Republicans are mentioning ‘Ka-MAL-a’ a lot. But Trump shooting lowers pressure on Biden to drop out

Republicans have been featuring Vice President Kamala Harris prominently in their attacks on the Biden administration at this week’s convention in Milwaukee — a sign that they believe President Biden could still step aside and elevate her to the top of the ticket. “She is not capable of running the government and I don’t believe she has the confidence even of her own party.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn speaks Monday night at the Republican National Convention. An advisor to one Democratic lawmaker who had publicly urged Biden to step aside said Tuesday that his boss was no longer doing media appearances, while insisting “the efforts are ongoing.” Several Democrats said it would be crass to have that debate in public, in part because Biden needed to show the country that he was eager to help turn down the political rhetoric and address the security failure that allowed the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, to commit the attack. Jamal Simmons, former communications director for Harris, credited Biden’s more aggressive public schedule since the debate for assuring some detractors and demonstrating he “is the best person to be president today.” But he added that the movement to urge him to leave the race has only been on pause, even if that pause has helped Biden. Biden appeared dismissive during his Monday interview with NBC anchor Lester Holt, insisting “it’s essentially a toss-up race” while listing his first-term accomplishments.