I have lost count of the opinion articles I have read saying that the Democrats need to dump Joe and run someone younger, more charismatic, who doesn't "look" old. Because old people turn the voters off. Or something. As a senior myself, I find the attitude offensive. But it's not about me. It's about, where is this magic unicorn candidate, who can beat the pants off Trump in 2024? I've got news for the naysayers, their imaginary friend isn't running for president. We have to deal with reality as it exists. A vice president is sometimes a good candidate to run, following the term of the person they served under. But indications are that Kamala Harris is less popular than Biden. Even though I think she would do fine as if something happened to him; as people keep hinting, and saying outright, that he has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.
If the Democrats were serious about running another candidate, who isn't RFK Jr., or that other guy whom I never heard of, they should have been working on it over a year ago, and raising money for this person. People have said (there I go, talking like Trump) that Biden is selfish for wanting to run for a second term at his age. Have they considered that he is doing it out of a sense of duty, not because he wants this thankless, stressful to the max, job?
People vary a lot, in old age, or any age. Consider Pope Francis at 86, who has one lung, sciatica, a bad knee (maybe two), two major surgeries during his pontificate, and gets around most of the time in a wheelchair. Yet he seems quite capable of carrying out his duties and leading the church. Benedict, on the other hand, discerned that he wasn't up to the job and stepped down. One of my grandmothers was in advanced Alzheimer's at 86. It depends on the capabilities of the individual.
Funny how age doesn't seem to come up with Trump. The age stretch between them is that Trump would have been a freshman in high school when Biden was a senior. That's the age stretch between my husband and me, also between our two sons. Biden is a healthy older gentleman. Trump is no kind of a gentleman, and anyone who has paid attention to his unhinged rantings in a court of law should have questions about his mental state.
And P.S. to Joe Manchin. You are 76. Don't even think about going 3rd party unless you want to hand the keys to the White House to Trump again.
When I think about age and had how nice it would be if we did not have to choose between Trump and Biden, the obvious better choice would be... Bernie Sanders!
ReplyDeleteAnd there is Pope Francis! One commentor who knows the Pope well talked about the recent world youth day as if it were the Pope's last. While Benedict may have resigned in large part because he knew he could not do another world youth day, I am not so sure that Francis would make the same decision.
When Francis began to talk about the Papacy (as well as the position of head of the Jesuits) being "for life" I am pretty sure that he plans to keep on serving as long as he is mentally able. A wheelchair did not stop FDR. Also, Reagan in his last years was probably more impaired than Biden.
Umm, if age is the problem, Bernie is 86.
DeleteGranted that the papacy isn't the same as the presidency. I don't expect to see Francis stepping down before his death, either.
If you remember Joe in his prime, when he was stealing speeches from Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock, he seems frail. I expect the stress of a second term will kill him, especially if this deal in Gaza escalates. And Harris is a throwback--Second-Wave Feminist Limousine Liberal like Nancy Pelosi. Nobody's buying the "I'm young(ish) and hip because I'm black and wear Chuck Taylors" schtick.
ReplyDeleteBut the party apparatchiks have decided these are safe choices. No new ideas, just comfy words about striving for the middle class and rights for minorities.
It's the same in local races; younger Democrats here who have agricultural or working-class roots have consistently better ideas, but they get out-spent in primaries by well-connected upper-class urbanites who graduated with law or public policy degrees from U-M.
At this point, I give Trump the advantage in winning the election, not because he's better than Biden, but because younger Democrats will stay home in droves. And Republicans who can't stand Trump still see an advantage in having the executive in their pockets to veto things. My guess is that they think they will know how to manage him better the second time around. Har.
I don't expect the stress of a second term will kill Trump. When he goes, it'll be by gluttony.
Right now, we are involved in two wars with no sign of anyone on our side being willing to negotiate. In each war, one of the direct participants is a nuclear power. And we are in the wings. Also, there’s the escalation with China. Biden has his own version of MAGA. My vote will depend on who’s made it to the Pennsylvania ballot. It will probably be a last minute choice. A Trump versus Biden election is depressing. Trump would be a disaster but maybe it would be God’s will, as in divine punishment, not for all the gay stuff but for hubris and arrogance. And selfish individualism. In this country, it's everyone versus everyone. How can anything get done?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just the Northeast, but the quality of people seems to have declined, sad to say. I hope you sturdy midwestern types find it differently. I am getting bad signals from everywhere. It's like there's no pride in one's work or feeling of responsibility to others, whether co-workers or customers.
