If Biden dropped out, we would go back to the system before there were enough primaries for those to be highly important. This system existed in living memory and had a decent record of picking nominees.
I’m uncertain if Biden should drop out, but, if he does, the elected delegates should not be instructed by me, or Joe Biden, or anyone else who to choose. And, as a never-Trump centrist Democrat, I’m confident that I would support the resulting ticket.
I genuinely don’t know how much Biden wants to be President. Both in 2020 and in 2024, how much of his decision to run was a desire to be President, and how much was a desire to make sure Trump wasn’t President? Would he have sat out if there were a candidate with an obviously better chance of beating Trump?
There is no fully objective way to know if it would be a good idea or a terrible idea. So they have to decide which campaign professionals to listen to.
One question is whether they surrounded themselves with loyalists, or if they reached out to be sure of getting outside views. Another question is whether one or both is so good at statistics to be their own campaign data expert, and if they then put in the necessary hours to do analyze properly. I admit to not now having good answers to those questions. A few years from now, journalists (maybe Bob Woodward, if he is still writing) will publish insider nonfiction, on the 2024 election, giving us a better idea as to whether my addiction of power hypothesis is supported.
No, I don’t have a specific person. There is a group that might be able to do a better job of taking the fight to Trump than Biden: Buttigieg, Newsom, Whitmer, Shapiro, Klobuchar, Kamala. There might be others. All of the people I mentioned aren’t dealing with the issues that Biden displayed last night.
And to be clear, I’m not saying that Biden absolutely has to get out of the race. If he stays, I’ll still vote for him. I’m just saying that after last night, I can understand the point of view that wants him out of the race. He couldn’t put together two sentences last night. It was brutal. Part of being president is being able to communicate. It’s not the only thing, but it is one of the things. And at this point, Biden’s ability to communicate seems reduced from a few years ago.
The questions I have is: what voters do the Democrats gain by replacing Biden, and who do they lose? It really all comes down to the cold numbers calculus.
That will depend on who is replacing him on the ticket. I have no idea if it will work or not. But after last night, it’s a discussion that at least needs to be had.
Because…?
Because he could barely get through a single sentence without butchering every other word. Is this a serious question you’re asking?
It is being had here: IF it is obvious that Biden should step aside, who should take his place? - #7 by Czarcasm
If Whitmer or Harris is the top of the ticket nominee, I guess they lose extreme sexists. But aren’t they already concerned that Harris would become president because of Biden having to quit during this second term?
If Newsom, I guess the Democrats would lose those few swing voters who consider Joe Biden to be a unique moderate Democrat. Problem is, those are the voters Biden lost over the last three years.
If Shapiro, Democrats lose a few antisemites.
As to who Democrats gain, a lot of ardent Democrats – and Republicans – won’t like this. But I think that the more voters see a politician, the more they find something to not like about them. This means that just being a fresh face helps.
Just saw on the TV screen in the other room that the New York Times editorial board called for Biden to step down. It’s one thing for Nate Silver to say it. This suggests to me that Biden has to go.
It says to me that the New York Times might be supporting Trump…but I just say that because I occasionally read the paper.
He had a cold. Are we seriously suggesting that having a cold means he can’t be president?
Every living Democratic ex-president is standing by him. That should be the end of the discussion.
Did you watch the debate last night? A cold did not do that to him. It wasn’t a cold that made him unable to string together 10 words.
You and I must not have watched the same debate.
Read it more. And check how often, in hard news articles, they brand a Trump statement as baseless.
Trump calls them the enemy of the people. How do you think that makes them feel? They would be less than human not to be worried about personal safety in a second Trump term.
I disagree. A shitty head cold, where you’re on cold meds and can barely breathe, could absolutely account for such a performance. You could see he was still fighting a cold this morning, though he was much more clear-headed and articulate.
It makes them feel like a Trump presidency will sell more papers. The safety of their employees is not a concern.
Yeah, that’s an understatement. I’m pretty sure you didn’t watch the debate that occurred last night.
I don’t see any posts in the watchalong thread with your name on them.
A head-cold can affect performance. But not that much.
Look, I’m going to vote for him if he stays in office. But some of you can’t accept what happened last night on that stage. ANd it wasn’t just a head cold that caused it.