After many years of recording the Gillmor Gang as a roundtable conversation, we’re looking to a future being decided right now as Kamala Harris chooses her vice presidential running mate. From some point later today (when the choice is made public) we will have all the pieces in place to determine whether Donald Trump can be defeated in his bid to return to the White House. My personal pick is Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and if it turns out not to be him it will make the moment no less significant. After months and months of politicking, we will have 3 short months or so to observe and then participate in this most consequential election.
While the candidates seem most important in the casting of this play, the media is an equal partner. If it weren’t for aging commentators like David Axelrod and James Carville, Biden would still be the nominee and none of the VP drama would exist in either party. Harris is fighting to maintain a full head of steam in terms of fundraising, transitioning to the head of the ticket, and assembling her team, a hybrid of what’s left of the Biden staff and Obama veterans. Trump has already started his racial attacks, in the process neutering what’s left of Vance’s significance and shifting the focus back to Trump.
The stock market is in turmoil as the betting on the race sharpens. Shapiro’s Israel history has sparked a boomlet for watered down versions that have the negative consequence of not solving a problem Kamala needs to clean up. How she navigates the intractable nature of Netanyahu’s motivation to stay out of jail mirrors Trump’s race-baiting. The battle for the swing states starts with who the VP nominee is. Shapiro’s strength in Pennsylvania is the obvious prize, but how or if he impacts on Michigan and Arizona will speak to the wider race.
Snapshot