# Biden considering dropping out (Update: Biden drops out) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [July 3, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690 "2024-07-03T16:50:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/201 "2024-07-05T07:41:15Z")
What we need is to focus on winning in November! IMO The rest is up for anyone to grab. At least Trump will be out. Don’t count those eggs so fast. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/202 "2024-07-05T07:45:34Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Don’t count those eggs so fast. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Then he can take his victory lap and step down and Harris is the president. I’m not counting any eggs. I was simply explaining that I think Biden _will_ cede the presidency to Harris when it’s strategically a good idea to do so, as you suggested he could do. You raised that issue, not me. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/203 "2024-07-05T07:46:01Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > ETA: Just to make it clear, I agree with you. It’s the dithering that’s doing Dems in. Appreciate the clarification. I had a feeling that we were on the same page; and it’s nice to have that assurance. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/204 "2024-07-05T07:49:31Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I had a feeling that we were on the same page; and it’s nice to have that assurance. 🙂 We are. It’s why I’m swinging so hard tonight. I’m sick to death of watching Democrats tearing down their own best candidate based on one shitty debate performance, and trying to create an impression that he was picking at his ass and drooling during the debate. These are Republican talking points, and IMHO, Dems are pushing them along without a lot of thought going into it. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/205 "2024-07-05T07:49:45Z")
We don’t have the luxury of contemplating the next 16 years. The democracy is on the line. Every 4 years is a new campaign. Crap happens. You can’t plan some things. In fact I’m still waiting on the October surprise. I have real fear there. I’m on the same side as you. I love that man. I agree the media has tore him to pieces. Because that’s what they do. It’s terrible but people listen to that crap and the Republicans spewing crap. I don’t want him to drop out. I want him to be ok and able to make it. I want only success for him. With dignity. I was sad watching the debate. I thought SoTU was fine. Not great, so I’ve worried for awhile. He’s a good man and doesn’t need this. But, there it is… ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/206 "2024-07-05T08:12:40Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > We are. It’s why I’m swinging so hard tonight. I’m sick to death of watching Democrats tearing down their own best candidate based on one shitty debate performance, and trying to create an impression that he was picking at his ass and drooling during the debate. … One debate, especially so early, will likely mean nothing come November. What Dems need to do are two things: (A) Make up their minds _now_, and stop dithering; and (B) Concentrate on what Biden does well, now and in the past and going into the future. Isn’t it true that after that disastrous debate, he came back better the next day, giving a speech somewhere? Play up that speech in TV commercials. He got lost at the G7 (a favourite Republican talking point)? Show how he went to greet the parachutist who dropped in, unlike the other G7 leaders, who were posing for a photo. There has to be video of that. He trips over his words at times? He stutters, and has suffered from that affliction since childhood. Make that clear. At the same time, make it clear that Trump’s policies, such as they are, consist of revenge and retribution against those in the US government, including the judiciary, who he perceives as “disloyal” or who “go against his wishes,” or other dictator-like things. Ultimately, it’s not immigration, or foreign policy, or trade, or the UN, or NATO, or Ukraine, or Israel, or Russia, or China, that concern Trump; rather, it’s revenge on American citizens whom he feels have wronged him. That, plus his childish name calling schtick (Sleepy Joe, etc.), which is something an eight-year-old would do. And make it clear that that’s no way for a President to act. At least, none of his predecessors have done so. What did Reagan call Carter? “Mr. Carter,” of course. They concerned themselves with policy; and when it comes to policy, Trump really has none. Swing for those fences, @Aspenglow . I may not be American, but I live right next door, and what happens next door, given how big your house is, is going to affect me somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/207 "2024-07-05T08:25:45Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Make up their minds _now_, and stop dithering; What would this entail that’s not being done now? All the messaging from top Democrats that I’ve heard has been sticking with Biden. Perhaps you mean cracking down on the ones who’ve been saying otherwise to the media? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/208 "2024-07-05T08:33:06Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Swing for those fences, @Aspenglow . I may not be American, but I live right next door, and what happens next door, given how big your house is, is going to affect me somehow. Doing my best, and while I’m open to hearing the views of others and will support whatever Democrat runs, I want to hear how they would address the concerns I raised earlier in the thread with respect to available time and the new problems we will create by abandoning this current Democratic ticket. It’s certainly true that other countries can run elections in far shorter time frames than we do. But we _don’t_, and our system is – much to our detriment – geared for long arcs of campaigning. Like it or not, we are down to the wire in this election. Joe Biden must not only campaign his ass off, but simultaneously run a successful administration dealing with two hot wars. It’s knives out by Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and others, whose interests happen to align with our own lost Republican party. That’s a lot on anyone’s plate, and I’m not surprised Biden is exhausted and ill. He works very hard, always has. He deserves better support than we’re giving him. And I hope I have half his stamina when I’m his age. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/209 "2024-07-05T08:45:30Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Like it or not, we are down to the wire in this election. Great use of the horse racing analogy that I used earlier. Yes, I concur, at this point, an American election is down to the wire. Maybe you folks are _routers_, while we are _sprinters_ (those are horse racing terms). 😉 I certainly agree with the rest of your remarks. Biden has a lot to deal with between now and then, not just with campaigning, but with the world in general. If Biden wants to take a break for a nap in midafternoon, and nothing threatening is on the horizon, then let him. That way, if a state dinner will go past 8:00 pm, he’ll have enough energy to host it. The important thing is that he can handle things as they come up, and so far, it appears that he’s been able to. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/210 "2024-07-05T09:54:56Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > For example, removing Kamala Harris from the VP slot creates at least one serious problem: No tiebreaker in the Senate. I agree with your posts 99.9999% (it was 100% until I read this). Why would this be the case? And keep swinging hard! Your posts assure me I haven’t lost my mind after another day of “our only chance is to kick Joe to the curb” dirges. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/211 "2024-07-05T10:42:35Z")
