While I completely agree with this, holding those opinions as an elected public official along with many of Biden’s other bad political positions he’s held over the years should disqualify him from party leadership, regardless of whether he has changed his thinking, imo.
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What’s Biden’s off-ramp here though?
If things were going well, he could say something like “I ran for president because I thought we needed someone with a lot of experience to get this country on the right track and now that we are there, I think it’s time for me to retire and for the new generation to take over.”
But obviously just about nothing is going well and it will look like he’s bailing off of a sinking ship.
If a living pope can find an off ramp (great timing on his part… he was absolutely right to be worried that the church could literally die in the age of reddit. Joe Biden should be similarly afraid of a fascist takeover of the United States) I’m confident Joe Biden can do the same.
He could just say that Jill wants him to hand it over and everyone will be happy with that because “spend more time with family” always plays well.
Would it be too simplistic to just say something like, “Look, man, I’m in my 80’s and as much of an honor it has been to serve my country in the White House, it’s just time to spend more time with my wife and grandchildren.”
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He’s old as fuck, showing his age and simply not up to the job. Dude simply has to go. I don’t give a shit what reason he gives.
I’m just wondering what reason minimizes the bad optics to low info voters.
The scary thing is who would we even want to run at this point that could get the nom? Most of the obvious choices are ao far down the EDem brainrot journey to not be a lot better than Joe. The Dem bench is not exactly deep with appealing options.
I think time with family is probably the best. It’s understandable, hard to criticize too much, and plays into what the average person already thinks about him (i.e. he’s a decent, caring guy who is a bit over his head and has lost his fastball)
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saying I did what I set out to do is a little hard to sell when so much bad stuff seems to be going on AND Trump is still looking as a 2024 candidate. Like, if Trump was the existential threat that dragged you into the race in 2020, how do you declare victory when he’s still out there?
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I think explicitly calling out a health issue basically guarantees 2 years where everyone tied to the administration (especially Harris, Pete, etc.) gets dragged in Republican congressional committees and Fox News for participating in a cover up to hide whatever the issue was in 2020.
Any chatter about this Hunter Biden leak? Some crazy shit out there. Obv it’s from 4 chan so big pinches of salt but the guy is clearly living life to the fullest.
I have no idea what’s going on and how much of it is just 4chan spoofing everyone. Chiefsplanet seems to think they’ve caught Joe being a pedo or something.
I am back on team Pete. He isn’t perfect for sure but he is young, moderately progressive and most of all seems to understand the actual rules of the game being played today.
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They know all the answers, they’re trolling. This isn’t some random new account, they came in a few weeks ago taking thinly veiled shots at some of us using material from feuds two years ago.
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At this point I think the main characteristic I’m looking for in a Dem leader is someone who is willing to fight. This whole idea of playing nice with Republicans too keep up appearances and maintain “norms” has got to go. Even Pete’s basic calling out of Republican bullshit as what it is feels like “fighting” because it’s the most resistance we see from the eDems.
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“When the next President of the United States is sworn in, I’ll be 82. It’s going to be really cold on the Capitol steps in January, and Bernie said I can’t borrow his coat or gloves, so I’m out. God Bless you all, and uh, you know, the rest of that and hey is that ice cream over there?”
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It’s basically time to triage. There are a lot of nice things we’d love to have, like single payer healthcare, gun control, good climate change legislation, fixing our immigration system and injecting even the slightest bit of human decency into it, student debt relief, etc. Some, like climate change, are even existential threats.
However, the prerequisites for all of that, and for the survival of this democracy are:
- Being willing to nuke the filibuster to pass key bills, including:
- A new VRA and democracy reform, banning gerrymandering, statehood for DC & PR
- Packing the court
So if we triage and put those at the top, the question is who will make that their priority and can win?
I don’t love either, but Pete is on the list. Liz is on the list. Perhaps a Tim Ryan or JB Pritzker.
Like, listen, at this point anyone who prioritizes those 3 things and who will really fight like hell on them and twist some arms who I believe has a good chance to win the general is ok with me. Get those things done, become a somewhat functional democracy again, and within 15 years we’ll pass ~all the good stuff.
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He’d have to thread the needle and give a great speech, but I think there’s a chance for him to perhaps save his legacy somewhat by declining to run and giving a speech along the following lines:
I set out to defeat Trumpism and reunite America. I believed I was the candidate this country needed - someone with a history of working with my colleagues across the aisle and coming up with solutions the average American would be happy with. Over the last few years it has become glaringly obvious that I underestimated the extent to which today’s Republican Party has gone full MAGA. I now believe that this country is in for a long political fight between those who defend democracy, regardless of its outcomes, and those who seek to destroy it. I’m going to be 82 years old when the next president is sworn in. While I know I still have a few good fights in me, I also know that I don’t have many long fights left in me. This country, and all who defend her democracy, deserve a president who is ready to lead this party on a long fight for democracy, so I am hereby announcing that I will not seek re-election. I encourage the Democratic Party voters to nominate a candidate who understands the stakes and the fight ahead of them.
About a 1% chance of that happening, though. He’s more likely to decline to run and ask Mitch to come sing Kumbaya in the Rose Garden.
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25% jfc
The Rs are going to turn the midterms into a referendum on Biden and his Inflation / Border / Stock Market Crisis and the Ds are going to get absolutely smoked. They are already scolding the voters instead of actually doing anything that will make voters support them (“DO WHAT?!?!?!”) . The only possible path for the rest of this year I can see is eDems floundering desperately with “go read my website” / “vote harder” / “when they go low we go high” failed strategies, and then after the November bloodbath they will turn their attention to pinning all the blame on progressives and start fund raising for their own elections. They are telegraphing this as clearly as the Rs are telegraphing their intent to steal a Presidential election as soon as they have to.
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