It would be nearly impossible for Democrats to replace President Joe Biden as their 2024 presidential nominee unless he chooses to step aside following his halting debate performance against ex-President Donald Trump.
Yes, the primaries may be a huge joke, but they at least have the veneer of democracy over them. Primaries are formal elections run by each state, so there are laws to follow regarding how delegates are applied.
Here’s what I think now: I’m sure Barack Obama watched that debate, and came to the same conclusion we all did. If anyone has Biden’s ear on this, it’s Obama. Obama needs to get on the phone with Joe, and have a heart-to-heart about how fucking devastating that thing was. He should point out how much damage was done by RBG not retiring when it was her time to do so. I’m sure he had those discussions directly with her in 2015.
(Edited to add: according to the NYT, Obama’s not going there
“Bad debate nights happen,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.”
I still have confidence that Joe can do the job, but not so much that he is electable anymore. I hope I’m wrong, and in November, if he is on the ballot I will still vote for him, and not regret it.
In retrospect, maybe we should have had a Primary debate after all.
In retrospect, maybe we should have had a Primary debate after all
We need to every election.
Bernie pulled Biden’s campaign (if nothing else) to the left, which helped Biden in an incredibly close general.
The primary is a chance for party voters to show what they want, and the winning candidate then knows where his bread is buttered.
With no primary, there’s no one to pull Biden left, and he cant afford to lose any votes from 2020.
But this time Biden doesn’t give a fuck what voters say unless they’re saying how great he is. It’s the same sense of entitlement that cost Hillary her election and got trump his first term.
Maybe the party needs to adopt bylaws saying that there shall be no fewer than three candidates in any Presidential primary, even for an incumbant. That will take away a bit of the stigma against challenging an incumbent. It would no longer be a direct challenge to the establishment, and more of a party role to fill.
The stigma of primary challenges exists because old guard Dems want everything to run off seniority, because they have the seniority.
And you could kind of make that argument when it was capping out at 30 years experience.
Biden has been in the federal government for about half a century.
When there’s no cap to age, people hang around waiting for their turn, which clogs senior positions and prevents you get generations from getting experience.
It all comes down to old people refusing to step aside for the next generations, and those old people all agreeing that they should hold onto power till they die in office.
They won’t step aside, so for the good of the party, they need to be set aside.
Voters are more important than any party. We don’t need them, they need us.
Yes, the primaries may be a huge joke, but they at least have the veneer of democracy over them. Primaries are formal elections run by each state, so there are laws to follow regarding how delegates are applied.
Here’s what I think now: I’m sure Barack Obama watched that debate, and came to the same conclusion we all did. If anyone has Biden’s ear on this, it’s Obama. Obama needs to get on the phone with Joe, and have a heart-to-heart about how fucking devastating that thing was. He should point out how much damage was done by RBG not retiring when it was her time to do so. I’m sure he had those discussions directly with her in 2015.
(Edited to add: according to the NYT, Obama’s not going there
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/28/us/politics/biden-democrats-nominee-2024-election.html
I still have confidence that Joe can do the job, but not so much that he is electable anymore. I hope I’m wrong, and in November, if he is on the ballot I will still vote for him, and not regret it.
In retrospect, maybe we should have had a Primary debate after all.
We need to every election.
Bernie pulled Biden’s campaign (if nothing else) to the left, which helped Biden in an incredibly close general.
The primary is a chance for party voters to show what they want, and the winning candidate then knows where his bread is buttered.
With no primary, there’s no one to pull Biden left, and he cant afford to lose any votes from 2020.
But this time Biden doesn’t give a fuck what voters say unless they’re saying how great he is. It’s the same sense of entitlement that cost Hillary her election and got trump his first term.
We’re just repeating 2016
Maybe the party needs to adopt bylaws saying that there shall be no fewer than three candidates in any Presidential primary, even for an incumbant. That will take away a bit of the stigma against challenging an incumbent. It would no longer be a direct challenge to the establishment, and more of a party role to fill.
The stigma of primary challenges exists because old guard Dems want everything to run off seniority, because they have the seniority.
And you could kind of make that argument when it was capping out at 30 years experience.
Biden has been in the federal government for about half a century.
When there’s no cap to age, people hang around waiting for their turn, which clogs senior positions and prevents you get generations from getting experience.
It all comes down to old people refusing to step aside for the next generations, and those old people all agreeing that they should hold onto power till they die in office.
They won’t step aside, so for the good of the party, they need to be set aside.
Voters are more important than any party. We don’t need them, they need us.