# President Joe Biden and the runup to the 2024 election **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 15, 2021, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384 "2021-11-15T14:54:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/424 "2024-01-06T21:01:12Z")
Speaking of the speech, I implore everyone reading these words to listen to it in light of the constant, and baseless, complaints that Biden is in some sort of cognizant decline. And then compare it to Trump blathering that magnets lose their force if wet, or, well, whatever the hell was going on here: > Or, hell, here’s a compilation: > Yeah, it’s pretty easy to see who is in cognitive decline, and it sure the fuck isn’t Joe Biden. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/425 "2024-01-06T21:04:18Z")
> [@Sec Def Lloyd Austin "secretly" hospitalized](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/2): > > The whole point of Biden, and normal functioning of government overall, is that you’re not reliant on The One Guy. Y Yeah, if Covid had occurred during H. Clintons presidency, she would have let the experts handle it, and just made a few public service announcements. Biden’s cabinet and veep are very competent. Even if Joe got ill or something, the government would continue to function smoothly. > [@JohnT](#): > > Yeah, it’s pretty easy to see who is in cognitive decline, and it sure the fuck isn’t Joe Biden. Yep. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/426 "2024-01-06T21:07:20Z")
I’ll second that. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/427 "2024-01-06T22:00:10Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Yeah, it’s pretty easy to see who is in cognitive decline, and it sure the fuck isn’t Joe Biden. Can it be called a decline if Trump has been this moronic for decades? ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/428 "2024-01-06T23:37:26Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Did you even listen to the speech? I normally read and not listen. But I did listen several times to make sure Biden said “Trump was a loser” and not the more acceptable “Trump was the loser.” > [@JohnT](#): > > Also, I searched high and low for polling which backs up your assertion that “in the mind of the average swing voter, Hitler analogies shut down their interest in hearing more”. That is indeed my opinion. Apologies if I gave the impression of having seen a poll. > [@JohnT](#): > > Now, of course, this isn’t the “swing voter” (how many are there of those nowadays?) . . . The number of swing voters, shown in polls, seems to vary widely. I didn’t mean to imply that all swing voters swing between political parties. Some swing between voting and not voting. There’s not much polling data here, but this fourteen month old article still sounds about right to me: [Swing Voters Are Angry, Alienated, and Very Powerful](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/11/swing-voters-are-angry-alienated-and-very-powerful.html) > [@](#): > > Swing voters hold an idiosyncratic mix of priorities and values that scramble the common liberal-conservative divide. Some are economically liberal and socially conservative, while others, albeit relatively few, are the reverse. Many are holdouts from another political era: conservative Democrats or liberal Republicans who no longer feel at home in their party but who haven’t (yet) formally switched to the other side. Voters who swing between the Greens and the Democrats probably liked Biden accusing Trump of using Nazi rhetoric. I don’t think there are a lot of them, but I admit to lack of hard data there. ---
**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:** [January 7, 2024, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/437 "2024-01-07T01:22:20Z")
Moderating: The discussion about Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his illness is not particularly relevant to the subject of this thread. However, I recognize the topic arose organically. For those participating, if you wish to carry on the discussion, please start a new thread and I will move posts for those who wish it. But drop the discussion here, please. ---
**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:** [January 7, 2024, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/438 "2024-01-07T01:49:47Z")
Thanks, @flurb. Posts moved. > [@Sec Def Lloyd Austin "secretly" hospitalized](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719): > > I doubt it will have much impact on the election, but it’s really not a good look for the Administration that we’re only now finding out that the Secretary of Defense has been hospitalized since January 1 and spent four days in the ICU unable to perform his duties. Biden in particular should be wary of looking like his Administration is covering up serious health conditions. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/439 "2024-01-11T19:03:27Z")
Remember how, just over a month ago, we were being fed story after story, poll after poll, of how Trump was leading in the polls? Wonder why those stories stopped? > **[PA 2024 Elections: Biden On Upside Of Too-Close-To-Call Race, Quinnipiac...](https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3888)** > > "Pennsylvania, so crucial and so close, again takes center stage as the swing state with the electoral heft to > decide the election," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy. [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-trump-tied-outset-us-election-year-reutersipsos-poll-2024-01-10/](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-trump-tied-outset-us-election-year-reutersipsos-poll-2024-01-10/) [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4395340-2024-election-trump-leads-biden-key-swing-states-narrow-survey/](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4395340-2024-election-trump-leads-biden-key-swing-states-narrow-survey/) ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/440 "2024-01-13T06:20:45Z")
Clearly Deep State misinformation. DERP STATE!!!1!!!? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/441 "2024-01-13T18:27:00Z")
THE AGE COHORT WHICH IS LEAST LIKELY TO VOTE IS MAD AT BIDEN BECAUSE THEY THINK HE CAN ISSUE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER AND GET ISRAEL TO STOP FIGHTING THE PALESTINIANS, meanwhile… > **['Nobody expected this': Biden has 60 percent support from voters 65 and older](https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/-nobody-expected-this-biden-has-60-percent-support-from-voters-65-and-older-201740357774?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_mj)** > > President Biden has 60 percent support from voters 65 and older, according to new Quinnipiac polling. The Morning Joe panel discusses why this is big news for Biden. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/442 "2024-01-13T18:41:55Z")
