I'm sure a lot of what I'm about to write is obvious to many of you, but in my post election grief I feel a need to get these thoughts out there. Ezra was completely right about having an open process post-dropout. This was not an unwinnable race, but no one closely associated with Biden could have won it. Biden put us in this position--his lack of self-insight into his own decline, his arrogance, and his 'savior of democracy' complex. He turned into an increasingly dreadful, cantankerous communicator, who tried to hector voters into line.

Then he dropped out so late that Harris became the automatic nominee, and his endorsement of her sealed our fate, cutting off any possibility of a better candidate getting in the race. As I said repeatedly (long before Biden dropped out), Shapiro/Whitmer was our best shot because we needed to get away from Biden completely and lean into whatever foothold we had in the blue wall.

Every instant spent defending the Biden administration in any capacity was not merely wasted, but was a free advertisement for Trump.

To be clear, I voted for Harris as soon as I got my ballot. I was always going to vote for the Dem nominee. But just before Biden dropped out, I wrote the following about Harris:

"It's as if she were designed in a lab to play into all Trump's talking points:

• Former prosecutor who loves locking up black men
• From California, the ultimate liberal horror show
• Has an immigrant background (not a 'real' American)
• Talks word salad and comes across as fake and has fake laugh (doesn't 'tell it like it is')
• Was tasked with handling immigration issue as VP ('She's letting in all these monsters')
• Would be held responsible for all Biden's mistakes as a member of his administration"

Even earlier, when the possibility of an open process seemed more likely, I wrote:

"Even Kamala herself can't realistically think she could win. She's broadly disliked even within the party, and her vice presidency has been a series of unfortunate events. She struggles speaking without a teleprompter or extensive planning, and is obviously terrified of making a mistake. Trump would probably rather run against her than anyone. The insult comic side of his personality would have a field day with her. I can't imagine the party ever letting her anywhere near the nomination. Instant disaster."

No one is sadder than I am that these fears proved to be well-founded.