Heather Higgins has done her homework and put together a very smart prediction of how the Dems will thread the needle and eject Biden from the ticket and substitute their ideal replacement candidate, Michelle Obama.  I’ve been a skeptic that she could be persuaded, given her obvious distaste for politics, but Heather provides the most persuasive argument I’ve seen for how this could be accomplished. And with her close study of the Democrats’ party bylaws and electoral law, she zeroes in on the necessary timing and means of pulling off the big switcheroo.

Given the magnitude of the disaster that a successful Michelle Obama would represent, and the likelihood of something similar to the Higgins divination actually happening, I must warn you: read it and weep. You can read the original prophecy here. But to save time, I will briefly summarize below.  

First, her explanation of why Michelle will consent to run. Biden’s example has changed the job.

“Tosh!” you say. “She’s said she hates politics, she doesn’t want to run.” Ah, she made every one of those statements before she got to see Biden redefining the job and expectations for the presidency. Now she knows that when the media wants a president in place, a four-day workweek, consisting of one social obligation per day, and everything else delegated, will suffice. And that’s without a highly experienced First Gentleman.

And Heather points to signs that Michelle has already relented:

Mrs. Obama has been acting for several years as though she is rebranding for the gig. Her book launch looked nothing like a book tour, but a reintroduction, complete with billboards and sell-out celebrity interview performances, of the new Oprah-ized, smiling, hey-girlfriend, loving-America Michelle. 

A few weeks ago, she said publicly she was “terrified” about the potential results of the election, saying her fears of the possible outcomes keep her awake at night.

And just recently an entire special edition of Life magazine about the inspiring Michelle Obama parked itself for $14.99 at your nearest supermarket checkout line. The cover may say “The Post-White House Phenomenon,” but everything post-White House is confined to five paragraphs in the first introductory pages – while the rest of the 112 glossy pages are one-third backstory and two-thirds Michelle in the White House, looking presidential. The last page is Michelle on stage at the 2016 convention, solo, looking like she’s just received the nomination – and under the heading “Crowd Pleaser.” On the back cover are the Obamas at their second inaugural ball – with President Obama bowing to the stately Michelle.

Moreover, Michelle can be persuaded that she is the only person who can eject Kamala from the ticket.  My view is that this is a requirement, because Harris -- should the worst happen and she succeeds Michelle -- cannot be trusted to carry out the orders from Valerie Jarrett and Susan Rice, who co-chair the de facto deep state presidium that is actually running the Biden presidency.

It would make no sense for Biden to remove himself from the ticket in order to simply elevate Vice President Kamala Harris. The point of the whole exercise is to win. Michelle Obama is the only potential candidate who could safely replace a black woman on the Democrat ticket without causing a major political disruption inside a core Democrat voter group. Plus, Michelle is Teflon: a popular celebrity with little track record – and the guarantee that any criticism will elicit a chorus of “racist!” and “sexist!” accusations. She is by far the hardest candidate for Trump to beat.

Now, as to the question of how, and especially when, the substitution could be pulled off. It should be soon after the convention:

The switch could be done at the convention – but that requires 300 delegate signatures, and would open the door to a lot of politicking over several weeks by other potential candidates. It would make ’68 look like a picnic, and potentially put Michelle in the grubby position of seeking support just like everyone else.

Here’s how that could work:

Salvation lies in the DNC rules. Remember the New Jersey “Switcheroo” way back in 2002, when Democrats turned a sure loss of a Senate seat into a win by swapping out their losing candidate at the last minute, overriding a state law that said it was too late in the cycle for such a switch?

Bet on Democrats to pull the same “switcheroo,” but at an even higher level – and even later than you expect – possibly at but more likely about two weeks after their convention, giving us a “September Surprise.” Joe Biden is a placeholder quelling current competition for a much better bet – Michelle Obama – just in time to turn a sure loss in 2024 into a surprise potential victory. (snip)

Swapping out candidates so close to an election isn’t as rare a thing as you might think. In that very same 2002 election cycle, for instance, Minnesota Democrats had to replace their Senate candidate, incumbent Paul Wellstone, after he was killed in a plane crash just days before the election. And almost exactly two years earlier, Missouri Democrats had to replace Gov. Mel Carnahan, their candidate for the U.S. Senate, in late October, when he died in a plane crash.

As the New Jersey case proved, the closer you can get to Election Day before making the switch, the better chance you will have. Less time for the other side to conduct new opposition research, do some polling, figure out a new strategy, and create advertising campaigns. Less time, too, that the replacement candidate needs to actually campaign.

I wish that I could find a flaw in Heather’s work, but she has anticipated all my quibbles. We need urgently to start figuring out how to frustrate this plan.

Image credit: US government photo. Pubic domain