Joe Biden has reportedly become more open in recent days to hearing arguments that he should step aside as the Democratic presidential candidate after the party’s two main congressional leaders told him they doubted his ability to beat Donald Trump.
While continuing to insist he will be the party’s nominee in November, the president has reportedly started asking questions about negative polling data and whether Vice-President Kamala Harris, considered the favourite to replace him if were to withdraw, fares better.
The indications of a possible rethink come after Biden tested positive on Wednesday for Covid-19, forcing him to isolate for several days while curtailing a campaigning visit to Nevada that had been part of a drive to show his candidacy was very much alive.
It also coincides with fresh polling data showing that he now trails Trump by two points in Virginia, a state he won by 10 points in 2020.
OK so who takes the torch this late in the game though? Kamala? Has to be Kamala, right?
Basically yeah. They could do a brokered convention though.
I think it’s hilarious that just a few days ago he said if he had a medical condition that forced him to step away he would.
I don’t know if COVID qualifies but I think it’s ironic. Maybe even a sign from God lol
That could very well be how he’s seeing it now. He is religious.
I’m really worried about his campaign and white house staff at this point. It seems like it took the in person interviewers telling him about the bad polling. Like he looked genuinely surprised to hear about it.
If that’s true they need to go. We cannot have staff that lie to the president.
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This is on Biden, not on the staff. The calls for him to drop out were ALL OVER the place, including popular media.
No. This is on the team, not just Biden. Being surrounded by people who won’t tell you the actual truth would make most of us blind to real issues. As people on the left, as voters in general, we need to stop pointing fingers at a person and begin pointing fingers at the processes and issues that cause bad individuals to be placed in positions of authority, and the reasons why the teams behind even the good ones may not wish to speak out. This is systemic and mass recognition is the first step to a solution.
it took the in person interviewers telling him about the bad polling.
lmao what the fuck? No it absolutely was not, it was all of the high ranking sitting dems like Schiff, Pelosi, Obama.
interviewers? polling?? Jesus fucking Christ.
Okay? The point is, why was this needed? What are the people around him telling him?
Staff fudge the truth to bosses all the time. The issue doesn’t lie with the staff because it is the boss’ responsibility to understand the power disparity and do their best to mitigate it.
The way to do that is have a small contingent of 2-3 people who will ALWAYS tell the truth to the boss no matter what.
But again, that willingness to hear the truth and have those people around starts with the boss. And if they just want yes men around, that’s what will happen.
Not even counting the debate the man has straight up asked for people that have died during press conferences and mixed up Putin and Zelenskyy. I don’t think it’s out of line to question how much of policy and press releases he’s cognizant of, much less staffing decisions. Even if they are updating him about polling data he may not be processing it. I have a 94 yr old grandpa with a live in nurse and a 80 year old aunt in hospice (different sides of the family) and the disorientation is disturbingly familiar.
It seems insane to bet that he will have 4 more high pressure years to give. Or betting on him making it long enough for a VP to take over. RBG should be a warning, not a template.
It appears at this point that US presidents have this problem more than half the Roman emperors.
(Just remembered reading about Julian)
EDIT: I meant - Julian had people follow him who’d tell him when he was making a mistake, and he’d always listen and take time to think. While for him it was more real than for other emperors (some of whom would still do the same), I even wonder whether jesters in European courts are some perverted continuation of such a tradition. Perhaps at some point pointing out mistakes came out of fashion, but scolding the monarch - still a tradition, and then it turned into a way of have fun, and such a follower, and not the monarch himself, took the role of the fool.
this was exactly the purpose of jesters. a link.
I do wonder how a Kamala Harris / AOC ticket would go.
Probably not well given how racist and misogynistic this country is. But it would energize many people.
I think that would be too far left and you’d lose centrist votes
Possibly, but would those centrists flee to Trump? He’s already got the racist vote.
Bingo. AOC is a no-go for way too many.
A charismatic younger candidate pushing progressive policy improves voter turnout, otherwise what did the Dems learn from Obama’s first election despite not being a big national name before running?
Nothing. But a good portion of the electorate did get to learn about the power of marketing and the difference between liberalism and socialism
Maybe among MAGA supporters who were going to vote for Trump regardless of who gets nominated.
Vote blue no matter who? Or was that phrase just a cudgle against progressives?
As always…
You can want a very Progressive candidate and acknowledge that you need to win the middle of the electorate in first past the post voting systems at the same time
It’s a lot harder to shame centrists into doing the right thing.
Progressives have to stomach what they know is best for the country, even though they don’t think it’s good enough.
Centrists by definition aren’t committed to what’s best for the country.
When you say what’s best for the country, what do you mean exactly?
Not fascism.
And by centrists supporting fascism…elaborate please. What do Centrists support that you think are Fascist tenets?