I wouldn’t dispute that Biden’s age and debate performance are a serious issue. I just can’t tell whether the flood of front-page articles and opinion pieces about it, in the _NY Times_ and _Washington Post_, represent genuine public concerns or a media freakout. It’s so easy for the media to write about its own reactions rather than grounding itself in what the polls say. (And to my mind, there’s something massively out of whack about the Biden stories knocking the July 1 Supreme Court decision out of the headlines.) ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/212 "2024-07-05T10:46:51Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > And keep swinging hard! Seconded. I’m in the UK and only heard the debate went poorly for Biden - not that Trump had a “There you go again” moment (Reagan-Carter 1980). Yet reading this thread today made it sound rather disastrous. I went to bed last election right after trump made his own acceptance speech and it wasn’t just Fox who were sounding like it’s the deal. I dreaded the future thinking it’d be the last election. I woke up and not even Fox had “called it” and was amazed there was a chance. I’m glad to know there is a decent chance. At least I like to hear it like fact and not just a wish. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/213 "2024-07-05T11:14:12Z")
Because congress will refuse to confirm a different VP before the election. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/214 "2024-07-05T12:13:55Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > If Biden wants to take a break for a nap in midafternoon, and nothing threatening is on the horizon, then let him. This is the one thing out of all of the “Biden’s old” stuff I agree with. Kind of like the adage that soldiers sleep whenever they can. I honestly believe that right now, most of the time, Biden is up to the job. But it’s a bit like watching my 75 year old father. Very smart man, still active and sharp, but he’s slowing down and you can tell when sometimes his recall or short-term memory isn’t quite working as well as it used to (and he’s always been a bit distractible). And as an opinion in the NYT argued, part of Biden’s problem is that nearly everyone will have had experience with an elderly relative or acquaintance who was fine until they weren’t whether it was sudden or gradual. And frankly, even if he’s okay now there’s no guarantee for a couple years from now and while the 25th Amendment might exist it’s never really been tried and it’s a lot more than a family trying to take the car keys away. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/215 "2024-07-05T13:36:57Z")
One thing I see people mention a lot is that the debate was a one-off, but Biden has been having these kinds of problems for a while. It seems like he’s been on a downward slide for a while. You may remember some chatter about Biden’s ability before the State of the Union speech. He was having issues in public appearances, but Democratic insiders were on TV saying how sharp he was behind closed doors. Biden had a great SotU speech. It was in such contrast to how he was at the time that the Republicans started rumors he had to have been on drugs or something. But since then, it’s been a long slide down. He still looks stiff, has an odd face, grimaces a lot, seems out of it at times, etc. The debate performance is in line with his downward decline since the beginning of the year. The people saying that everyone is overreacting from one bad performance aren’t really being accurate. Biden has been having these problems for a while. People were hoping that the debate would show that he’s not declining, but instead it showed that the decline was worse than expected. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/216 "2024-07-05T13:55:01Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Are you aware that most elections boards already have their ballots and supporting elections materials already prepared? All that would have to be redone. No small task. One of the two major candidates hasn’t even picked a running mate yet, and there are still primaries for state and local elections to be had in August. I highly doubt ballots are printed. > [@](#): > > You mean the less engaged voters who didn’t even watch the debate? You didn’t have to watch the debate to have read about it, seen clips from it or heard people talking about it. The fallout is everywhere and actually impossible to avoid right now. > [@](#): > > No way to know how Harris will endure it None of us know anything. We also don’t know how Biden will endure a full campaign season without the luxury of campaigning virtually from campaign HQ, this time while also balancing the presidency. For better or worse, the Biden campaign is losing oxygen, and to ignore the fact that voters appear to be losing confidence in him, is foolish. It doesn’t matter if the campaign’s decline is media-generated or is because his debate performance actually put on display what many voters worry about: he’s too old/feeble/tired/confused/etc. > [@](#): > > What if Harris is _worse_ on the campaign trail than Biden? All we have to go on is 2020. That wasn’t so great. Biden ran bad presidential campaigns before we trusted him to save us from Trump in 2020. All we had to go on was 1988 and 2008 to see how he might do. But he was the right candidate in 2020. What if Harris is _better_ on the campaign trail than Biden? I’m actually willing to give her a chance because I think she just might be the right candidate in 2024. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/217 "2024-07-05T13:57:49Z")
This. I think at this point you almost have to be willfully ignorant or not paying attention to think the issue was just a bad night. Even post debate, Biden hasn’t scheduled any press conferences, town halls, or live interviews (The ABC one will be taped). This is not really reassuring that Biden is still fully capable of running a full fledged campaign and running the country for 4 more years. Yes the GOP makes up stuff and takes things out of context. That doesn’t mean there aren’t issues. I agree the sentiment that the most important thing is Trump loses, but if you can’t be honest about Biden’s limitation and how voters perceive that, it is really hard to figure out who has the best shot of beating Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/218 "2024-07-05T14:20:15Z")
Why would she have to resign? Sitting VPs have campaigned for president lots of times. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/219 "2024-07-05T14:35:58Z")
The hypothetical was that Biden should resign and Harris should become president as well as candidate. If that’s what happens, then there’s no VP until next year. So even if Biden has to step down as candidate, he should stay president so we still have a VP. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/220 "2024-07-05T14:46:42Z")
The risk of Harris assuming the presidency now is that should President Harris die, then we have President Mike Johnson. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690.md?page=12)