What an impressive coup de gras this was. Biden's timing was impeccable. After month of the media hammering on Biden's age and cognitive decline, there is now only one candidate that that applies to. And doing this after the Trump chose Vance was also brilliant. He was chosen under the assumption that they would be running against Biden, not a strong, younger, woman of color. If they had known that, perhaps Haley or Tim Scott would have been chosen for the appearance of diversity on the ticket.
The media, who had been helping Trump with its harping on Biden's age and lapses, have now harmed Trump with all of that reporting against Biden, which now applies to the lone old man who rants about sharks, electrocutions, and "the late, great Hannibal Lecter," confuses people with one another, and falls asleep in court.
And do we remember that this is what happened in 2008? Limbaugh and the echo chamber had been hammering on Hillary for over a year when Obama eclipsed her and won the nomination. That spring, the Republicans began panicking that Hillary might not be the nominee, and Limbaugh was actually calling for Republicans to register as Democrats to vote for Hillary in primaries. From
Rush Limbaugh Explains Why He's Urging Republicans in Texas and Ohio to Vote for Hillary Clinton on Super Tuesday 2
Limbaugh:
"Texas is open. And I want Hillary to stay in this, Laura. This is too good a soap opera. We need Barack Obama bloodied up politically, and it's obvious that the Republicans are not going to do it and don't have the stomach for it. As you probably know, we're getting all kinds of memos from the RNC saying not to be critical there. Mark MacKinnon of McCain's campaign says he'll quit if they get critical over Obama. This is the presidency of the United States you're talking about. I want our party to win. I want the Democrats to lose. They're in the midst of tearing themselves apart right now. It is fascinating to watch, and it's all going to stop if Hillary loses. So yes, I'm asking to cross over and, if they can stomach it — I know it's a difficult thing to do to vote for a Clinton — but it will sustain this soap opera, and it's something I think we need."
Of course, they tried to trash Obama beginning then (Reverend Wright, Tony Rezko, Bill Ayers, Muslim, birth certificate, teleprompter, cult of celebrity, etc.), but it was too little, too late. He wouldn't be fully trashed until after being elected and well into his first term.
This is an awful lot like that was, and the panic from the Republicans is palpable. This was a remarkably smooth passing of the baton, and the Democrats have quickly come together in support of Kamala. Now, the Democrats appear united behind a younger, articulate firebrand of a candidate and former prosecutor of sex offenders and fraudsters, and the Republicans appear to have been caught with their pants down running the old, infirm candidate with felony convictions and upcoming trials and whose running mate is also a bigot and enemy of women's reproductive freedom in a year when abortion is going to be a wedge issue for the Democrats and which will mobilize pro-choice voters.
From Kamala's first speech as the presumptive nominee in reference to her career as a prosecutor: “I know Donald Trump’s type.”