I hate these filthy Neutrals, Kif. With enemies you know where they stand but with Neutrals, who knows? It sickens me!
You do realize there’s more to the electorate than just dedicated Dem voters, right?
Just because we’ll be telling people to “vote Blue no matter who” doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily do it.
You mean the “unions are communist propaganda but I like to call myself independent” crowd?
In part. There are even more bizarre types. I know strong union supporters who vote Republican, but have positive opinions on Bernie. I know liberal voters who voted Trump in 2016 to ‘shake things up’ (I am not very close with them, for obvious reasons). Many people in this country do not have a coherent ideology they vote by, and are swayed by many small factors.
Not quite old enough I think? I checked and I think she turns 35 this year. Not sure how the particular rules apply.
She would turn 35 before taking office.
She will be 35 before inauguration so shes eligible to be president which is the req for VP.
I think that’d make her the youngest ever. Added bonus to being the first all-female White House, I’m in.
AOC has time. If I were writing the script, I would go with Harris/Whitmer, followed by Whitmer/AOC. Assuming each ticket wins two terms, AOC would be in her 50’s then and be one of the most qualified candidates in 2040.
Can you imagine three Female Presidents in a row?
Or right now while she is still young, relevant, and still gives a flying fuck. You always strike while the iron’s hot.
That’s quite the fantasy but no major party has held the presidency that long without the other major party literally falling apart.
It would be awesome, but don’t count on it.
They would never run together lmao they’re total opposite ends of the democrat spectrum
That’s kind of what you want in the WH. Two people who think the same things the same way don’t make for good leadership.
The Obama administration seemed like pretty strong leadership and Joe and Barack seemed pretty aligned
You could also view it as they’re the perfect way to get the conservative Dem votes and the progressive votes. And since the conservative Dem would be the presidential candidate, the owner class is more likely to permit it.
If it happened it would have a good chance to work. But I just don’t see someone as progressive as AOC ever getting picked to be the VP with someone as neoliberal as Harris
Kamala and Bernie
Let Bernie in the oval office. Nobody deserves it more than him. He’s too old for pres, but God damn would he get shit done between inauguration as vp and his grave…
I’d be perfectly happy with that. I’ve even got a cat named Bernie Sanders.
I would vote for that ticket in a heartbeat.
Few things would energize me more. Biden would have gotten a begrudging vote from me at most. If youre going to slot AOC into the VP pick, I will estatically take 4 years of Kamala. To me there are few if any better investments in the political health of the country than VP AOC.
Few things would energize me more. Biden would have gotten a begrudging vote from me at most.
same here except i vacillate daily on voting for biden due to his history and its impact on my life.
a candidate that doesn’t have a 4 decade long history of anti-gay, anti-feminist, pro-segregationists, pro-corporate, anti-student policies, actions and votes would easily convince me to vote democrat.
So electing Trump is good for working class queer women of color students?
fuck trump
So you’ll do the only thing in your power and vote against him becoming president?
i’ll vote for kamala, but not biden.
Open the convention.
All the news coverage about who the democratic nominee will be has been and will sap the life blood of Trump’s campaign: coverage.
When they aren’t paying attention to him, he becomes ever more unhinged and his mask slips even more.
Chaos in the democratic party can work for us for once.
Harris/Kelly
Harris will absolutely lose this election worse than Biden.
Let’s see Whitehouse or Warren or someone else that is focused on issues young Americans really care about. Our platform should be consumer protection, workers’ rights, or climate change.
See this is an issue because it’s going to end up being harris and people won’t be happy hopefully they still support whoever though. I think most people are on the same page though
I’m laughing at all the people who would vote for Biden’s dead body but suddenly have an issue with Harris.
Because we’re sooo fucked.
I feel like any liberal voter with even mush between their ears should realize that Biden completing a full term is not overwhelmingly likely and we’d get Harris anyways.
You would think.
I’m sure they were making VBNMW statements a month ago and decrying infighting since the debate. VBNMW, Trust Black Women, party unity, etc. are all just tools to defend the establishment leader, not actual statements of policies.
Absolutely not. Elizabeth Warren would violate the one rule about replacing Biden, no more old people! She’s great, but she’s 75.
Also Harris actually polls well. Her, Whitmer, and Newsom are the big names and they’re all in their 50’s.
You’re overlooking reproductive rights which should be a huge deal this election and imo gives Harris a bump ya’ll aren’t considering.
I’ve seen Warren go on the fucking war path about Roe - I have not seen the same by Harris.
Harris’ main job as VP is to STFU and stay in the background unless needed, and yet…
A look at the conversations Vice President Harris has been having on abortion (way back in '22)
Not to mention her platform is going to be very similar to Bidens current platform but with some improvements as you pointed out. Which means she will likely retain all of the current voting platform and then gain the people who like the platform but are voting based on age related stuff.
