she was utterly unqualified.
He used these launching pads, along with his fundraisers and clients, to ensure Harris was elected the District Attorney of San Francisco and was even later ushered by Brown into statewide office as California Attorney General.
But during that devolving quid pro quo relationship, the more connected and mature the opportunistic Kamala became, and the older the now-out-of-office Brown appeared, the less useful he seemed, and their liaison inverted: the ascendent student tired of the aged mentor and found him disposable.
And now he feels that her strengths (if there were any) came from his unacknowledged tutelage (yet presidential candidates don’t credit those with whom they have had affairs), about which she has memory-holed.
Discussion (11)
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The speaking circuit for Harris??? Who’ll go to hear her? Every bit will be teleprompted.
Amazingly, I’ve read that some are wanting her to return to CA and run for governor. The mind reels.
If Newsom and Shapiro are both in the field in the next Democrat primary, Shapiro will win. He is likeable, apparently; he is competent; he can allude to the rotten trick Harris' campaign and the party insiders pulled; and he is as progressive as the rest of them. He's just more like Bill Clinton in that he is a savvy politician who can deflect attention from his leftism, or hide it altogether. Had they selected him over Walz, we might be looking right now at a President-elect Harris and an Obama fourth term. It certainly would have been a tougher fight than it was.
Interesting points, Eric. From my little corner of watching JT, one must wonder - what were his voters thinking of, twice?
Mr. Eric McGeer & Dr. Hanson and many of VHD readers (not the angry readers of course) are truthful readers who need to be praised during such uncommon and strange political times in world history.
The speaking circuit with a new book to hawk. What will come after that depends upon how she does in maintaining her credibility.
Every summer I return to the old country. The Internet service there is sporadic. I put up Starlink there, and continued listening to your podcasts, uninterrupted. Thank you for your help, in making me understand many of the political issues in this wonderful country, an area I did not pay attention to, since arriving here in 1970. I am so happy with the outcome of the election. Yes, I voted and am a U.S. citizen.
She reminds me of the narcissistic and equally inept Justin Trudeau who doesn't rise even to the level of mediocrity. He undertook such challenging careers as ski instructor and part-time drama teacher before trading on his family name and hair to get elected to Parliament and eventually leader of the Liberal party. No prior accomplishments, no work ethic, no capacity to speak unless in scripted bromides, and no realisation that he's wasted a decade of the country's life. Our American friends were spared much when Trump won, and I hope that his example and likely successes will not be lost on the Canadian electorate who are thoroughly sick of JT and his incompetent government. The thought of Justin and Kamala running North America must have had Putin and Xi salivating.
It is too late to be happy about her demise with all the damage Biden/Harris did to the country. But it was clear that the dems do not care about the country, just winning and the power that comes with it. It is clear that blue cities like NYC, Chicago, Denver, LA don't seem to mind the death and destruction that comes with illegal immigrants. Hard to understand the mentality of "as long as you don't hurt me, I don't care what you do". It may take 3 full republican terms to deport everyone, this will be no immediate thing. At 77 it makes me angry, but at least not my grown children and grand children may have a chance. Social security funds sure took a hit.
Dear VDH, Where do you think Kamala goes after her V-P job comes to an end? Will she be done with politics? She couldn’t possibly run again in 2028, could she? Love this site and I never miss a podcast! Without them I may have become very depressed with our political climate the past 3 years and 10 months. Your words of wisdom kept me sane. Thanks!
I've noticed too that Newsome, Murphy (NJ), Hochul (NY) and a few other Presidential aspirant governors have come out now and publicly announced their full throated support of status quo of the illegal alien invasion. They've done this by announcing they will fight *any* attempt by the Trump administration to enter their state and round up and deport the illegals. These politicos are positioning themselves as yes, potential Presidential candidates or even jockeying for some form of higher office/cabinet position in a new dem administration. They aren't going to enjoy the outcome of such misadventures.