Should Biden drop out, or is there a path back to a win?
“Candor and transparency about the aging process would go a long way”“A Whitmer/Harris ticket would be appealing”07/01/2024 12:00 PM EDTOn Thursday, President Joe Biden’s debate performance sent Democrats straight into crisis mode: Nothing about his demeanor, from his shaky voice, to his pallid skin, to his meandering answers and head-scratching non sequiturs, served to reassure voters worried that his age meant he wasn’t up for another four years on the job.
Joe Biden does not need advice. He needs to stay the course. Just take a look at how he bounced back at his rally the next day in North Carolina. The bottom line is that Joe Biden is a tough motherfucker — and the only person in the world to ever beat Trump in an election. But the real crisis is not Joe Biden’s age or infirmity, but what they mean for the future of American democracy. The prime directive of 2024 isn’t the reelection of Joe Biden; it is preventing Trump’s return to power and the parade of horribles that he will bring in his wake.
Second, don’t forget the coalition dynamics that landed the party on Biden in 2020. One of Biden’s major advantages was that he drew support from different contingents within the party. Perhaps most important were African American leaders and voters, a crucial group for Democrats. Establishment moderates and liberals also found Biden an acceptable nominee — he’d spent his career in Congress locating the middle ground of the party.
The Democratic Party needs to chill the F out. From the very beginning they have been Worry Warts and Nervous Nellies about Joe Biden. If they were so concerned about the 81-year-old man sitting in the office, then someone should have come to him two years ago and said, “Sir, stand down.” Back in 2016, the RNC freaked out after the Access Hollywood Tape and wanted to replace Trump. Trump’s supporters rallied around him, and he won. If Democrats weaken the incumbent president because he had a bad night, then they will be to blame for the imperiling of the American government and democracy.Mona Charen is a syndicated columnist and policy editor at The Bulwark where she hosts the “Beg to Differ” podcast.his is an “emergency break glass” moment.
The anti-Trump coalition is out there. In 2020, Biden was its avatar. We learned on June 27 that he cannot play that role in 2024, and it is urgent to find someone who can.Bill Scher is a contributing writer to POLITICO Magazine and the politics editor for the Washington Monthly.n March, Joe Biden eased anxieties about his advanced age with an energetic and agile State of the Union address, but unleashed anxieties anew with a sluggish and disjointed debate.
Assuming Biden is healthy, the concurrent step is to assess the health of his campaign. Democratic elites were clearly alarmed by Biden’s performance, but we will need more than “person on the street” interviews and flash polls to gain a real sense of how the performance affected his standing among likely voters in this election — and if an alternate nominee would fare better against Donald Trump. When the results are released, Biden and his team must look at the results soberly.
Biden should bless a new nominee, direct his delegates to support her or him in Chicago, and divert his considerable resources to the candidate’s aid. It is the best way to secure his legacy as the statesman who vanquished the greatest threat to the American republic since secession and civil war.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Permission to win: Ukraine needs more from Biden than weapons to defeat Russia, according to expertsFear of escalation with Putin plagues U.S. leadership, experts told ABC News.
Read more »
Live updates: Hallie Biden, Beau Biden’s widow, completes testimony in Hunter Biden gun trialHunter Biden faces three felony charges related to a gun he purchased in 2018. His trial began Monday in Delaware.
Read more »
Live updates: Hallie Biden, Beau Biden’s widow, describes Hunter Biden’s drug useHunter Biden faces three felony charges related to a gun he purchased in 2018. His trial began Monday in Delaware.
Read more »
Hunter Biden gun trial: Beau Biden's widow Hallie Biden testifies about crack useThe Hunter Biden trial comes after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Read more »
Hunter Biden gun trial: Beau Biden's widow Hallie Biden testifies about crack useThe Hunter Biden trial comes after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Read more »
Hunter Biden trial live updates: Hallie Biden testifies about drug addictions that rocked the Biden familyThis is additional taxonomy that helps us with analytics
Read more »