Link goes to video. In short, the reasons given: 1. Older people are insulted by the age attacks. They, too, can see the differences between the two candidates and they are siding with Biden. 2. Their retirement accounts are doing very well. 3. They hate Trump’s ‘chaos’ messaging, and his “I hope the economy tanks” line did not win them over. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/443 "2024-01-13T19:23:12Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > They hate Trump’s ‘chaos’ messaging, and his “I hope the economy tanks” line did not win them over. That line didn’t cut it? It’s got Very Stable Genius all over it! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/k-LTRwZb35A/maxresdefault.jpg "A VERY STABLE GENIUS - Randy Rainbow Song Parody") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-LTRwZb35A) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/444 "2024-01-14T01:01:26Z")
I’m sure it’s just to keep in the news, but Joe Manchin is still teasing a third-party run by somebody. Oh goody! Do we think he’d draw more from Dems or Republicans if he does run? Probably Dems, just thanks to the long association with the party. > **[Manchin says Super Tuesday will offer clarity on need for a third-party...](https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/manchin-super-tuesday-offer-clarity-party-candidate-106326137)** > > Iowa and New Hampshire are about to kick off the 2024 presidential nominating process, but Sen. Joe Manchin says the path for a potential third-party candidate won’t become clear until Super Tuesday in March ---
**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:** [January 14, 2024, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/445 "2024-01-14T01:38:45Z")
I’m not worried. My feelings on Manchin: > [@Joe Manchin won't run again](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-manchin-wont-run-again/992883/17): > > This is just based on my feelings about Manchin – but I think it’s extremely unlikely that he runs for President 3rd party. Unlike Sinema, who I feel is a scumbag wannabe fame-seeker, I believe Manchin is a very shrewd politician. That doesn’t mean I think he’s a force for good – he’s largely been a force for corporate and (especially) fossil fuel interests, just not as far to the extreme as Republicans. But I do believe that he’s genuinely horrified by Trump and the modern Republican party. > > As a very shrewd politician (likely with an ego to match), he loves attention. So he loves seeing all these people fawn over him and encourage him to run 3rd party. But he’s smart enough to know that he couldn’t win as a 3rd party candidate, and he has absolutely no interest in helping Trump regain power. So ultimately, he’ll announce he’s not running and endorse Biden, but probably at the last possible minute (meaning, likely, late next summer). > > My feelings, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/446 "2024-01-18T06:20:00Z")
Fourteen House Democrats joined Republicans to pass a resolution that “denounces the Biden administration’s open-borders policies” and “condemns the national security and public safety crisis” it says results from them. > **[14 Dems vote with GOP as House condemns Biden handling of southern border](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/01/17/congress/house-gop-biden-border-rebuke-dems-00136221)** > > The non-binding resolution passed 225-187. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/447 "2024-01-19T03:03:20Z")
Yes, Biden sure is having a hard time cleaning up the mess the previous administration left him there. Weren’t they supposed to have fixed this problem by building a wall or something? And wasn’t it going to be paid for by Mexico? Too bad they never got around to it, it makes it look like they intentionally failed to solve the problem just so they could make him look bad. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/448 "2024-01-19T12:20:21Z")
The nice part about extremist lunacy is that whatever the problem is, and no matter how many decades long-standing it is, or who touched it last, they can always shout that the _real_ problem is that “Not enough extremism has been applied; only extremism is the solution. This can be fixed if only we’re willing to shed enough blood and treasure.” In a sense they are right. Gordian knots and wicked problems are by definition insoluble except by the sword. Which of course will produce more and worse problems, but at least different worse problems. The difficulty is the number of extremists who’d prefer those more and different worse problems, or who think they do until they learn what it really entails. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/449 "2024-01-19T14:12:55Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Fourteen House Democrats joined Republicans to pass a resolution that “denounces the Biden administration’s open-borders policies” and “condemns the national security and public safety crisis” it says results from them. This says something big about Biden’s position. My first thought was the fourteen Democrats come from districts that voted for Trump in 2020. Checking, there only are [five Democrats from such districts](https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/the-new-crossover-members-of-the-house/), and all five [voted for the resolution](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202413). That leaves nine who apparently think their district is swinging from Biden in 2020 to Trump in 2024. Meanwhile, none of the fourteen Republican house members, from districts that went for Biden, opposed the resolution. It is mostly too late for them to be primaried, so that probably isn’t the main reason they voted Yea. They are afraid of the general election electorate. So, judging by behavior, many professional politicians think Biden is. at least on immigration, politically toxic. I’m leaving out the possibility of a Democrat, or a politician from a Democratic district, actually agreeing with the resolution, but [it is so ugly](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/957/text) I doubt that. It’s especially implausible that any of the fourteen Democratic yea votes feel good about their vote. No profiles in courage here. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/450 "2024-01-19T14:36:55Z")
One of the Democratic “yeas” was Colin Allred, who’s running to challenge Ted Cruz in the Texas Senate race this fall. He clearly sees the Administration’s border policies as a liability in a statewide campaign. I don’t think it’s much of a secret that the border is a political vulnerability for Biden. He certainly sees it – he’s apparently been directly involved in the negotiations on a Ukraine aid/border enforcement deal and progressively giving ground on what he’ll accept vis-a-vis the border. And we can gripe all we want about how this is manufactured Republican outrage and that it was just as bad under Trump, but Presidents get blamed for problems on their watch. Herbert Hoover wasn’t responsible for the stock market crash and onset of the Depression, but he was held accountable when his policies didn’t improve things. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/451 "2024-01-19T14:50:30Z")
If a conservative Republican President who was a former freakin’ Governor of _Texas_ couldn’t secure the border in eight years, it can’t be done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384.md?page=23)