You can put literally anyone up there that is below the age of 65 and they should have no issue convincing moderates that their 80 year old Republican candidate has soup for brains.
100% agree with this sentiment. 1 day debate, 2nd or third day, delegate vote. Imagine a national conversation where the cornerstone is about the policies of the democratic platform. Compare them to the policies of the GOP. That will be a huge W for the party, especially down ticket.
Imagine a national conversation where the cornerstone is about the policies of the democratic platform.
They are decided by major donors and superPACs, not conventioneers.
Yeah but they could pretend for a bit, just for the cameras.
I’m still hoping for the scenario were Biden wins and AOC, pelosi or some other woman becomes speaker of the house and Biden steps down early on to see the GOP collectively loose their shit as they have both a woman for president and VP.
Jesus christ, please not fucking Pelosi.
yeah, she’s not even old enough to be president!
I’m with ya, however a new VP is just appointed. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the speaker of the house.
That makes sense otherwise each person would move up. In that case Harris as the President then Whitmer at the VP appointee. It would still put the GOP knickers in a bunch. Then keep AOC in the house and let her keep the dogs at bay there.
Whitmer / AOC 2024. This time it’s personal.
“In a world . . . “
One can dream
I think it would be awesome to watch trump get his ass kicked by ‘that woman from michigan’ while I don’t always agree with Whitmer’s approach, there is a reason she keeps getting reelected in a state that can be heavily Republican leaning. I think she’s a pretty smart cookie but I also haven’t dug into her political history deeply yet. I’d rather her than a few others, but I guess we’ll see how things play out.
(filter tag: #uspol)
The midwest has always been pretty centrist at least within living memory, usually split right down the middle. It only ever gave the impression of heavily republican leaning because they’ve been gerrymandered to shit. Wisconsin in particular has been ratfucked by redistricting - both a democratic governor in 2018 and Biden in 2020 won because those are state wide votes, but as of 2022 the state legislature is 66% republican while only having won 53% of the popular vote in that election.
nvm
She’ll be 35 a month before the election.
She’ll be eligible, but not qualified. But after tRump, I guess anyone is qualified. She could handle it… but it won’t be her this time around. I’d rather her get it in the 2030s.
If we’re still having elections by then
If Harris was super serious about beating Trump, she couldn’t pick an easier race than a run with Bernie Sanders. Imagine how energized the left would be. Ahh.
…In other shit that will never happen news, Trump enjoyed a joke at his own expense at a salad bar.
…In other shit that will never happen news, Trump enjoyed a joke at his own expense at a salad bar.
That was fucking great
Look, I get that Bernie is beloved and all, but I don’t think replacing an 81 year old on the ticket with an 82 year old is going in the right direction.
All the same, it would restore a lot of goodwill toward Dems that was lost about a decade ago.
Ahh shit I’m old. I’m mad about stuff from decades ago. I guess I need to figure out what metamucil is.
Get AOC as speaker of the house.
Like others have said, a geriatric VP is a lot better than a geriatric P
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Oh, ok, so I guess we can all vote third party now and you won’t complain?
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LOL. Centrists aren’t a majority in the coalition. Mainstream Dems are. It’s not like the Blue Dogs dominate the Democrats. They’re a tiny problematic sliver (waaaay smaller than the CPC).
But I never claimed the progressives were a majority. I know dedicated progressives only made up 30-40% of the primary. I’m just asking whether we’re irrelevant enough for you not to care if we vote for someone else. Because you guys sure seem upset when progressives don’t vote for Democrats.
We can be irrelevant or we can be responsible for the party losing, not both, and if we’re the latter then yeah, you do need to accept that other members of the coalition actually get something from it.
I am upset when progressives don’t vote for the dem candidate. And in the few cases a progressive wins the primary Im equally as pissed when centrists don’t vote for them.
Ok, then follow the rest of that phrase to its conclusion and realize a coalition involves critical voting blocks each getting something along the way and quit your bitching about the left asking for representation. We’re either irrelevant or not. Pick one.
It’s more so people bitching about Bernie not winning and that “Biden doesn’t do anything” but go off.
I love though how your first inclination is to “vote third party.” The siren song of the trolls/bots or the idiots in a FPTP system. Must be a life of luxury you live when you’re privileged enough to watch the world burn but go “at least I followed my conscience.”
And what more do you want? I mean, Biden has canceled as much student loans as he could, passed the biggest climate bill ever, relaxed restrictions on weed, etc. He’s done quite a bit with 1- a majority in name only where we had Manchin and Sinema and 2- a terribly extreme Republican house who will go down as one of the most unproductive of all time.
