Where is Kamala?

[Annabella92]

Just saw this post on X, and I tend to agree...

"Kamala lost as she campaigned - a coward who couldn't face the media, couldn't handle the pressure. Didn't even have the character required to concede on election night. Went home to sulk. The opposite of presidential material."

Really and truly was there nobody with any substance the Democrats could have put forward. What on earth did they expect. The bar was so low.

Trump has NEVER conceded his 2020 loss, and it's been four years. Kamala can take her time.

Amazes me how people keep holding the Democrats to a high standard but feel it's ok for the Republicans to win from inside the murkiest gutter (smh).

He's "President Elect" for now, sparkellie, and actually starts his term at the inauguration in January

This thread is nuts. The last time a concession speech took place on election day was in 2008 and that was very different because that election was called by all news networks by 11pm on election day. In 2012 and 2016 the concession speeches both took place on the Wednesday.

I’d like someone to find me any examples of a US presidential candidate conceding before the news network decision desks called the election. People seem to be suggesting that her completely normal decision to wait until the election was called is somehow unusual. It really isn’t.

The Dems spent over a billion dollars on her campaign and she lost.

There is zero chance for 2028

Poor Kamala

Trump set the precedent. Did he thank his supporters, no he incited a riot, did he concede gracefully, no he went to court. The Republican hypocrisy is rife on this thread.

Thank you, maybe that's where my confusion has come from. Is that the case for everyone else too then? So nothing changes until January? Or just him? Sorry to ask, it's just so different to the UK!

Thank you for posting this.

I am so tired of people blaming sexism etc for her loss. She never SAID anything. I’m not talking about eloquence because Trump is far from eloquent. But at least you had a clear idea of what he was offering - even if you didn’t agree with it.

So tired of people blaming race, sex etc.

She was a poor candidate. You can not compare her statesmanship with Condolezza Rice for example.

No problem. Here is a timeline of the next few months.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-office-inauguration-date-2025-b2642450.html

It's a bit of a strange scenario as Biden isn't really together either

This

How do you mean the Republican hypocrisy is rife ?

‘Set the precedent’?!?! No one has to follow Trump’ s example, there are other ways to behave.

Thank you for the link, very informative.

There needs to be a system in place for cases like this.

Even in his condition, I don't think Kamala ought be able to just assume this power of his. The US elected Biden, not Harris.

By cases like this, I assume you mean an incapacitated president? That is exactly what the vice president is for.
The 25th amendment allows a president to temporarily transfer their duties to the vice president (this is done for example if the president is undergoing surgery - Biden has done this in the past, I think Bush did as well).
But it also allows the vice president and majority of the cabinet to declare the president unfit, and the vice president takes over.
And they elected Biden & Harris, knowing she would take over if anything happened to him. That's how it works.

You can obviously argue whether you think he should have been declared unfit already. But either way, it goes to her.

@Laptoppie I'm sure she will, but what really can she say in this situation. There's no hope to be offered to her supporters. They know that. The fact she's been silent up to now says it all about what an absolute shit show this is, I find it quite ironic that all the Trump supporters are expecting her to behave 'normally' in this situation and criticising her for not doing so when we know Trump would never ever have conceded if he'd lost.

Sure but I suppose I mean that that should have also been declared to the public.

So technically given Bidens presumed state of health, should anything happen to him between now and January, KH would become president?
Albeit for a very short time?

How bitter and unpleasant you sound.

Her reaction is a thousand, a million times better than Trump's behaviour from Nov 2020 through to Jan 2021. Or did you forget that he and his supporters attempted to stage a coup?

They advised the supporters last night she would be addressing the nation today. And I expect she will. I’m sure she will be much more gracious in defeat than her opponent who acted like a toddler when he lost last time

Thing is though when a sitting prime minister loses an election in this country they have to do a speech pretty quickly outside of their home, often with kids in tow and start the process of transition within hours. Yes it’s different systems but the expected approach is to say something magnanimous and congratulate the opponent even if it stings like hell.

Now the problem is Trump basically got away with insurrection last time. He seems to be held to totally different standards to everyone else. That must sting as well but she can’t do anything about that so she needs to stick to the norms that everyone else is expected to.

You're very welcome, sparkellie, and there's nothing to apologise for because you didn't already know

In practice Trump and anyone he chooses to form his team have no actual power until January, but as explained in iamtheblcksheep's excellent link there'll be a lot going on behind the scenes during the handover

So although Biden and Harris are still President/VP until then I very much doubt there'll be any more initiatives from them or even much real work being done by either

She isn’t following Trump’s example. Candidates only ever concede on election night when the election is “called” on election night. E.g. 2008. It’s completely normal when the election isn’t called until the Wednesday for concessions to happen then. This is perfectly normal for a US presidential election.

@Puzzledandpissedoff they had a thank you party a few nights ago.

People just like to rage without having the smallest fucking clue about...well, anything.

Facts just get in the way of the pointless ire.

She’s licking her wounds.

The Democrats would have walked the election if they’d fielded a half decent candidate.

They didn’t.

She is poor at deeper discussion, debates and interviews. She did not go through the full process and primaries like other candidates did. She failed to engage with voters who mattered in swing states.

Add that on to the last three and a half years which have been poor for the Democrats and the party themselves making some very questionable decisions (ie picking Biden for a second term in the first place), it was clear for weeks she was going to lose.

I’m shocked so many people thought she was going to win, and not only that, by and landslide.

Regardless of that, she should have came out to address those who were waiting for hours to hear from her last night. I think that was really poor behaviour. We all as humans understand that losing is hurtful, but you need to be made of stronger stuff if you want to be a leader of one of the largest countries in the world.