Posted on 08/30/2023 9:39:59 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Whether they admit it or not, one big question has to be on the mind of pretty much every Democrat in the country: What happens if Joe Biden drops out of the 2024 race?
This is certainly a fair question. Earlier today, my colleague Nick Arama gave us another example of the President's ongoing deterioration. More examples of such are legion. But what really has to be troubling for Democrats is this: If Biden drops out, they have no good candidate to replace him. Just this morning, RealClearPolitics' Charles Lipson presented a great analysis of the problem Democrats face if this should happen.
The first part of the problem is the seeming lack of any activity in what should be an ongoing re-election campaign. The stage, in effect, is not being set.
Biden’s dismal poll numbers form a somber backdrop for his reelection campaign. That backdrop is even darker now that his health problems are so visible. These mounting problems may not prevent him from running, but they do lessen the chances. True, he keeps saying he is running. But, like all politicians, he may be deceiving the public or himself. The biggest “tell” is that Biden is avoiding the very things active candidates do. He’s not campaigning. He’s not attending a lot of small events with big donors. He’s not running ads. He’s not using the White House’s bully pulpit to address the nation on our challenges and his response to them.
But the second part of the problem should be much more concerning to Democrats, and that is the slate of candidates who might be able to, at this rather late date, enter the contest. Their prospects are, to indulge in a bit of understatement, pretty weak, and the one who may be weakest of all is President Biden's vice president.
The second consequence of a Biden withdrawal would be a fight over the future of Kamala Harris. She is the least popular vice president in polling history, and for good reason. Voters think she’s incompetent, inauthentic, and inarticulate, an empty-calorie word salad without any policy achievements. She’s the living embodiment of the “Peter Principle,” where people keep getting promoted until they reach their level of incompetence. She has reached that lofty level, just as Dan Quayle did during George H.W. Bush’s presidency.
It's important to point out that the reason voters think Kamala Harris is incompetent, inauthentic, and inarticulate is that Kamala Harris is incompetent, inauthentic, and inarticulate. She would be an utter disaster in a campaign, having only been chosen as Biden's running mate to check the "historical first" check-box; to put it bluntly, she was chosen due to her skin color and plumbing, with no other positive traits to recommend her.
So, who besides Kamala Harris can step into the race at this point?
California's Gavin Newsom has good national name recognition and apparently a pretty good war chest. But his track record as Governor of California is abysmal; it would be easy enough for any GOP candidate to hammer Newsom with California's budget shortfall and the flight of productive people out of California for greener pastures in places like Texas and Florida. While he would superficially appear to be the best candidate, he has a lot of weaknesses. While he doesn't seem to be taking any steps towards setting up a candidacy, his proposal to debate one-on-one with GOP hopeful Ron DeSantis has annoyed Democrats who see that as a way for Newsom to grab some of the national spotlight away from President Biden and his organization.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is making noises about running, but his name recognition isn't all it might be, and Illinois' track record on economics and business success is little better than California's. Also, he is... somewhat lacking in the charisma and personal appeal departments.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running, but a big part of his campaign seems to be throwing brickbats at his fellow Democrats, which won't endear him to the national organization.
There are a number of Democrat Governors who could run; Colorado's Jared Polis has been trying to cast himself as a moderate, which may appeal to some who object to the national party's steady leftward drift. Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer has some broad national name recognition, but mostly due to her botching of Michigan's COVID-19 program.
Who else do the Democrats have? Elizabeth Warren? Bernie Sanders? One of the shriekers from the Squad? None of them are viable candidates for the Presidency.
The Republican POTUS race has its own issues, given a pretty broad field contending with Donald Trump's seemingly insurmountable lead. But at this (early) juncture, the GOP candidates should draw a little comfort from the fact that the Democrats' best hope of holding the White House is to leave addled, dementia-ridden, inarticulate old Joe Biden right where he is.
Bernie ... Lomax
Who can take his place?
Pretty much any cockroach crawling around the White House grounds.
My bet: Biden will be hit with a Medical emergency (real of imagined) He will step down and Harris will be president—she will ready a good speech about Joe and even, in time Pardon both Hunter and Joe “For the good of the Nation” She will select Hillary as her VP. Harris will plan to run but fumble the debates. Democrats have an Open Convention. In the end Witmer and Booker will be selected in the fifth ballot. Floor fights and a crusade against RFK Jr. will make it quite a show. Newsom will come in second, Harris Third.
There are a lot of variables to take into consideration. It depends a lot on whether he drops out and continues to finish his term or drops out and resigns. And his reason for dropping out and/or resigning would also matter.
The Democrats best hope is for Biden to not only drop out of the race, but to also resign, for health reasons - and the sooner the better. His window of opportunity for resigning due to health is rapidly closing, as his scandals are rapidly catching up with him and the longer he waits to drop out, the greater a burden they and his bad policies will be on whoever takes his place as the nominee.
It will be impossible for any Democrat replacement to credibly distance him or herself from Biden, as the whole party has spent the last 2 1/2 years covering for his bad policies and ignoring his scandals.
So again, their best bet is for Biden to drop out now to give the party some time to distances themselves from him, before his scandals get so bad that that becomes impossible.
The problem for them is that Biden’s growing legal troubles give him greater incentive to stay in power for another term, as doing so may be the only way for him to stay out of prison.
The Mooch is my prediction too.
A Pet Rock.
Mooch will do it only if she does not have to campaign or talk to peasants.
DemonKKKrats won’t care if the GOP calls them sexist and racist is they pass on Harris. For them, the ends justifies the means. If it enables them to beat the GOP, they will kill if necessary.
You’re right.
I just mean within the universe of today’s dirty political scene.
The “always Dem all the time” voting blocs could lose enough to help us fight the vote fraud machine to some extent. Maybe.
The left no doubt already has someone worse than him waiting in the wings.
Already Mooch did Late Night before an adoring audience. I expect more as time goes on. She will get prepared for the run.
Obviously, any more qualified idiot
Mr. Ed
Casper the ghost
Harvey the rabbit
Herman Munster
Lurch
etc
They get rid of Harris by letting her be Pres when Biden leaves/dies but not run in 2024, instead giving her Feinstein’s Senate seat for life. That way she gets to be the first checkbox Pres, never has to run for the office, and never really has to run for Senate re-election either.
Lucifer.
Time to stop pretending.
Big Mike!
Yup
If Biden Backs out of the 2024 Race,Ward’s a poet and didn’t know it.
Who Can Take His Place?
Hee hee!
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