# 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:** 52
**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:** [March 7, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1032 "2024-03-07T18:17:35Z")
(redacted per mod note) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1033 "2024-03-07T18:18:15Z")
I like Biden. He wasn’t remotely my first choice of the Democratic contenders in 2020 but he has far exceeded my expectations for him (even if he’s disappointed me in some areas). I’m not thrilled about a man his age being president but he’s still by far the best (or, if you insist, least worst) option available. I’m not going to pine for some mythical “A.N. Other” Democrat that doesn’t actually exist. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1034 "2024-03-07T18:19:10Z")
Damn ninja mods! ---
**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:** [March 7, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1035 "2024-03-07T18:20:38Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Every time around, it’s always something. There’s always _some_ reason why the candidate the Democrats have put forward is the wrong one. “If only they’d chosen someone else, they’d win more handily”, we are eternally told. > > It doesn’t matter who the Democrats nominate. We will always be told that that person is the worst possible choice, by _deeply concerned_ people. This, right here. It doesn’t matter who Dems choose. They will be vilified, demonized and smeared to within an inch of their lives. For Biden, the _only_ thing they found they could harp on is his age. So that’s what they harp on. It’s literally the same play as “Pelosi is too old to be Speaker!” Look how that turned out. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2024, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1036 "2024-03-07T18:33:16Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I like Biden. He wasn’t remotely my first choice of the Democratic contenders in 2020 but he has far exceeded my expectations for him (even if he’s disappointed me in some areas). > > I’m not thrilled about a man his age being president but he’s still by far the best (or, if you insist, least worst) option available. I’m not going to pine for some mythical “A.N. Other” Democrat that doesn’t actually exist. This. I’d have been a happier if they’d started pushing Harris as a successor and perhaps had her as the nominee, but oh well. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2024, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1037 "2024-03-07T18:44:13Z")
Who exactly is this “they” you speak of? About half of Democrats think Biden is too old to run again. Are they all secretly Republicans? Or maybe they’ve been brainwashed by the right-wing media conspiracy? Also, Pelosi really was too old to be Speaker (though I have no idea why you even bring that up or what was supposed to have “worked out”), Feinstein was too old be in the Senate, and RBG was too old to not retire while Obama was in office. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1038 "2024-03-07T18:59:30Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > A large majority of Americans are concerned about his age, a concern which he can’t do anything to alleviate. Let’s start with the second part of this, which is nonsense. OF COURSE he can do things to alleviate this, like giving another great SOTU speech tonight, traveling the country and speaking to people (i.e. campaigning more), and otherwise demonstrating his fitness. He’s already been appearing recently on late night talk shows and showing his quick wit, etc. This “concern” is not irreducible. The first part is true due to polling I’ve seen, but the question is: how concerned are they? Because to go anecdotal for a moment, I am minorly concerned about Biden’s age, but I will still crawl through broken glass to vote for the man come November, in a state that he will certainly carry by 20 points anyway. “Concern” does not equal “not voting for.” ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1039 "2024-03-07T19:01:08Z")
I’m sorry, how many of those 300 million Americans will even participate in this election? ---
**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:** [March 7, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1040 "2024-03-07T19:01:28Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > So it concerns me that the DNC doesn’t seem to feel it needs a response to that beyond “Well, the polls are probably wrong”. What can the DNC do if Biden wants to stay in the race? ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1041 "2024-03-07T19:01:53Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Still, I’d rather two good years of Biden followed by two years of chaotic compensation for a seriously ill president than three minutes of the Other Guy at the helm, so there’s that. But that’s the thing. In a functioning US government, there are mechanisms for dealing with a dead or failing President, and I for one trust the Democrats to make use of those mechanisms if Biden does decline sharply after the election. But I have no trust at all that the Republicans will do the same. They’ve bent every rule there is to prop up Trump, and they’ll continue to do that. And it’s not just Trump. Almost every week, we hear about a new GOP candidate who is just utter trash, that any sane party would expel from their ranks, but for whom the GOP do backflips to avoid placing any sanctions on the person. I mean, how long did it take them to finally deal with George Santos? And even in that rare case, they immediately started whining about how it cost them a seat in a very small majority situation, and how it was probably a mistake to shitcan him. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1042 "2024-03-07T19:06:34Z")
OK, semi-fair point. If Biden starts actively campaigning and giving good speeches, the concern would be somewhat alleviated (though, as I said above, demonstrating that he’s cognitively intact NOW wouldn’t completely reassure me). I hope he can do that. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1043 "2024-03-07T19:10:01Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > OK, semi-fair point. OK, semi-gracious acknowledgement. 😉 ---
