# President Biden Dropping Out of Race **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** kamala-harris\ **Created:** [July 21, 2024, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540 "2024-07-21T18:05:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/483 "2024-07-30T00:56:01Z")
Got it. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/484 "2024-07-30T01:08:00Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Maybe the tell-all books will contradict this is coming years, but so far there has not been a single word that suggests that Biden made the decision before the day it was announced, or that anybody else in his inner circle knew of such a thing. > > I rate the Democrat’s ability to plan such a coup as slightly more credible than the flat earthers, but not nearly as much fun to debunk. This is more than reasonable, but long form journalism.of the Bob Woodward sort is going to find out something significant and surprising. It is hard for daily journalism to do this because the Biden administration doesn’t leak much, and they need multiple sources. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/485 "2024-07-30T01:13:46Z")
> [@squidfood](#): > > If Biden had dropped out right after the debate, it likely would have been bad. If Harris wins, everything little thing was done perfectly. If Trump wins, the timing was atrocious. Or so many pundits will say. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/486 "2024-07-30T01:29:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Rather see trump in office?? I don’t believe this for one minute Well, they were hitting Biden much harder than they hit trump. They have a fued with Biden as he doesnt give them special privileges. > [@Sylvanz](#): > > I still blame the media narrative. That was the true manipulation, but for the most part that narrative was thoughtless, and destructive. So far we’re doing alright in spite of all the stupidity. I hope it continues. Yep. ---
**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 30, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/487 "2024-07-30T01:34:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I was surprised that there werent massive [NYT] cancellations due to that. Anecdotally, there were several dozen self-professed NYT cancellations just from the readers of the liberal Substacks Status Kuo and Hopium Chronicles. Cancelling was — and is — worn like badge of honor. ---
**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 30, 2024, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/488 "2024-07-30T01:36:39Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > Yep, and the NYT , deciding that they would rather see trump in office as he gives them interviews, didnt help. Talk about petty. > > Rather see trump in office?? I don’t believe this for one minute. 🧐 The most charitable thing you could say is that the NYT has been generally unbothered by the prospect of a second Trump term. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/489 "2024-07-30T01:41:54Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Maybe the tell-all books will contradict this is coming years, but so far there has not been a single word that suggests that Biden made the decision before the day it was announced, or that anybody else in his inner circle knew of such a thing. If the political reporting was anywhere near correct, sometime after July 10th, Pelosi privately told Biden things were bad and the Demos would probably lose the House. Pelosi said no such thing publicly, but reportedly Biden pushed back. On the 17th, Adam Schiff publicly called on Biden to drop out. Schiff is very close to Pelosi and I believe he would have cleared that comment with her before going public. There’s probably no one in politics who could make Biden change his mind except Pelosi, so it took what she said in private, and Schiff being Pelosi’s messenger in public, to persuade Biden to decide the cause was lost. In other words, somewhere between three days before and the night before Biden dropped out. Hardly enough time for a game of five-dimensional political chess. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/490 "2024-07-30T01:42:56Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > If the political reporting was anywhere near correct, All that was pure speculation. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/491 "2024-07-30T01:47:38Z")
Pure speculation by a lot of different reporters from a lot of different organizations with a lot of different political leanings. Just search Google. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/492 "2024-07-30T02:20:02Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > If Harris wins, everything little thing was done perfectly. If Trump wins, the timing was atrocious. You see this all the time in football. If a coach takes a risk and succeeds they’re a genius, if it fails they’re an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/493 "2024-07-30T02:48:32Z")
