Biden Bows Out

Scott Hardie | July 21, 2024
What are your thoughts on Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race today?

I haven't had time to absorb the news more fully yet, so I'll say more as soon as I can, but my first thought is: Joe, if you truly endorse Kamala Harris and want her to win*, and two of her biggest weaknesses are 1) the public's lack of familiarity with who she is and how she'd govern and 2) that she is perceived not to have the executive experience necessary for the job, you have a way address both of those weaknesses right now. You could resign the presidency now, giving her four months of governing experience by Election Day and six months by Inauguration Day if she won. There would be ramifications to this decision, such as the American people feeling resentful that you didn't serve the full term to which they'd elected you, but your obvious frailty and recent illnesses give you excuses to save face in the event of resignation. Just saying, Joe.

*Of course he doesn't really endorse her. He spent decades clawing his way to the mountaintop, only to be shoved off of it by ungrateful, fair-weather friends. I expect him to be very bitter in retirement for the rest of his days.

Steve West | July 21, 2024
The bottom line for me is whoever gets the Democratic nomination, will also get my vote. Biden resigning and handing over the governmental reins to Kamala Harris has mild appeal but also the risk of a savage blowback. If she governs well, enough detractors will say she did not to the MAGA base to make them either believe the lie or sow enough doubt to leave undecided voters unconvinced of her abilities. It practically guarantees a Trump victory in November. Hence my concern, I have no opinion of Kamala Harris as president other than she's not Trump. Any Democratic candidate has the possibility of destroying or weakening our nation. But Donald Trump nearly guarantees it. I'm not entirely sure of the nomination process at this point but it takes more than a President's endorsement. We truly need another outpouring of voters who are not brainwashed by that perpetual lying narcissist to ensure that he spends the next four years in jail instead of the White House.

Samir Mehta | July 22, 2024
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Scott Hardie | July 24, 2024
All good points, and I agree fully, except that I still think Trump has the edge. If I were a political cartoonist, I would draw a crew member of the RMS Titanic rearranging deck chairs, with one labeled "Joe Biden" and another labeled "Kamala Harris." She's more electable than him, but not enough to overcome the significant advantages possessed by Donald Trump this year. Election day is still four (very long) months away and anything can change, and I hope that it does, but I fear that this week's rush of positive vibes toward Harris will dissipate once the relief of Biden (finally) dropping out has passed.

I'm tired of people saying that Biden quitting the race isn't that much of a sacrifice, since he had no viable way to win and he only gave up when his party pushed him aside. But come on! An incumbent president refusing re-election is quite rare in American history, happening only a few times. We even celebrate this decision by George Washington as one of the foundational events of our democracy. I don't care that Biden made the decision under duress; he still made the right decision at enormous personal cost. You have only to look across the aisle to find someone who doesn't tolerate such disappointment.

Samir Mehta | July 24, 2024
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Scott Horowitz | August 21, 2024
I haven't commented on here a lot lately, and I remember some heated, but good conversations from previous elections.

Joe Biden had an outstanding first term. Name another modern president that had 5 signature legislative wins in his first 2 years ( American Rescue Plan, Chips Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, Inflation Reduction Act and Gun Safety Act). While I was disappointed he stepped aside, I do think VP Harris has ignited the party base in a way it needed. No one was excited about voting for the better of 2 octogenarians. While Biden's speech last night was very strong, I just don't know if he has it in him for another 4 years

Scott Hardie | August 28, 2024
Yeah, that last bit is what it comes down to for me: Even if Biden could still defeat Trump as he claimed, the idea of him serving as president through January 2029 is very hard to believe. Sooner or later, declining health (or mounting pressure over the appearance of declining health) would have forced him to step down. My conscience would have given me a lot of trouble trying to vote for someone who I didn't believe could serve a complete term, regardless of how good his previous term was.