The Atlantic is running a profile on Josh Shapiro which merits reading for a few reasons. First, he’s either got the MAGA mentality pegged and he can bring some of them into the Democratic tent, a theory that I marvel at, and secondly, he’s got a number of Obama-esque qualities. That I find impressive. Lastly, there’s a gossip portion to the piece, depicting how Kamala Harris’s version of the Shapiro interview for vice president is “total bullshit” according to Shapiro himself. I hate to see fighting amongst the cat herd of Democrats, but this was one instance of that.
If he does launch the presidential bid that some friends say, only half-jokingly, he’s been plotting for 30 years, it will rest on two basic theories. The first is that competence will soon be the hottest commodity in politics. The second is that exhaustion, more than anything else, will motivate voters in 2028. To take advantage of that—to chisel away at the MAGA coalition—will require more than generic, Biden-esque pledges to restore civility. Shapiro believes that it will demand humility on the part of Democrats, a sincere accounting of how they contributed to the electorate’s fracturing along lines of class and culture.
He knows this isn’t necessarily a popular thing to say. Shapiro’s methodical career climb has been built, to no small degree, on preparation and risk management. Even those who detest the governor acknowledge that he is a master operator, someone with an uncanny ability to diagnose threats and seize opportunities and say the right thing at the right time. In an era of populist disruption, however, it’s unclear whether Shapiro’s carefully calibrated approach to politics is still an advantage. […]
The 52-year-old Shapiro has kept some distance from the fray. He doesn’t host a podcast or spend much time on cable news. Even as he engages in regular skirmishes with the White House over policy matters, the governor goes out of his way to not antagonize the MAGA base. Shapiro, who is expected to run for president in 2028, believes that his party’s prospects of regaining power depend less on combatting Donald Trump than on courting the president’s supporters. He may be onto something: Shapiro’s approval rating in Pennsylvania—the country’s premier battleground state, where he’s spent roughly half his life on the ballot and never lost a race—hovers around 60 percent.
That is most impressive, in any day and age, but especially in one where the sitting president stands at about half that as an approval rating and you can expect the figure to drop still lower. Now onto the internecine squabbling part.
Shapiro knew that I would take one more run at his thoughts about Harris. What he didn’t know was that early copies of her book were then making the rounds among reporters. Having obtained the relevant sections of 107 Days that morning, I asked Shapiro if Harris had given him any heads-up about her book. She had not, he said. Then I told him that Harris had taken some shots at him.
Shapiro furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. “K,” he said.
The man I observed over the next several minutes was unrecognizable. Gone was his equilibrium. He moved between outrage and exasperation as I relayed the excerpts. Harris had accused him, in essence, of measuring the drapes, even inquiring about featuring Pennsylvania artists in the vice-presidential residence; of insisting “that he would want to be in the room for every decision” Harris might make; and, more generally, of hijacking the conversation when she interviewed him for the job, to the point where she reminded him that he would not be co-president.
“She wrote that in her book?” he said in response to the claim concerning the residence’s art. “That’s complete and utter bullshit.”
“I can tell you that her accounts are just blatant lies,” he added.
“I mean, she’s trying to sell books and cover her ass,” Shapiro snapped. The governor stared past me now, shaking his head. As I began to ask a different question, he held up a hand. He looked disgusted. With me? With Harris? No, I began to realize: He was disgusted with himself.
“I shouldn’t say ‘cover her ass.’ I think that’s not appropriate,” Shapiro said. His tone was suddenly collected. “She’s trying to sell books. Period.”
It’s not encouraging to see more fallout from the 2024 election, which is the most painful loss that the Democrats have ever faced. I say that with some certainty because half the country has been depressed and withdrawn from politics the past year.
That’s not my sole opinion nor experience. MSNBC changed its name to MS NOW, thinking that a rebrand would save their bacon. Maybe, maybe not. CNN has suffered a decline in ratings. I can tell you that the traffic on this blog has been tragically low, compared to the other years we’ve been in business. If you’re here, reading this now, I cannot thank you enough. You are one of the stalwart, hard core politically motivated Democrats that don’t give up the ship, no matter what. Everybody here is waiting for the day when the rest of the cat herd decides to come back and reengage. Meanwhile, we will continue to carry on.
Had Biden announced that he would not seek a second term, Shapiro could easily have filled his shoes. He’s cut out to be a president. I hope whoever wins the nomination in 2028 is young, competent, and a born leader. Competence is good, leadership is even better.
If competence is the new hottest commodity, it’s really bad news for republicans.
On current evidence they don’t have ANY.