10 votes

The roads to replacing Joe Biden

4 comments

  1. AnthonyB
    Link
    I don't know if this is the best summary of what is going on, or even the conversations around replacing Biden for that matter. For starters, the first question he asks is "Who is going to replace...

    I don't know if this is the best summary of what is going on, or even the conversations around replacing Biden for that matter.

    For starters, the first question he asks is "Who is going to replace Joe Biden?" As if that hasn't been part of the conversation. The most popular name right now is Kamala Harris since she is the best option to counter any potential issues that could potentially arise from a campaign finance/ballot perspective and she is the most logical choice if the Democrats want to avoid a mini-primary at the convention. There are also rumblings around Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom, but that seems like it would only happen if there was an open nomination process. Again, these three names have been thrown around non-stop since the debate, so I don't understand why he didn't chose to address any of them as potential replacements. He may have alluded to Gavin Newsom when he said, "some of these people don't want to run," but he didn't elaborate on that at all so who knows.

    But on the subject of ballot issues, I don't know where people are getting the idea that Democrats will have trouble replacing Biden on the ballots. He is not the nominee yet. The party has ballot access, not the candidate. He is not on the ballot. There was the issue about Ohio's deadline, but that law has since been changed. Even if it weren't, Democrats still have plenty of time to replace Biden before that becomes an issue. I understand the concerns about campaign finance, but again, it isn't as big of a deal as the video makes it out to be. That money can be transferred to a political action committee, the DNC, or given back and re-donated to the other candidate should that person be someone other than Kamala Harris. This stuff happens all the time in election years when primary campaigns fail, it's not like they have to keep it or go spend it at Applebee's.

    There is so much more left out of this video when it comes to the conversation about replacing Biden. There has been news this week that key Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer want him out, including news today that Schumer told him over the weekend to step down. Big donors are saying they are going to withhold funding if Biden stays in the race. Recent polling shows that Biden is now harming candidates down ballot across multiple swing states. And if all of that isn't enough - Biden is now historically unpopular! 85% of voters say Biden is too old for a second term. Two-thirds of all voters say he should step down, including 63% of Democrats/Democrat-leaning independents! The guy talks says he'll accept someone who could beat Trump in a landslide, but at this rate the only potential landslide we'll see is one that puts Trump back in the White House.

    There is this perception among liberals and liberal commentators that replacing Biden is going to cause chaos that will turn people away, but I don't get where that is coming from. Again, 2/3 of voters and a majority of Democrats want someone else. This is one of those rare opportunities for the Democratic Party to give people what they want and show people that they listen. And yes, there are some polls out there that still have Biden polling slightly better than his potential replacements, but it's important to note that (a) these people haven't campaigned at all, (b) Donald Trump is still incredibly unpopular outside of his base, and (c) whoever Biden's replacement is will have a much better ability to articulate the messaging of their campaign.

    9 votes
  2. [3]
    MimicSquid
    Link
    In this video, Beau of the Fifth Column talks about the calls to replace Joe Biden, and the various processes and challenges involved. It's a good summary of where everything's at right now.

    In this video, Beau of the Fifth Column talks about the calls to replace Joe Biden, and the various processes and challenges involved. It's a good summary of where everything's at right now.

    1 vote
    1. [2]
      quarkw
      Link Parent
      Biden just got Covid too, so I'm sure that'll be relevant for the next few weeks at least.

      Biden just got Covid too, so I'm sure that'll be relevant for the next few weeks at least.

      1 vote
      1. MimicSquid
        Link Parent
        Perhaps, but I'd suggest watching the video. I'm not sure that him catching COVID changes the math much.

        Perhaps, but I'd suggest watching the video. I'm not sure that him catching COVID changes the math much.

        1 vote