The only observation I will make about President Biden’s announcement that he is running for re-election in 2024 is that today is April 25, 2023. November 5, 2024 is a long way away, particularly when you’re 80 years old.
It reminds me a bit of when my mom had a new furnace installed (she was in her 80s). When the installer asked if she wanted a lifetime warranty or the standard 5 year warranty she laughed.
I think Biden is too old, but politicians are not known to step aside when they are past their prime.
It’s a big risk for Democrats, he could die in the next 18 months, and then what?
“Then what?â€
President Harris!
“President Harris!”
I meant, what if Biden dies during the campaign? Harris would probably be the front-runner, but it would be chaos and greatly increase the odds of a Republican win.
In the last election, Biden campaigned from home, thanks to Covid. he was spared the grueling schedule and the need to make lots of public appearances. He’s four years older and won’t have that luxury this time.
If Biden meets Saint Peter before Nov; Harris becomes President and is an incumbent without a “recordâ€; an ideal position to win.
If Biden has health issues and looks iffy but is determined to run; they did a trial run in the Penn senate elections and the voters didn’t care.
Biden is a shell of a “person.†His mind is fragile, easily manipulated by some unelected power figure behind the screen. Even his recorded announcement is speculated to be AI generated. His electability is basically reliant on the well-developed, greased democrat machine behind their candidates, as well as the cajoling distortions imbued in massive messaging and sophisticated targeting of special interest groups they want to capture in their election net.
Finally, now that so many of our “election integrity†oversight mechanisms have been legally ruled out (chain of custody, signature verification safeguards etc.), considered to be either old-fashioned or unnecessary, it will be less the people choosing the type of governance they want and more the aggressive audacity applied by one given political party over the other.
Isn’t this how totalitarianism oftentimes gains a foothold, growing government out of the grasp of the working class it’s supposed to represent and serve?
“If Biden meets Saint Peter before Nov; Harris becomes President and is an incumbent without a “recordâ€; an ideal position to win.”
I don’t think that’s ideal at all, especially considering Harris’ current reputation is not a good one. Personally, I think Biden ought to do more to raise Harris’ profile because I suspect the VP choice will be more important considering how old he is.
Would you, CO or Andy, be discussing Biden, and especially Harris, in such congenial, non-critical terms if they were Republican?
President Biden has tried to raise her profile. It hasn’t helped. He’d be better off trying to lower her profile and improve her image.
Unmentioned so far: she’s a lousy campaigner as she demonstrated during the primary season.
Jan, my points weren’t really about what is good for the country, they were an honest observation of the law and the politics if Biden’s age is a factor.
For the record, I think Biden is too old to be President, never mind running to stay President. I also believe Trump is too old to be running to be President.
As for Harris; I don’t know her. But she probably isn’t much worse then Biden, (I think his age has taken away any charm or sense he once had), or any of a number of Vice Presidents in past decades who could have been President as well.
Thanks CO for your response.
My reaction to Biden does not dwell on age alone, although that certainly is a factor to consider. Even over and above one’s chronological age, is the mental and emotional age of a person. Biden is “old†in not only years, but he seems mentally and emotionally lacking as well – conditions that most seem aware of but don’t necessarily discuss. In contrast, Trump is also aged in years, but his mental capacity is much younger and sharper than Biden’s.
However, most important to me is the playbook of a candidate – what policies are they promoting to take us where we would benefit the most. IMO Biden’s presidency has produced a decline in our economy, respect from allies, more racial, gender, class division, has made us a borderless country, is jeopardizing our reserve currency status which has immunized us from economic free fall since 1944, and is coupling us to a stringent global standardization, far afield from the sovereignty and freedoms that is so appealing (especially to others) about this country.
As for Harris, she failed to even generate enough interest to win the primary vote in her own state, CA. Her public statements are described as “word salads.†Her general knowledge about anything is shallow, and her values seem to rely on politically correct stances and what is best for her career rather than what is best nationally.
I wish it was someone else. The only good thing about Biden is that he is capable of beating Trump. If he croaks and we end up with Harris that is one of the few people Trump could beat. The PA race is a somewhat decent analogy. Fetterman had lot of issues and if the GOP had run a half normal candidate they could have won and probably won big, but Oz was so awful you had to vote against him. Mastroiani was awful too. My boss who occasionally talks politics with me told me that was the first time he ever voted for a Democrat in any election.
Steve
Biden has my vote. Carry on Joe, carry on!!
Or, carry Joe on.
President Biden dying in office isn’t the worst that could happen.
His present state could continue to decline without a line of demarcation.
Power struggles could erupt within the administration and all focus turn inward causing neglect of any but personal agendas.
What are the Vegas odds on RFK Jr.?
Jan,
You go back in the archives here or at OTB during the Bush and Trump administrations, see what I wrote, and decide for yourself.
“The only good thing about Biden is that he is capable of beating Trump”
My wisecrack is Biden and Democrats are acting like Trump is the only opponent Biden is capable is beating.
May be a wisecrack but may also be true. If the GOP ran a Romney or Kasich type now, impossible to get through primary I know, I think they would clean up.
Steve
“As for Harris, she failed to even generate enough interest to win the primary vote in her own state, CA. Her public statements are described as “word salads.†Her general knowledge about anything is shallow, and her values seem to rely on politically correct stances and what is best for her career rather than what is best nationally.”
Yes, but she really, really likes Venn diagrams. So there’s that………