To skip over Kamala Harris, the first female, black, VP, in favor of someone else is just not going to happen in anybodies fantasy world. And Michelle Obama has made it very clear, several times, that she has no interest in politics.
Time is now the enemy.
We all would. But I’ve never been excited about electing an octogenarian. ANY octogenarian. And while I’d vote for a hospice-care Biden over a Trump in a minute, I don’t think enough of my fellow citizens will follow suit.
I’m pretty pissed at the Republican party and where they’ve gone, but if it were Baker or Hogan running against Biden? Well, I just might (I’d have to see how they adjust their positions on a national stage).
Unless we find out that Biden ALSO had sex with a porn star, and it was yesterday, I think he’s toast.
I’d take Biden’s inadequately trained dog over Trump. But neither you or I are the median voters in the swing states.
No one is. I wasn’t. But in my opinion, this is who we have. The sooner we accept it and support him, the sooner we have any chance of turning this mess around.
We’re always saying we should be more like Republicans. In this one instance, I agree. I see no alternative but to get behind our candidate as fully as we can and instead of tearing him down at every opportunity, turn our considerable talents toward focusing like lasers on the total unfitness of Trump and his Republican henchmen.
They used to say Cheney was running things because he was smarter, wilier, etc. Than Bush.
So who will be running things if Biden is reelected?
The Washington Post has an article up that Virginia Senator Mark Warner is trying to assemble a group of Democratic Senators to ask Biden to exit the race.
I think it’s more likely than not that Biden drops out. I just can’t see how it gets better for him. Scripted events and softball interviews with friendly media aren’t going to assuage anybody. On the other hand, what else can he do, execute a standing backflip live on stage to demonstrate his vigor and vitality? If he was going to survive this, he would have tamped down this kind of talk among Democrats by now.
Michelle Obama, to my knowledge, has never been in politics.
In general, I’d go with this.
He would, effectively need to pull some stunt like parking a chair in the middle of a podunk town in Alabama, and do a live stream answering questions from passers-by, showing stamina from sunrise to a bit past sunset, for a couple of days in a row.
Do that and, sure, I’ll vote for you. Being able to time a single interview, to make sure that you’re as rested and ready as possible…that’s not terribly convincing.
And even with the streaming option, I think we’re all aware that there’s going to be a point where he needs to stand down and that’s probably a bit less than 4 years from now. So if the answer is, either way, Kamala Harris then I feel like the most important question is who will do better in the election between the two of them, than whether Biden can survive a two day challenge.
I am 95% convinced that Joe Biden is in serious cognitive decline and that those around him are cynically, albeit not too successfully, trying to hide it. In this case the bullet that needs to be bitten to to avoid all further pretence and accept that they need somebody else. A nobody stuffed shirt would have more chance than Biden.
Conservative never-Trumpers A.B. Stoddard and Bill Kristol are calling their shots now.
Stoddard:
One week after his catastrophic debate against Donald Trump, President Joe Biden thinks an interview he is giving to George Stephanopoulos, airing tonight on ABC News, will save his nomination.
Nope.
Biden may appear “with it” in his teleprompter-free exchange, and even answer tough questions crisply with energy and detail. But for all the hype this interview is getting, on the big matter it will be largely immaterial. The Biden re-election effort is over.
Kristol (my emphasis):
When, a week from now, President Biden will have withdrawn as a candidate for re-election, I suspect Nancy Pelosi will have played a pivotal role.
All he had to do was call an event that was:
A press Q&A, town hall, whatever. Or Sage_Rat’s plopping a chair down anywhere in America. It sounds like a lot of requirements, but it’s something almost all politicians are capable of. It’s something most functioning adults are capable of.
He could have done this any day since the debate. It doesn’t require planning; in fact, planning ruins the effect.
Secret Service, though – no sitting President is just popping up anywhere unnanounced.
I think you’re missing the point. Nobody is framing this as a choice between Biden or Trump. There’s no need to fixate on how awful Trump is because every Doper knows. 99% of people in this message board are voting for the Democratic candidate.
Rather, it’s a choice of Biden vs. Trump, or some Democratic replacement vs. Trump.
This is like doctors debating over whether chemotherapy or surgery is the better treatment for cancer. Nobody is saying that cancer ought to win by going untreated, as if saying “I oppose chemo” means “I love cancer.” They’re trying to figure which method is better for beating the cancer.
How high a percent do you really think it is? It can’t be 99%, but I would be 80-85%. I mean, we must have some Trump supporters.
OK, 99% may be a stretch, but I’m not aware of a single Trump supporter left here ever since Tim R Mortiss got banned last year.
Sure, popping up in the middle of nowhere would require some Secret Service detail. But some event at the White House isn’t going to be a massive undertaking.
Does anyone think this thread inaccurate? I think so as Biden is completely opposed to dropping out.
Maybe the story should be tump right now. Whatever Dems do (and I think a different candidate would be disastrous) the media, Russian trolls, and republicans are going to make it the story. Letting this mess resolve itself instead of fanning the flames would be the best path forward. Any official Dem flogging this publicly is a fool.
He considered it and rejected it.
He is going to be under a lot of pressure to consider it again.
I just read this new article (sorry, may be behind paywall) by a Philadelphia oncologist who repeatedly met with Biden in the early days of COVID, when he was fine. It is devastating – dx is loss of fluid intelligence:
Mmm, Biden?