Life long Democrat discuss 2024 Democrat chaos

0:00 Speaker 1 What is today is Tom Allen, the founder of City and State newspapers and the Five Borough Institute and been I known Tom for maybe forty years. Tom Allen, We’ve been around forever you’ve been You’ve been a lifetime Democrat, You’ve been a publisher, you’ve been a speaker. What the heck is going on in the Democratic Party and what’s

0:28 going on in Washington?

0:31 Speaker 2 Well, I mean, the Democrats are in disarray, unlike the Republican Party, which obviously showed a lot of unity last night. In the last couple of days, I think that the Democrats are at a crossroads. Either Biden has to, you know, get off the ship, or he’s going to have to boldly say that he’s staying on no matter what. And

0:51 I believe at this point the walls are closing in. I mean, I wrote a column earlier this week. It was a little bit of a you know, a fictional fantasy that Hillary and Bill invited Jill and Joe Biden to their house for cocktails for Bill’s birthday, and they invited also the Obamas and Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jefferies

1:14 and John Meacham and Nancy Pelosi. And it was intervention. So when Joe and Jill got there, they said, surprise, it’s a retirement party, and they talked him out of the race. And I think that’s what’s happening in some shape or form these last couple of days. I think individually, Chuck Schumer, Nancy PELOPSI, Barack Obama, they’ve all told him that,

1:37 you know, you will go down in history as the man who lost the White House to Donald Trump, as well as handed over the House and the Senate to the Republicans. I think Joe Biden has had a relatively distinguished career for fifty years. I don’t think that’s the way he wants his legacy to be. I think he’s

1:56 probably going to come to that conclusion over the next couple of days, and I think by Monday he’ll be out of the race.

2:03 Speaker 1 Well, I mean, there’s been so much speculation and President Biden has said to people that I don’t want to Kamala Harris through to replacement, and you know, and don’t forget. You have the California contingency. It looks like Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker, is speaking for the California contingency. Then you have the Obama contingency who has influence on god

2:33 knows who else. You have the majority of lead leader Chuck Schumer’s contingency and the Clintons.

2:43 Speaker 2 I think they’re all unified now, you know, behind the scenes and realizing that they have to Their only hope is for there to be someone else, whether it’s Kamala Harris or an open primary. You know, one can debate which is a better option. I think I’m would go with an open primary, uh with three or four candidates.

3:04 I heard yesterday that’s what that’s what Biden is leaning towards. There was a report by Mark Alperan, the political reporter who’s very well sourced in DC, that Biden will pull out this weekend and he’ll suggest an open primary. I think if it’s just handed off to Kamala, it won’t satisfy many Democrats who would not have had a chance

3:25 to vote. But if Kamala, you know, shines in an open primary over the next three to four weeks before the convention, then I think she she’ll be the nominee. I think, you know, you’ve got to throw out Tom.

3:40 Speaker 1 I think that’s very fair. In other ways, she says, let the people decide, let’s not exactly.

3:47 Speaker 2 That’s let’s not annoying someone. Because again, even though Kamala I think is pulling slightly better than Biden in the polls against Trump, I don’t think she’s a time dunk either, obviously. And again, and you know that if Biden is saying, the people who voted, and they voted for me, but now I’m not able to do it, I don’t think.

4:08 You know, we don’t live in a monarchy. We don’t live in a country where you can just appoint your point, your successor. There really should be an open primary over the next four weeks, and I think some of the names that are going to emerge as possible presidential contenders.

4:21 There will be obviously Kamala, probably Greshian Whitmur from Michigan, probably cap Newstom from California. Possibly possibly Wes More from from Maryland, although he’s quite young. I think they’ll be the top tier.

4:38 Speaker 1 The person I was most impressive of the new flock of Democrats was the governor of Kentucky. He a very smart, common sense guy.

4:48 Speaker 2 Andy Basheer is a very smart guy. I don’t know that he’s well known enough, and I don’t think four weeks is enough to get him the name re condition that he needs. But I think he’s a very I think a very strong contender for vice president, as is Shapiro from Pennsylvania to.

5:04 Speaker 1 Guy Governor Shapiro, Governor Shapiro is very good and has common sense.

5:09 Speaker 2 Still, absolutely and Roy Cooper from North Carolina is another potential vice presidential nominee. A lot of it depends, you know, who’s at the top of the ticket. I mean, you know, one person I spoke to recently was saying the Democrats should double down and do Kamala as the presidential nominee and Greshen Whitmer as the vice presidential nominee. Have two

5:28 women on the ticket, take it to Trump on abortion rights and issues like that. Yeah, and that could be a very compelling accommodation. You know, fifty five percent of the electorate as women, John, and if women vote, you know, in their interests. I know there’s a lot of Republican women who don’t believe in abortion, but there are quite

5:45 a few young women who are not going to who weren’t going to vote, who might vote if it’s a two women ticket. So you know, there’s a lot of interesting permutations that are going to be discussed over the next three or four weeks. Assuming by steps out, and assuming he doesn’t try to annoint Kamala. The only major

6:02 reason to anoint Kamala would be to preserve the two hundred and twenty million or two hundred and forty million dollar war chest that they’ve amassed. But I have to think that you know this ninety million dollars that’s been on the put on the sidelines the last couple of weeks I heard, I’ve got to think that whoever the

6:17 nominee is, there’s going to be a lot of money flowing to that nominee very quickly.

6:22 Speaker 1 To a publisher of City and State, thank you for so much for coming on and thank you for your opinion.

6:31 Speaker 2 Thank you, John. It’s always great to talk to you, and thank you for your show. You’re you’re a great New Yorker. Thank you,