I’ve found that the feel of the _Times_ since the announcement is that a weight has been lifted and it’s sunnier days ahead and all those cliches. You could never pinpoint a sentence that was overtly in favor of Trump, but every article stressed Biden’s age and inability to communicate properly, without mentioning Trump’s similar problems. They finally got to the point where they could print the word “lie” in an article about Trump but refrained from outwardly attacking him. With Harris as the candidate, the paper can print positives about her and the acclaim she’s received. Democrats are now getting better coverage than Republicans. Without being on the inside of the paper - there’s a book that will be read avidly by upwards of a hundred people when it comes out - I can’t say whether this is a deliberate editorial decision or just being forced to acknowledge the truth of the past weeks. One thing I do trust about the _Times_ is that if information about Biden’s having made the decision long in advance and used anyone on his team to fool the public is findable, they will find it and print a two-page article on it. > [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > In other words, somewhere between three days before and the night before Biden dropped out. Hardly enough time for a game of five-dimensional political chess. I’ll grant the possibility that Biden made up his mind a night or two earlier but hoped against hope that he could be shown a way out. But, like you, not enough time to execute a deception. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/494 "2024-07-30T02:58:16Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I’ve found that the feel of the _Times_ since the announcement is that a weight has been lifted and it’s sunnier days ahead and all those cliches. You could never pinpoint a sentence that was overtly in favor of Trump, but every article stressed Biden’s age and inability to communicate properly, without mentioning Trump’s similar problems. They finally got to the point where they could print the word “lie” in an article about Trump but refrained from outwardly attacking him. > > With Harris as the candidate, the paper can print positives about her and the acclaim she’s received. Democrats are now getting better coverage than Republicans. Yeah, but they are still sniping at her, and it could turn ugly is she doesnt do what they want- > **[New York Times Editorial Board Urges Kamala Harris to 'Do Better' Than Biden...](https://cargreen.es/2024/07/27/bl-wlv/RTsd440841LtCu39uI.html)** > > The New York Times editorial board urged Vice President Kamala Harris to “do better” than her former running mate in answering reporters’ questions. _The New York Times editorial board urged Vice President Kamala Harris to “do better” than her former running mate in answering reporters’ questions._ _“Vice President Kamala Harris, now the likely Democratic nominee, has the opportunity to encourage and embrace the kind of scrutiny the public has so far had little opportunity to see in the 2024 race,” the Times editorial board wrote Friday._ _“Americans deserve a campaign that tests the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, that highlights their differences and allows for scrutiny of their plans, that motivates people to vote by giving them a clear sense of how their choice in this election will affect their lives. Americans deserve the opportunity to ask questions of those seeking to lead their government.”_…I_n April, the New York Times editorial board criticized Biden for “dodging interviews and questions from major media outlets” in a scathing article. The newspaper also called on the president to drop out of the race after his disastrous performance in last month’s debate._ So, that is an out and out threat- give the NYT the special precedence they think they deserve or they will turn against her also. They should be ashamed of themselves. I hope Biden bans them from news conferences. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/495 "2024-07-30T03:28:49Z")
Yep, apparently they are the arbiters of what “we” want to hear. All I heard them ask since the debate is, something like: _So nice NATO meeting…so when are you going to step down as the Democratic candidate. Did you know (big name congress critter - donor - Hollywood star - talking head) is calling for you to not accept the nomination? Do you know you’re old? Oh and by the way other people have noticed you’re old…So when are you stepping down 'cause you’re old?_ Pretty much how many of them interviewed … well anyone they could ask. ---
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/496 "2024-07-30T14:15:08Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Moreover, all the reporting lately has been about Biden raging against such a decision, made at the absolute last minute. The reporting lately doesn’t mean much. It takes years for the real story to come out, but when it does your skepticism will look very foolish, I predict. Biden would be an idiot (which he is not) and a naive politician (which he definitely is not) to make ANY important decision on the fly. One’s instinctive response to anything could be seriously flawed, which is why pols try to take their time mulling over their decisions and try to get input from their most trusted advisors. There is no reason to imagine that in this instance Biden didn’t do both. I’m pretty positive it will come out that he consulted with a few closemouthed advisors shortly after the disastrous debate, and they discussed the wisdom of dropping out of the race, passing along messages from powerful Dems as to his fading support within the party, and he made the call at least a week, probably at least two weeks, before his announcement, and it was also decided in those meetings to deny vigorously that he was even considering stepping down, so as to maximize the GOP’s inability to tack against their wind. I’m as certain as it is to be in such matters that Biden did not make his decision at “the absolute last minute” or anything resembling “the absolute last minute.” ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/497 "2024-07-30T16:04:34Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > he made the call at least a week, probably at least two weeks, before his announcement, and it was also decided in those meetings to deny vigorously that he was even considering stepping down, so as to maximize the GOP’s inability to tack against their wind. > > I’m as certain as it is to be in such matters that Biden did not make his decision at “the absolute last minute” or anything resembling “the absolute last minute.” CNN reports sources saying he made the final decision in [48 hours](https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/21/politics/inside-bidens-exit-from-2024-race/index.html). And actually it sounds like closer to 24-36 - A source familiar with the matter said the plans to exit the race began Saturday night and were finalized Sunday. Now it does appear like he was maybe being a little deliberately obfuscatory in those last 48 while plans were set in motion. But I still sit with the skeptics. Party operatives like Pelosi may have been aggressively working for a couple of weeks to smooth the path, but I really don’t think Biden was the scheming, play-acting genius behind it all. We’ll see - it WILL come out eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/498 "2024-07-30T17:31:58Z")
The NYT is certainly not the only source that noticed Biden had been dodging the media, nor are they the only media source he’s been dodging; he didn’t even do a Super Bowl interview! They may be narcissistic and self-interested, but this is a legitimate complaint. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/499 "2024-07-30T17:35:29Z")
I doubt there was any conspiracy. People started freaking out after the debate, and then it took a few weeks for enough pressure to build up to force Biden out of the race, which seems like about the timeframe you’d expect. He might have delayed the announcement for a day or so for the sake of the news cycle, but I’m not seeing any facts here that can’t be easily explained without resorting to conspiracy theories. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/500 "2024-07-30T18:03:32Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I doubt there was any conspiracy. I agree. I think that people close to him made him watch his debate performance. And he didn’t want to drop out, and was afraid the party would self-destruct. And then he contracted covid and felt really shitty, and contemplated his own (political) mortality. I think that case of covid made a difference, as well as pressure from his political allies. He might have made the decision a day or two before the announcement, and held the announcement to derail post-convention boost that the Republicans should have gotten. But i didn’t think it was a conspiracy, and i doubt he delayed acting on his decision for more than a couple of days. ---
**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 30, 2024, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/501 "2024-07-30T18:15:46Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I doubt there was any conspiracy. I’m not sure where the word, “conspiracy,” was introduced. No one said that. I simply said there was more organization to the switch than may at first appear obvious. I am sure Biden himself resisted the change, initially. But once persuaded of its inevitability, he understood the importance of a careful, organized rollout. I credit Pelosi and Jeffries working behind the scenes to orchestrate that. Pelosi is an assassin when it comes to pulling the Democratic caucus together. As for Biden being good at rope-a-dope, I was referring to his speech at the State of the Union where he got Republicans to agree they wouldn’t mess with Social Security and/or Medicare. There was also another instance of Biden working Republicans into a corner and forcing them to capitulate to his point of view in a public way, but I can’t recall the details of it. Once persuaded it was the right move, he would have appreciated the dexterity of switching candidates at an opportune moment that put egg on the faces of Republicans – which it did. “Conspiracy” not required. Just more planning than is presently confirmed. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540/502 "2024-07-30T18:19:05Z")
Grant that Biden pulled off a masterpiece of timing, stepping down right after the bullet and the convention when otherwise nobody would be talking about anything other than Trump. Unless you subscribe to the wildest conspiracy theories, he could not have not known about the bullet at all, much less that it would do the least, albeit bloodiest, amount of damage that getting struck by a bullet could produce. Nor could Biden foresee the overwhelming - almost instantaneous - outpouring of support for Harris that turned the campaign around in three days. The “almost” part is important. If Biden had been plotting to step down for weeks, then one must also suppose that he coordinated a playscript in which the leadership of the Democratic Party fell into place like marching band members, with the lowest Representatives dribbling in first, then the governors, then the Congressional leaders and lastly Obama. You do that on Broadway so that the stars can take the fanfare. In real politics, the leaders announce first and the lower ranks follow. It’s not enough to believe that Biden for unknowable reasons plunged his party into what seemed to all outside eyes like chaos and weakness; to do so one must also believe that all the victory that banished the despair was also planned, else sure destruction lay ahead. All superhero movies seem to have the same plot: the heroes are defeated, disgraced, disbanded and the villains utterly triumphant, until the big turnaround at the last minute and victory is pulled out of a hat. Script writers can generate such plots. I don’t believe them in a cat-herding business like politics. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-biden-dropping-out-of-race/1004540.md?page=26)