# 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:** 80
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1581 "2024-07-18T23:34:44Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > And who is betraying him? What betrayal? The Never-Bidens in the party who have been plotting against him for years and took advantage of a momentary slip in the debate to convince everyone that Trump was right. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Many, many people do not agree with that including many in his own party. They shouldn’t have elected him as their nominee, then. It’s too late for buyer’s remorse. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1582 "2024-07-18T23:35:04Z")
Agree, but that may have been prior to the evident health issues he is currently facing. I think the Democrats have their panties in a wad right now because of fear of producing another RBG situation - they’d rather try and get on a different track before it’s too late. Now appears to be the time to switch tracks, if they’re gonna. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1583 "2024-07-18T23:35:29Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > and he has the right to be the nominee because he won that nomination by a vote of the people in all 50 states in accordance with the rules the Democratic Party has established for selecting its nominee. Yes, he has that right. That’s not disputed. And he has the right to relinquish that role. And people have the right to ask him to. And he decides. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1584 "2024-07-18T23:35:49Z")
There has to be a vote at the convention. I think the only way to beat Trump is for the Democrats to coalesce behind one candidate. I would like to see it be Harris because she can run as a continuation of Biden-Harris policies. I think not endorsing Harris is a bad move for Biden and if I were him and I had a favored candidate I would make darn sure that everyone forcing me out endorsed them as my replacement before I agreed to go. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1585 "2024-07-18T23:37:17Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > “Betrayal” has got nothing to do with it. This isn’t a marriage. This is politics. You go with the best person, not the one whom feels they are owed something. Biden doesn’t have some **right** to be the nominee. He serves the party; the party doesn’t serve him. Even more: the people owe politicians _nothing_, ever. Politicians should be loyal to the people - never the other way around. Loyalty towards politicians is the root of autocracy. If a politician is no longer useful they should be thrown out with the trash. Can’t deal with that? Choose a different profession. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1586 "2024-07-18T23:37:27Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > They shouldn’t have elected him as their nominee, then. It’s too late for buyer’s remorse. Was there another choice to be had on the ticket? As for “Never-Bidens” we are seeing many who were big supporters of Biden back away. People like George Clooney who raised something like $20 million for Biden. Hardly a Never-Biden kinda guy. What about Barack Obama? Also a “Never-Biden?” ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1587 "2024-07-18T23:38:35Z")
Geez dude. > [@Smapti](#): > > If Biden drops out it will be because he was forced out. This is a betrayal of Biblical proportions. The man is _incapable_ of serving as POTUS at this point. Either he or his handlers or both have been hiding this fact or are in denial about it. It’s not a betrayal to accept what has, belatedly and painfully, become obvious. > [@](#): > > I normally can’t stand him, but he’s right. The only way to attach any kind of legitimacy to this nightmare is an open vote at the convention. See, here’s the thing. We know Harris will want the nomination. Is anyone else substantial going to compete with her for it? I seriously doubt that. So it won’t matter anyway. All that opening it up will do is let the RFK Jr.'s and Dean Phillipses feed their egos and degrade the optics. If anyone serious really wants the job besides Harris, then they will probably hash it out behind the scenes anyway. If they _can’t_ hash it out, then it not only degrades the optics but actually hurts the eventual winner. There’s just no point to it. > [@](#): > > If Harris is made the nominee without an open vote and fair competition, not only will I not vote for her, I will renounce any affiliation I’ve ever had with the Democratic Party and I will find a left-wing third party to align myself with that isn’t afraid to stand up for its principles and through which I will be able to have a voice in politics on the local level. This isn’t some morality play or “Biblical” issue. We need a winner that can defeat Trump. Period. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1588 "2024-07-18T23:39:16Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Was there another choice to be had on the ticket? There were four. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1589 "2024-07-18T23:39:59Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > We need a winner that can defeat Trump. We have a winner that can defeat Trump. > [@Aeschines](#): > > The man is _incapable_ of serving as POTUS at this point. Yes, that’s what Trump has been saying since 2019. It was false then and it’s false now. ---
**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 18, 2024, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1590 "2024-07-18T23:41:24Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > We have a winner that can defeat Trump. No, we don’t. Your opinion doesn’t make it so. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1591 "2024-07-18T23:42:24Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > There were four. None of whom were candidates who had even a ghost of a chance, because at that time, back in late 2023 and early this year, Democrats generally were _not_ that worried about Biden’s capabilities, and at that time, no serious candidate was going to challenge an incumbent president. All of this, largely starting with the debate, has come up long after he had more than enough delegates. The situation has changed. I hope that Biden is smart enough, and humble enough, to admit that it has. Yes, he has the _right_ to continue his campaign; that does not mean it is the wise thing to do: for him, for the Democratic Party, or for the country. ---
**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 18, 2024, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1592 "2024-07-18T23:42:33Z")
[https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4780762-biden-future-harris-running-mate/](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4780762-biden-future-harris-running-mate/) > Well-connected Democratic Party insiders say they expect President Biden to make a major announcement about his future soon after the Republican National Convention concludes in Milwaukee and that congressional leaders expect that Vice President Harris will become their nominee for president if Biden drops his reelection bid. > The talk among high-level Democratic strategists and donors has now turned to who is best positioned to serve has Harris’s running mate, and the short list has boiled down to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. > California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have communicated to senior party leaders that they would not be interested in serving as Harris’s running mate, according to a person familiar with the candidates in the mix to join Harris atop the ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1593 "2024-07-18T23:44:13Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Yes, that’s what Trump has been saying since 2019. It was false then and it’s false now. Sorry, you’re in denial. The situation sucks, I get it, but Biden is in terrible shape. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1594 "2024-07-18T23:46:33Z")
Any running mate for Harris would almost certainly have to be a man; I think a woman-woman ticket would be too much for the electorate. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1595 "2024-07-18T23:46:57Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > It’s too late for buyer’s remorse. First off: no, it’s not. Second: aren’t we talking about _Biden_ stepping down? So that’d be, what, _seller’s_ remorse? Is it too late for seller’s remorse? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1596 "2024-07-18T23:48:44Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Sorry, you’re in denial. The situation sucks, I get it, but Biden is in terrible shape. To me it is akin to when you have to tell your elderly mom or dad they can no longer drive. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1597 "2024-07-18T23:49:00Z")
I think everyone is pushing back a bit too hard here. Without the overwhelming pressure, Biden would not step down. Biden has a right to be the nominee because he was elected as such. Biden is the only person who has beaten Trump, and he’s polling as well as anyone else. I could go on. I think he should step down and I want a change for all the reasons being offered, but it’s not a simple and clear decision. It’s just not. Edit: I realize I responded specifically to you, but meant this as a general pushback. Including to myself to make sure I’m not drinking the koolaid too much. Late late edit: this is one hell of a week of politics. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1598 "2024-07-18T23:50:26Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > What about Barack Obama? Also a “Never-Biden?” Et tu, Barack? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1599 "2024-07-18T23:52:16Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > This plan, if true, is dumb and more Biden vanity. Not endorse Harris?! Not endorsing Harris immediately makes sense if they’re really going to an open convention. Biden would be free to endorse whoever emerges. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2024, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690/1600 "2024-07-18T23:53:47Z")
Right, exactly. Biden seems to be struggling _a lot_ with assessing his own capabilities. It’s really hard to watch. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690.md?page=79) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-considering-dropping-out-update-biden-drops-out/1003690.md?page=81)