What Might Have Been For Joe Biden
What Might Have Been For Joe Biden
If it were July 2023, it could have been a great political finale. At age 80, Joe Biden says he will not run for office again, basking in his impressive accomplishments, a surprisingly good midterm election, while opening the presidential nomination to a talented stable of Democratic candidates. Instead, he hung on.
The ending, this time, will be either an aging and resisting politician forced out by pressure within his own party or stubbornly refusing with a high probability of turning the presidency over to Donald Trump, whom he considers an existential evil, and perhaps taking down Democrats with him.
If he gets out soon, the legacy will have an asterisk, better than a electoral rejection.
I am not a post-June 27 debate disaster convert. In the past year and a half I've written multiple columns calling for him to step aside and my podcast colleague, James Carville and I have called for that numerous times.
Actually, in 2017 I wrote a column, denying the then conventional wisdom, arguing that Joe Biden could be the best Democratic nominee in 2020 with two caveats: given his age, he should pledge to serve one term to recover from the already clear Trump disaster, and choose a running mate, a woman, who could credibly step into his shoes.
He failed the first test, the second is unclear.
He and his aides, who have served him poorly, now charge it's the "elites" trying to push him out at the expense of the voters. Poll after poll -- and conversation after conversation -- suggest that most Americans consider him too old or too cognitively impaired to serve a second term.
The Biden power couple, Bob Bauer, a lawyer, and Anita Dunn, a political and public relations strategist, get a good press. Yet, Bauer permitted Biden to be interviewed by the special counsel for five hours, over two days, in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attack. Dunn reportedly was a chief advocate of the June 27 debate.
Currently, President Biden primarily is listening to family: his loyal wife, Jill, and troubled son, Hunter. I'm sure they think loyalty to him is best for the country; it isn't.