Again- the USG is an aircraft carrier. It doesn’t turn on a dime AND no matter what passes, you won’t be happy. None of us will. Politics is about compromise and realizing that life is never and will never be perfect.
Or are we just agreeing all along? I’m not sure. I think progressives deserve some things. But if you’re thinking we were getting Medicare for all way back when Obamacare came in? Nah. I mean, that was dumb to capitulate to Republicans but when you have assholes like Lieberman (and now Manchin who while great to have on your side at all is not great to have him there all the time) it just is never gonna happen at certain points.
But yes, maybe if we all just sucked it up and voted for whoever we wanted in the primary and whoever the Dem was in the general, we’d have more reps and senators to actually pass legislation that got us closer to progressive ideals. I’d sure as hell love that. Give me ten more Bernies please.
Honestly, given the amount of news that this is getting, I’m starting to think that a decision has already been made, and that the Dems are either:
- Waiting for it to blow over, and for Biden to stay and fight
- A transition candidate has been picked, and it’ll be either Harris or another candidate to announce themselves with an immediate campaign.
The former seems like a terrible idea. Before the debate Biden was “fine” as a candidate, and debates don’t really affect much in terms of voting intention - but dragging this out and staying on just looks bad with Trump having the (I can’t believe I’m writing this) near-assassination high after his convicted felon low.
Depending on the candidate, the latter could be a fantastic move. I’m not convinced that Kamala Harris could beat Trump, but a double-ticket of someone like AOC with either Biden or Harris as VP could be a winner. Play things coy, have Biden come out right at the end, say he’s staying on…as a VP to your new candidate, and start flooding the news and socials with the new candidate. Trump will lose his shit because the news is no longer on him.
Kamala Harris / Sherrod Brown would be a great ticket. Ohio would explode during the VP debate.
This is just the media gassing themselves up.
He needs to step down. There’s no other way forward at the moment that improves our chances that I can see.
He should have already taken Trump up on his offer for a second debate the next week. He might be able to turn it around, but it would require things he has so far shown he isn’t willing to do.
And if he’s even considering stepping down, it’s already too late. He should do it now. I don’t know if there’s another path forward, but it’s not with him on the campaign trail.
They’ll probably want him to do it with a strong speech rather than a press release because he’s too sick. He can blame it on COVID and save some face.
The only way for the Dems to win is either to put a woman up for election and have her push hard for abortion rights and talk about nothing else so her conservative politics don’t push away the majority of non-Republicans, like Hillary did, or put up someone left of center for once and give the people who are tired of voting for the lesser evil a chance to be excited for a candidate. But that’s unlikely.
Porque no los dos with AOC. But the quadfecta of being a woman, a person of color, a leftist, and someone born after the invention of color TV means the Dems would have to be really desperate to nominate her. Like the United States itself would have to be at risk of falling completely into the hands of fascism for them to be that desperate.
You get one shot at running for president really. AOC shouldn’t waste it on this election yet. She wouldn’t win, and then that would prevent her from winning a nomination in future elections.
She isn’t old enough to run. She’s only 34.
Soon ™
She will be 35 in October, so she would be able to run.
She’ll be 35 by inauguration time, which is what matters according to the Constitution.
Falling completely into the hands of fascism, you say?
TIL color television is only 80 years old, and standardized color broadcasts only 71…
We are at that point already and they still won’t consider it.
corporatists and centrists will do anything to try and purge the most pro labor, pro union, pro worker president from the race in the us just like they did to corbyn in the uk… all for their tax cut.
The guy that outlawed a union strike?
i mean that was congress and biden kept working to get the deal done and the unions specifically thanked him for it
https://www.ibew.org/media-center/Articles/23Daily/2306/230620_IBEWandPaid
No that was predominantly Biden himself, who issued an executive order to create a presidential emergency board to intervene in the negotiations, and proposed a deal. Union workers did not accept the deal and planned to strike, and Biden requested democrats force the unions to accept the deal and outlaw the strike. Notably, against the wishes of Bernie who opposed the legislation for containing zero sick days for rail workers.
Also notably, IBEW was in favor of that deal from the start, and they are an electrical workers union. They always had the sick days. Not all rail workers got sick days, they didnt get as much as if they had the ability to strike, and most importantly of all lost all of the future leverage that comes with collective bargaining.
Biden outlawed a union strike, period.
Still a net loss for the rail union.
getting everything they wanted is a net loss ok
They undercut the effectiveness of any future strike by intervening on the railway’s behalf.
lolwut.
Kamala Harris - Michelle Obama 2024
That’s hilarious lol
It’s worth it just to make them mad at this point
Yes, I’m aware of the irony.
Mrs. Obama has made it very clear that she I’d not interested in the White House.
