Timothy Snyder: We have four options (re Biden): Each has risks

[jmbar2]

https://snyder.substack.com/p/biden-experiments

1. Operation Consistency. Current course
Pros
-Preserves the advantages of incumbency. The president will get credit for continuing domestic and foreign policy successes.
-The good economy
- The risk of tyranny
Cons
- Being a good president is not the same thing as running a good campaign
- [Staying the course] is most likely to be criticized in coming months. What appears safe in the moment might be the least safe over time.
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2. Operation Carnival
- President resigns and announces rapid process to select the Democratic slate for president before the Democratic convention in August. This could be a series of debates among leading Democrats, along with rapid mini-primaries or something similar.
Pros
-- would make of Trump the old, predictable candidate.
- would make life difficult for Trump, who will not know who the nominee will be until after the Republicans’ own boring, scripted convention.
- Shift media frenzy from Biden's age
- Attention on rising stars of the party
Cons
- not much time
- some may view as a mechanism to leap over Kamala Harris. This objection could be met, should the vice-president willingly join the contest

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3. Operation Convention
Biden could free his delegates to do as they please, and the convention could be organized into debates or discussions.

Pros
- Republicans would not know whom to oppose at their July convention
- Democrats would see a number of talented politicians in action
- the convention would be interesting, in anticipation and in reality.
- an unpredicted but effective slate could be identified.

Cons:
- Nondelegates might feel they were left out.
- Endless rounds of voting. Ranked voting at the convention could prevent the chaos.
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4. Operation Kamala
Pros
-two possible variations of Operation Kamala.
Weak version
- president releases his delegates but makes it clear that he supports Vice-President Harris. She becomes the presumptive nominee and carries the show at the convention.
-- select a vice-presidential candidate with input from the outside.
Strong version
- the president resigns from office, and Harris becomes the president. This would be the most decisive possible move, ending the entire process. It would make Harris the incumbent.
-would free Biden to act as her surrogate on the campaign trail, a role in which he would be extremely effective, and in which he would be seen as generous and patriotic.
Cons
-Harris does not have an overwhelming national profile, at least thus far.

[My view: Would increase Republican turnout of racists and misogynists]

The question is: what is the least risky here?

I think a President Biden who considered these options (or someone else’s better list) with his team, as part of a process, would make the right call.