JV Last at the Bulwark has some interesting thoughts on the events of the last day:
On the night of June 27, the various power centers within the Democratic party began a difficult conversation: Was Joe Biden still capable of running a vigorous campaign?
Over three weeks the party reached a diffuse—if not unanimous—consensus: He was not. This consensus was the product of all levels of the party: Elder statesmen such as Nancy Pelosi, elected Democrats analyzing their own future prospects, donors making decisions about spending, and the main body of public opinion among Democratic voters.
Once this consensus was reached, the various power centers began a dialogue with the party’s leader, President Biden. The party expressed its choice. Biden pushed back. The party took up the question again and, after due consideration, held firm.
Joe Biden then stepped aside for the good of the nation.
This is how healthy institutions are supposed to work.
[…]
He notes that the party vetted Harris over the three weeks of fretting, with voters, donors and elected Dems getting comfortable with the idea and when no anti-Harris movement surfaced they realized that she was the best candidate. In fact, the party is more unified than was before.
He makes the point that Harris has all the benefits of incumbency but can run as a change agent. That’s unusual and I think it’s a true advantage. Also, Trump now “holds the age bomb.” No one deserves it more.
Every split screen now makes Trump look old and decrepit by comparison.
He notes that since the announcement, Harris has raised over r $100 million from small-dollar donors And there’s news today that one of the big super pacs has also raised over $150 million, which means that the campaign has raised at least a quarter of a billion dollars in 24 hours. That suggests some very serious enthusiasm.
The Republicans are losing it, screeching about filing lawsuits to force Biden on to the ticket and other ridiculous tantrums.
Why? Last says this:
The Republican party is a failed state.
At the debate, Donald Trump also demonstrated (again) that he is unfit for office. He rambled and lied incoherently. He is a convicted felon. A jury found him guilty of sexual assault. He has said he wants to be a “dictator” and that he wants to “terminate” parts of the Constitution. He selected as his running mate a man who advised disobeying orders from the Supreme Court and forcing a constitutional crisis.
Until last week there was nothing stopping the Republican party from forcing Trump off the ticket. The party elders and elected officials could have demanded that Trump step aside. Republican voters could have said that they had no confidence in his ability to govern. Donors could have closed their wallets.
But the plain fact is that not one single Republican called on Trump to step aside.
Not one.
Why? Because the various precincts of the Republican party understand that they hold no power—at all—over Trump. They could not ask him to withdraw from the race. Even broaching the subject would be grounds for excommunication from the party.
The Democratic party is a functioning institution, with checks and balances; constituencies and power structures. Like any institution, it is amorphous and its decision making is mostly organic.
The Republican party is an autocracy where the only thing that matters is the will of the leader. All power flows through him. All decisions are made by him. There are no competing power centers—only vassal states overseen by his noblemen.
That’s right. And it’s one of those decrepit institutions that’s imploding from within. If we can keep them from power — again — it’s possible that it might just finally collapse and make way for something more normal. (Or not.)