**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:** [March 7, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1044 "2024-03-07T19:10:11Z")
Other than the “nuclear option” of actually persuading him to step down, they could try adjusting their messaging, adopting some more popular positions (legal weed would be low hanging fruit here), and generally doing the things you expect politicians who are losing to try to do. But it is true that at this point the decision is entirely in Biden’s hands. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1045 "2024-03-07T19:16:43Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > adopting some more popular positions Given what I know of the “popular positions” in the country as we speak . . . be careful what you wish for. (I can’t help but read that as popular with you and not what’s actually popular.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1046 "2024-03-07T19:20:41Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Concerns about his age are reasonable, and are very foolish to ignore. Who’s ignoring them? Plenty of people in this thread have actively addressed them by explaining why Biden is a good candidate _despite_ his age. The problem is that reasonable explanations have little power against arguments that run, _but look at him! he’s oooooold! he stutters!_ ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1047 "2024-03-07T19:34:36Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > adopting some more popular positions (legal weed would be low hanging fruit here), But the problem is, the Democrats are already supporting a whole lot of popular positions. On almost every major hot-button issue, the Democrats are on the side supported by a large majority of Americans. When polled as stand-alone issues, almost every major Democrat policy is supported by a majority, _even among Republicans_. Supporting one more popular policy isn’t going to change the fact that, once you start talking about “Democratic Policies” rather than just generic policies, a large number of voters turn their brains off, and stop supporting those exact same policies. Here’s a site that lists 100 policies supported by a majority of both Republicans and Democrats. Take a look, and ask yourself, how many of these are supported by the GOP? The answer I see is “almost none”. > **[100 policies supported by majorities of Democrats and Republicans | YouGov](https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/44463-policies-supported-by-democrats-and-republicans)** > > We combed through YouGov's survey archives since the start of 2020 and found 100 policies supported by a majority of Democrats and by a majority of Republicans. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1048 "2024-03-07T19:50:45Z")
Look, if I thought I specifically knew the perfect candidate and the perfect platform, I wouldn’t be shy about telling you. I agree that Biden has done a fine job so far, and I can’t imagine how anyone could possibly consider voting for the other guy. It seems like there must be something his campaign isn’t doing, but I am unable to point specifically to what it is. But my inability to offer a plan doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t expect that the people leading my party should have one, nor does it mean that I can’t identify “denial” as a poor strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1049 "2024-03-07T20:00:13Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Well, there’s the rub. Obviously other candidates haven’t been extensively polled against Trump, so we don’t have a lot of data. > > I feel like realistically, we’d have to go with Harris. We do have a decent set of Harris v. Trump polls. She is further behind that Biden is. > **[2024 General Election: Trump vs. Harris Polls | RealClearPolling](https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/trump-vs-harris)** > > Explore poll data on the 2024 General Election between Trump and Harris with RealClearPolling. Uncover trends and gain insight into electoral dynamics for key races and decisive outcomes. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1050 "2024-03-07T20:01:36Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > It seems like there must be something his campaign isn’t doing, but I am unable to point specifically to what it is. It’s campaigning. And they will start doing it soon. They have to balance the risks of a major fumble with the desire to get Biden out there talking to the voters. It’s a long race and they will need to pace themselves - he is an old man after all and his day job is pretty demanding. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384/1051 "2024-03-07T20:15:47Z")
With a Democratic president, the DNC is a meaningless organization, essentially an arm of the president’s political team. Acting like the DNC can choose a different candidate is contrary to reality. The DNC does what Biden tells them. It does nothing on its own. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384.md?page=51) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-joe-biden-and-the-runup-to-the-2024-election/954384.md?page=53)