Report: Democrats dream that Taylor Swift and Michelle Obama will save the election

Joe Biden stressed on Friday that unless “the Lord Almighty” told him to drop out of the presidential campaign, he would hold out and 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 – one that would encourage the participation of Taylor Swift And Michelle Obama.

Semafor reports that Georgetown law professor Rose Brooks, who served in the Clinton and Obama administrations and was a volunteer political advisor to Biden’s 2020 campaign, as well as venture capitalist Ted Dintersmith, who has donated to a number of Democratic campaigns, has circulated a memo suggesting:

• Biden will step down as candidate within the next week and, with the support of Kamala Harris, announce the party’s switch to a “flash primary”
• Those who think they should be president have “a few days to throw their respective hats in the ring,” leading to “a primary in which the six candidates who receive the most votes from delegates promise to run exclusively positive campaigns in the month before the party convention.”
• Every week, “cultural icons” such as Swift, Obama and Oprah Sit down with the candidates to inspire voters
• The candidate, chosen by delegates through ranked-choice voting, will be announced on the third day of the Democratic National Convention. Biden, Barack Obama, And Bill Clinton appear together on stage for the announcement

The authors reportedly believe the plan would work because it would captivate the country, bring in huge donations and position Biden as a “modern-day George Washington.” They write: “We can drag ourselves to an embarrassing, avoidable defeat that could destroy democracy. Or the Democrats can make this our finest hour.”

Of course, there are a few problems with the idea, not least the fact that Biden appears to remain determined to stay in the race; a spokesperson for his campaign pointed Semafor to comments the president made in Wisconsin last week, where he said, “I will not allow a 90-minute debate to undo three and a half years of work. I am staying in the race and I will beat Donald Trump.” Then there is the fact that, as Semafor notes, “key constituencies” may be upset that the plan would not automatically make Harris the nominee. Moreover, a closely contested race would make the “positives only” rule impossible. And it’s not clear whether Swift or the former first lady want anything to do with any of this. (A spokesperson for Swift did not respond to Vanity FairPlease comment. While the idea of ​​Michelle Obama chatting with candidates is probably more reasonable than the fever dream of her running, it’s probably still unlikely.)

Meanwhile, the news about Biden is looking increasingly bleak. On Tuesday The New York Times reported that “a Parkinson’s 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 to meet with President Biden’s physician, according to official visitor logs.” The expert, Dr. Kevin Cannard, did not respond to requests for comment from Just; The White House commented generally that “a variety of specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat the thousands of military personnel who work on site.” Following Biden’s annual physical in late February, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, The White House doctor wrote in a six-page letter that the president underwent an “extremely detailed neurological examination” that “revealed no findings consistent with” Parkinson’s disease, a stroke or other central neurological disorders. So it’s possible that Cannard’s meetings mean nothing in terms of Biden’s health.

On the other hand, even if Biden did Since he suffers from Parkinson’s disease, it would probably be preferable for him to rule the country.