I did not have ‘Pelosi takes on the gerontocracy’ on my 2024 bingo card
One Pelosi ally said it was possible she would press Biden publicly to give up his spot atop the Democratic ticket.
“The speaker does not want to call on him to resign, but she will do everything in her power to make sure it happens,” this person said, referring to Biden quitting the race.
[Edit] changed the title to Politico’s after reading this community’s sidebar
Don’t take sides. Look at the facts.
Biden is facing triple whammy - (1) poll numbers are not good, especially more than 60% Democrats wanting him to step aside, and Biden under performing D-senators/senate candidates in battleground states, (2) big donors withholding money, and (3) media frenzy.
Biden can survive one or two of these whammies but not all three simultaneously.
He’ll eventually step aside. It’s not Pelosi’s fault. In fact, if it’s anybody it’s Obama, who remains silent.
Thanks Obama
I don’t think it’s really fair to blame Obama now, it’s a clusterfuck and why would he want to get back in the middle of things. Also if we are to blame Obama for anything, it should be for him discouraging Biden not to run in 2016 over Hillary. Even if Biden lost like Hillary did back then, he likely wouldn’t run again in 2020, leaving an opening for younger Democrats to enter the presidential scene, avoiding the whole situation we’re in now.
The other issue is that even if Biden does drop out, what nominee would be able to survive the three wammies?
Though perhaps if Biden lost in 2016 we would’ve had Hilary running in 2020, and who knows if she would’ve won that one. Then we could be approaching Trump’s 3rd term (with help from his friends in the Supreme Court) with Russia chewing through Ukraine and on their way to Eastern Europe, a fractured NATO alliance, and probably some other unimaginable horrors.
With Trump running in 16, 20, and 24, I don’t know if there’s a timeline change that would prevent 2024 from being an absolute clusterfuck. Unless maybe RBG had retired during Obama’s term as she should have.
It is comforting to know that there’s a timeline more fucked than ours.
Deeper than that. Obama inherited the party infrastructure Howard Dean built as DNC chair that was effective at state and local levels. That infrastructure completely fell apart after Obama loyalists took over the party after 2008. Dean ran a 50 state strategy and had built the party to support lower level candidates and contest elections Democrats had traditionally ignored. Post Obama the party shifted back to a focus on marquee races that didn’t really provide support to state parties and startup candidates.
That’s genuinely the single biggest Obama fuckup that doesn’t really get talked about much because it’s very insider baseball. But it’s had very real effects on how Democrats have failed in lower level elections in the years since, which has percolated up into everything else since.
Biden likely would win in 2016. The reason why is that unlike Hillary who was already paid as an elitist, Biden has the support of blue collar workers.
obama and pelosi both agree that biden should step down
As the party’s elder statesman, it is Obama’s job to say what he thinks about party issues. But, his silence is a form of communication. It says that he basically agrees with what is happening to his old buddy Joe. Obama could have ended this a week ago by coming out 4 Square for Joe while urging party unity. He did not.
That’s almost 20 years younger than Biden…
And why would he think Biden is competent?
Staying silent is already wrong…
Wish that this wasn’t happening now and it was more of a discussion months ago, but both parties doubled down on their aging candidates. Hoping the disinformation campaigns can be overcome though and Dems are successful bc plan 47/project 2025 legit terrify me.
While all of those are bottom-line results, it all comes back to a central theme.
We all know he flubbed the debate. But what’s worse is how badly he’s flubbing the response and aftermath. He said it was just a bad night. If that was true, he should’ve been on every news, opinion, political, and talk show the very next day, or at least within a week. Not just the usual and friendly shows, either. From Maddow to Gutfeld to Fallon, he needed to show the world that he could still do it. And he used to be able to.
Waiting a week to give a single lackluster interview, then 2 more weeks while there’s clearly a fire burning? He has to know that’s not an acceptable response, or else he’s too insulated.
That said, this isn’t the kind of thing you can publicly contemplate. You have to smother it, until you embrace it. You can’t walk back from that.
I do suspect there are a number of backroom discussions, and possibly even deals being made. It won’t be acknowledged until its unveiling, when he officially steps aside.
obama wants him to step aside too
Don’t forget (4) the inevitable yet unpredictable effects of aging on a human in their ninth decade
60% > 40% if the majority of democrats want them, I don’t see a problem.
60% of Dems want Biden to step aside. But he’s not. So that’s a problem.
Oh misunderstood 😅
But step aside in favour for who?
Probably Kamala or a Dem governor. The delegates at the DNC would likely vote based off who is polling the best