2024 USA Election: Wishin' and Hopin'

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Originally Posted by Stavros

At the very least, vote Biden to get Harris, in year one or two. Was that always the agenda? Consider the way in which Hillary Clinton became the candidate, a decision made long before the Primaries. The only question might be, how soon after the Inauguration can Joe be convinced to retire?

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Doesn't this beg the obvious question: if Biden would be prepared to step down in her favour in a year or so, why is he not prepared to do so now? If he isn't intending to serve out another term, and people know and accept this, why is he even running? If (as you claim) people are happy to vote for Biden knowing they are really getting Harris, then why would they not be equally happy to vote for her directly?

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Originally Posted by Fitzcarraldo

That's the job of the campaign. No one is ignoring Biden's age. It's the only thing anyone is paying attention to.

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The problem is not Biden's age, its whether he has the mental acuity and physical capability to not only campaign for President, but be an effective leader for another 4 years. I mean it wasn't the media who told Democratic governors that Biden needs to be in bed at 8:00 PM, those was his words.

The people who are complaining about the media, what else do you want them to do in regards to Trump. For a majority of his administration and after it, they have covered all of his crimes and transgressions. To the point, I have seen some of those same people wondering if that coverage has taken away the media's attention from the Biden's administration's successes. Most Americans realize the potential threat to democracy a second Trump term would pose. It is not the media's fault that the Republican base didn't get the message. Or if they did, they just don't care.

The media is not supposed to be a cheerleader for whoever currently resides in the White House. The second it does that, it ceases to be a free media and it becomes a state sponsored one.

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Originally Posted by blackchubby38

The problem is not Biden's age, its whether he has the mental acuity and physical capability to not only campaign for President, but be an effective leader for another 4 years. I mean it wasn't the media who told Democratic governors that Biden needs to be in bed at 8:00 PM, those was his words.

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There were also sources from his office that said he was okay from 10am to 4pm, but not so good other times. I'm sure Putin and Xi Jinping would not be so ungentlemanly as to start a crisis outside of these hours.

https://www.axios.com/2024/06/29/two...2024-president

PS: it's not adequate to just respond that Trump is worse. If Republicans are nominating someone who is not fit for the job that is not a reason for Democrats to also do so. It makes it even more important to nominate someone who is capable of both campaigning effectively and doing the job for the next 4 years.

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Originally Posted by filghy2

PS: it's not adequate to just respond that Trump is worse. If Republicans are nominating someone who is not fit for the job that is not a reason for Democrats to also do so. It makes it even more important to nominate someone who is capable of both campaigning effectively and doing the job for the next 4 years.

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It's also not adequate to say that Biden should drop out without naming a replacement. The candidate can't be a hypothetical more competent person. Even the Democrats who have been most vocal about Biden stepping down have been very quiet about who they think should step up, and not one has actually stepped up.

Announcing to the world that you have no faith in your own candidate isn't a very effective strategy for winning an election.

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Originally Posted by Fitzcarraldo

It's also not adequate to say that Biden should drop out without naming a replacement. The candidate can't be a hypothetical more competent person. Even the Democrats who have been most vocal about Biden stepping down have been very quiet about who they think should step up, and not one has actually stepped up.

Announcing to the world that you have no faith in your own candidate isn't a very effective strategy for winning an election.

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For obvious reasons, nobody is going to step up unless Biden indicates he's willing to step down, so that's a circular argument.

I'm not sure who the best replacement would be, but I think we are at the stage where it's better to acknowledge the problem and try to do something, rather than remain in denial and keep sleepwalking toward disaster. "Ignore all the bad polls, we are doing fine" is not a very good strategy for winning elections.

Also, if you really believe that it doesn't matter if Biden can't serve until 2029 because Harris can take over, then aren't you effectively saying that she would be a reasonable replacement?

You are also missing the point that there is huge downside risk here. Biden has clearly declined over the past 4 years, so there's no reason to think it can't get worse. It's common in elderly people for decline to start out gradually and then accelerate at some point.

Here is an article from Politico.com on who could replace President Joe Biden,if he ultimately decides to step aside. https://www.politico.com/interactive...ent-pros-cons/

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Originally Posted by KnightHawk 2.0

Here is an article from Politico.com on who could replace President Joe Biden,if he ultimately decides to step aside. https://www.politico.com/interactive...ent-pros-cons/

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Not seeing any inspirational candidates there. Whitmer keeps saying she has no interest in running now, as does Newsom. It'd be a pity to start a campaign with a lie.

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Originally Posted by Fitzcarraldo

Not seeing any inspirational candidates there. Whitmer keeps saying she has no interest in running now, as does Newsom. It'd be a pity to start a campaign with a lie.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gretchen Whitmer are both part of President Joe Biden's reelection campaign,and aren't interested in running right now. Agree it definitely would be.