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SO MANY IMPLICATIONS TO THESE ANNOUNCEMENTS TODAY. JOINING ME LIVE NOW IS BOSTON UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR AND PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN TOM WHALEN. TOM THANKS FOR JOINING US. THIS SUNDAY. MY PLEASURE. ALL RIGHT SO TODAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT REALLY A MASSIVE MOMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY. TALK TO US ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PRESIDENT ACTUALLY ENDING HIS CAMPAIGN THIS CLOSE TO THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION. WELL, IT’S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. AND YOU KNOW, WHO KNOWS WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN MOVING FORWARD. BUT IN MANY WAYS, I THINK IT’S AN ADVANTAGE TO THE DEMOCRATS THEMSELVES. THEY’VE BEEN DOWN PRECIPITOUSLY IN THE POLLS AGAINST THE THE TRUMP TICKET. AND NOW THEY OFFER A FRESH, YOUNGER AND MORE VIGOROUS CANDIDATE THAN THE REPUBLICAN SIDE HAS. SO THE AGE ISSUE HAS SUDDENLY FLIPPED TO THE DEMOCRATS. AND THIS MIGHT BE VERY APPEALING TO MANY INDEPENDENT VOTERS ACROSS THE NATION WHO REALLY DID NOT LIKE THE CHOICE OF A BIDEN TRUMP, UM, FALL. ALL RIGHT. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, ABOUT TIMING HERE. JUST 100 DAYS LEFT. TALK TO US ABOUT THE TIMING OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. WELL, I THINK WHAT REALLY PROMPTED IT WAS THE REVOLT OF THE BIG DONORS TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. FOLLOW THE MONEY. RIGHT. AND THEY INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT GIVE A PENNY TO THE ENTIRE DEMOCRATIC PARTY UNLESS BIDEN STEPPED ASIDE. I THINK THAT FORCED BIDEN’S HAND HERE. HE REALLY HAD NO RECOURSE. YOU TOLD US RIGHT AFTER THAT DISASTROUS DEBATE PERFORMANCE THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN. WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW THIS ALL PLAYED OUT, WHAT KIND OF PRECEDENT DOES THIS SET GOING FORWARD AND AND HOW MIGHT IT ACTUALLY CHANGE THE GAME OF POLITICS? WELL, IT CERTAINLY PROVES THAT MAYBE YOU DON’T NEED THIS LONG EXTENDED PRIMARY SYSTEM TO SELECT A NOMINEE THAT YOU KNOW, JUST MAYBE, UH, YOU SHOULD HAVE OPEN CONVENTIONS TO, YOU KNOW, SELECT, YOU KNOW, THE BEST CANDIDATES LIKE THEY DID. YOU KNOW, 100 YEARS AGO. UM, IT’S INTERESTING, BUT I THINK FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, DONALD TRUMP, YOU KNOW, HE MADE A BIG MISTAKE AT HIS CONVENTION BECAUSE HE SELECTED JD VANCE AS HIS RUNNING MATE, WHO BASICALLY APPEALS TO THE SAME BASE OF THE PARTY. YOU KNOW, WORKING CLASS WHITE MALES WITHOUT A COLLEGE EDUCATION. AND THAT, I THINK IS GOING TO COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM BECAUSE SOMEONE LIKE KAMALA HARRIS NOW CAN PICK SOMEONE LIKE A GRETCHEN WHITMER OR A SENATOR WARNOCK OF, OF GEORGIA, AND THAT WILL GIVE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SOMETHING THEY DON’T HAVE. AND PARTICULARLY WITH GOVERNOR WHITMER, IT WOULD APPEAL TO INDEPENDENT WOMEN VOTERS AND EVEN MANY DISGRUNTLED WOMEN REPUBLICAN VOTERS WHO ARE UPSET WITH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY’S STANCE ON ABORTION RIGHTS. YEAH, WE SHALL SEE A LOT MORE TO COME.