Letitia James for President

Gramps49Gramps49 Shipmate
edited February 2024 in Purgatory
Ms James is the current Attorney General for New York State. So far, she has won several lawsuits against Trump and his organization. She will be trying him for the felony misappropriation of funds. Yesterday she won a judgement against the three top executives of the NRA for a total of $6.4 million and has banned them from running any New York based organization for three years. (Now that sounds familiar).

I could see her up against Harris for the 2028 president Democratic candidacy.

Myself, if I am still around, I would vote for her (don't worry, I plan on being around).

(ETA title typo, DT, Admin)

Comments

  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Gramps, you might like to ask a host to correct the thread title to a correct spelling of Letitia James' name.

    From a distance, and relying on possibly biassed news sources, I agree she's impressive.
  • I lived in New York for 8 years and liked her well enough. Jumping from being an AG to president seems big, though. Who knows how she is as a legislator. It is not clear to me that being a good AG is an immediately translatable skill to being a good president.
  • ArethosemyfeetArethosemyfeet Shipmate, Heaven Host
    I lived in New York for 8 years and liked her well enough. Jumping from being an AG to president seems big, though. Who knows how she is as a legislator. It is not clear to me that being a good AG is an immediately translatable skill to being a good president.

    There aren't many jobs that translate immediately to being a good President. Governor is maybe closest, but I think you could make a case that AG is as applicable as, say, US Senator.
  • I lived in New York for 8 years and liked her well enough. Jumping from being an AG to president seems big, though. Who knows how she is as a legislator. It is not clear to me that being a good AG is an immediately translatable skill to being a good president.

    There aren't many jobs that translate immediately to being a good President. Governor is maybe closest, but I think you could make a case that AG is as applicable as, say, US Senator.

    I don’t know about that. A senator has to deal with legislation, getting votes, and answering (in some degree) to constituents. An AG doesn’t have to deal with any of that, besides every however many years getting voted back into office (so I guess there’s a little bit of constituent work but not as much). There’s also the skill of speaking for the great mass of people, which AGs don’t have to do as much.

    I think James would probably be a good candidate, but I’d like to see more legislative engagement before making that decision.
  • I lived in New York for 8 years and liked her well enough. Jumping from being an AG to president seems big, though. Who knows how she is as a legislator. It is not clear to me that being a good AG is an immediately translatable skill to being a good president.

    There aren't many jobs that translate immediately to being a good President. Governor is maybe closest, but I think you could make a case that AG is as applicable as, say, US Senator.

    I don’t know about that. A senator has to deal with legislation, getting votes, and answering (in some degree) to constituents. An AG doesn’t have to deal with any of that, besides every however many years getting voted back into office (so I guess there’s a little bit of constituent work but not as much).
    And a handful of state AG’s, like the US AG, are appointed, not elected.

    To my mind, one of the more significant differences between a state AG and a US senator is potential foreign policy experience.

  • Ms James may well make a good POTUS, but she has to get past Trump first...

    Still, there's no harm in looking ahead hopefully.
  • Umm, the New York State Attorney General faces the voters every four years. Historically, it is one of the oldest elective offices in the United States. One of the former GA's did become President, guy by the name of Van Buren, but his effectiveness as president was mediocre at best.
  • Gramps49 wrote: »
    Umm, the New York State Attorney General faces the voters every four years. Historically, it is one of the oldest elective offices in the United States. One of the former GA's did become President, guy by the name of Van Buren, but his effectiveness as president was mediocre at best.

    I’m aware of this because I voted for her :) However, that kind of election is much different from a national election or even the election of a senator or representative. People don’t pay as much attention to the AG race.

    Van Buren’s election is evidence in my favor, if anything.
  • Gramps49 wrote: »
    Umm, the New York State Attorney General faces the voters every four years. Historically, it is one of the oldest elective offices in the United States. One of the former GA's did become President, guy by the name of Van Buren, but his effectiveness as president was mediocre at best.

    I’m aware of this because I voted for her :) However, that kind of election is much different from a national election or even the election of a senator or representative. People don’t pay as much attention to the AG race.

    Van Buren’s election is evidence in my favor, if anything.

    The biggest difference in Ms Jame's case, is she has wide name recognition nationally. I would say more than Kamela Harris who was the AG in California. I knew of Ms Harris because I live in the West, but I had friends east of the Rockies asking who is she.
  • Gramps49 wrote: »
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    Umm, the New York State Attorney General faces the voters every four years. Historically, it is one of the oldest elective offices in the United States. One of the former GA's did become President, guy by the name of Van Buren, but his effectiveness as president was mediocre at best.

    I’m aware of this because I voted for her :) However, that kind of election is much different from a national election or even the election of a senator or representative. People don’t pay as much attention to the AG race.

    Van Buren’s election is evidence in my favor, if anything.

    The biggest difference in Ms Jame's case, is she has wide name recognition nationally.
    I have a feeling that while many people know about the charges Trump is facing in New York, relatively few could name the New York AG who brought those charges. I’d be interested to see if there’s polling data indicating that James has wide name recognition nationally.


  • I think the temptation here is to think that someone who has shown remarkable competence in one field is therefore going to be equally competent in a different field (the presidency). I'm not so sure about that. But certainly anything would be better than Trump, even one of the lust-crazed squirrels I saw on my catalpa tree this evening.
  • Well, Trump has gone bankrupt six times. Hardly a competent businessperson. His incompetency carried over into his presidency. Ms James appears super competent in her office. I bet those skills can be applied to the office of the president.
  • But certainly anything would be better than Trump, even one of the lust-crazed squirrels I saw on my catalpa tree this evening.
    :lol:

  • RuthRuth Shipmate
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    The biggest difference in Ms Jame's case, is she has wide name recognition nationally. I would say more than Kamela Harris who was the AG in California. I knew of Ms Harris because I live in the West, but I had friends east of the Rockies asking who is she.

    Kamala Harris was a Senator from California when she ran for president and then was tapped to be Biden's running mate; I'd bet that's why you knew her name. I wouldn't say Leticia James has widespread name recognition beyond us US news junkies.

    Being a state's AG doesn't prepare someone to be president. And James dropped out of the 2022 NY gubernatorial race two months after declaring her candidacy, which was all the time it took for her to figure out she wasn't going to be able to put together the money it was going to take to beat Kathy Hochul. If she can't compete in a gubernatorial race, she can't compete for the presidency.
  • Ruth wrote: »
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    The biggest difference in Ms Jame's case, is she has wide name recognition nationally. I would say more than Kamela Harris who was the AG in California. I knew of Ms Harris because I live in the West, but I had friends east of the Rockies asking who is she.

    Kamala Harris was a Senator from California when she ran for president and then was tapped to be Biden's running mate; I'd bet that's why you knew her name. I wouldn't say Leticia James has widespread name recognition beyond us US news junkies.

    Being a state's AG doesn't prepare someone to be president. And James dropped out of the 2022 NY gubernatorial race two months after declaring her candidacy, which was all the time it took for her to figure out she wasn't going to be able to put together the money it was going to take to beat Kathy Hochul. If she can't compete in a gubernatorial race, she can't compete for the presidency.

    Fully agree. Again, I like AG James. She was on the local NPR station regularly for interviews and I always thought she was great. None of that means ipso facto that she would be a good president. Also, the obsession with the presidency isn't a great thing to encourage. By that I mean it's important to have good, competent people in all levels of government. AG for New York is an important job, maybe she should stay there and continue doing an excellent job rather than being shunted up to presidency (of course she hasn't actually been, I know, but just saying).
  • Ruth wrote: »
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    The biggest difference in Ms Jame's case, is she has wide name recognition nationally. I would say more than Kamela Harris who was the AG in California. I knew of Ms Harris because I live in the West, but I had friends east of the Rockies asking who is she.

    Kamala Harris was a Senator from California when she ran for president and then was tapped to be Biden's running mate; I'd bet that's why you knew her name. I wouldn't say Leticia James has widespread name recognition beyond us US news junkies.

    Being a state's AG doesn't prepare someone to be president. And James dropped out of the 2022 NY gubernatorial race two months after declaring her candidacy, which was all the time it took for her to figure out she wasn't going to be able to put together the money it was going to take to beat Kathy Hochul. If she can't compete in a gubernatorial race, she can't compete for the presidency.

    First of all, Kamela Harris was elected the California AG in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was elected to the US Senate and served only two years before being nominated for VP.

    Lelita James dropped out of the race for governor of NY because of investigations her office was working on, like the sex case against Cuomo and the investigation against the Trump organization.

    There is an old saying, you can't jump in the same stream twice. Ms James has had a number of successes under her belt now. She is widely known. If I had the money, it would be on her.
  • Gramps49 wrote: »
    Ruth wrote: »
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    The biggest difference in Ms Jame's case, is she has wide name recognition nationally. I would say more than Kamela Harris who was the AG in California. I knew of Ms Harris because I live in the West, but I had friends east of the Rockies asking who is she.

    Kamala Harris was a Senator from California when she ran for president and then was tapped to be Biden's running mate; I'd bet that's why you knew her name. I wouldn't say Leticia James has widespread name recognition beyond us US news junkies.

    Being a state's AG doesn't prepare someone to be president. And James dropped out of the 2022 NY gubernatorial race two months after declaring her candidacy, which was all the time it took for her to figure out she wasn't going to be able to put together the money it was going to take to beat Kathy Hochul. If she can't compete in a gubernatorial race, she can't compete for the presidency.

    First of all, Kamela Harris was elected the California AG in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was elected to the US Senate and served only two years before being nominated for VP.

    Lelita James dropped out of the race for governor of NY because of investigations her office was working on, like the sex case against Cuomo and the investigation against the Trump organization.

    There is an old saying, you can't jump in the same stream twice. Ms James has had a number of successes under her belt now. She is widely known. If I had the money, it would be on her.

    It’s nice that everyone is having such trouble spelling her first name.

    I’m not sure why you’d put money on her. She’s certainly a good AG, but why do you think that translates well into being a good national candidate? And why do you think she’s so much better than VP Harris?
  • The question is not about Ms. James' name recognition now but in two or three years. If she is interested, there are steps she could take, such as giving speeches or writing a book, and if the Democratic party wants to encourage her, there are ways the party can do so.
  • RuthRuth Shipmate
    Gramps49 wrote: »
    Lelita James dropped out of the race for governor of NY because of investigations her office was working on, like the sex case against Cuomo and the investigation against the Trump organization.
    She was in the race for a whole 2 months. If those investigations were the reason she dropped out, they would have been the reason to not run in the first place. She said the investigations were why she dropped out because she's a good enough politician, or her advisors are, to know that she couldn't just say she didn't have the money and wouldn't get the votes.

    Her years of experience on the New York City Council seems more directly relevant to govern in ng than serving as NY AG.
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