DeleteI listener to a podcast yesterday of someone having a conniption fit because "the youth" are trending towards Trump and the Democrats aren't reaching them. But what Stanley said about the northeast applies to a lot of people here too. The youth aren't very politically engaged at all. They're more interested in playing video games and partying. I don't think registering to vote is even on their radar. And I'm actually fine with that. The last thing we need are more low information voters. I'm not worried about them voting for Trump because I doubt if they'll vote at all. It takes people longer to grow up than it used to.
DeleteI've been using the adjective "indispensable" to describe Joe Biden recently. I don't think there is anyone else with a prayer of winning the 2024 election whom responsible Americans (of whom there are fewer than there used to be) would want in the Oval Office. He has been a pleasant surprise. He has grown in office.
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DeleteSorry, meant to add, regarding the topic of Biden's age: I do worry that he is aging out. But if he is willing to try for four more years, I am willing to stand with him.
DeleteI don't trust Harris. I'd be willing to consider some other Democrats, but not sure who it would be. If Newsom or one of the Democratic senators was serious about running, I'd like to hear their foreign policy views.
On the GOP side, I'd vote for Nikki Haley in a heartbeat. Not sure there is anyone else.
Jim, I'll vote for Nikki Haley in the primary. I'm still a registered Republican in order to try and keep Trump from being the candidate. Not that my vote counts.I won't vote for DeSantis or Ramaswamy (probably spelled it wrong), but basically any of the others. It makes me mad that our primary is so late that it doesn't even count (May). I wish we'd all do it on Super Tuesday. If the two candidates for the general election are Haley and Biden, I'd have a decision to make. But I wouldn't have an existential fear for democracy. That would be nice.
DeleteI would like to see Haley as the candidate.
DeleteJim, I see lots of comments about how awful Harris would be but never are the reasons for this belief explained. Could you?
I think Jean nailed it in her above post. I don't think she has any genuine empathy with ordinary people. She was a hot shot prosecutorial lawyer protecting the status quo. If women's reproductive rights were the main priority, I'd say she'd be ok. But right now, I think we need to back off from some of these wars so we all don't get vaporized. Harris would just go along to get along with the Military-Industrial Complex. I guess that makes her a Biden replacement but I don't want more Biden either. We'll see if Biden responds to the growing pressure to halt the right-wing, racist Netanyahu government from killing civilians, children. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
DeleteI think Biden and Blinken have been working behind the scenes to try and slow down the violence. They did succeed in getting Israel to agree to humanitarian corridors. Of course a cease fire would be better, but the parties doing the warfare are the only ones who can make that happen.
DeleteMutually assured destruction worked for 40 years as a deterrent to war between the US and the Russians, but it doesn't work in the middle east.
Katherine, yes, the 4-hour bombardment "pauses" look like an effort to give Bibi a face-saving way to stop obliterating women and small children 24/7 without calling it a cease-fire. I like to think somebody in the administration is putting considerable pressure on Israel. The official reports out of the State Department are always half opaque with diplomatic blah blah.
DeleteA ceasefire is the only thing that will save Gazan lives. The IDF is especially targeting hospitals. Everything else is just cosmetic. As for our "influence" on Israel, I think Netanyahu trusts that AIPAC will compensate for any growing unpopularity with the American people. As Andrew Bacevic just wrote in Commonweal, "the tail is wagging the dog". It must be remembered that the success of the right wing in Israel was built successfully on the assassination of Yitzak Rabin by a right wing Israeli. Some have called it the most successful assassination ever. I don't support our spending hundreds of billions to support a right wing government which, prior to the Hamas attack, was busy weakening the judicial system.
DeleteRe: Kamala Harris: I have the impression she is in over her head. I am willing to entertain the possibility I could be wrong. But as it is, I don't trust her - am skeptical she is up to being president. I have read a few things suggesting that Biden's people privately think the same. Maybe Dan Quayle is a good point of comparison.
ReplyDeleteBut are any veeps up to the job, because they have never done it? By definition they are back-benchers brought in to balance a ticket. Harry Truman didn't do so badly. Lyndon Johnson was mixed, at least he got the Civil Rights Act passed.
DeleteI forgot Gerald Ford on the list of those vp 's thrown into the presidency. He wasn't bad but he had the albatross of Watergate around his neck. Of course there were other vp's in living memory who succeeded their boss in office, but they were elected.
DeleteVPs are there to represent the country at the events, world and domestic, if they are not important enough for POTUS. Sort of like Prince Charles for most of his life. They are privy to what is happeningn so can step up if needed, but have no power of their own. Kamala Harris is not particularly likeable but she’s also not dumb, and she is way more qualified than the the second rate TV entertainer/ corrupt businessman who was elected in 2016 and who may be re-elected. I’m not really tuned in and I am in California so I’m hearing some folk say that Biden should withdraw for health reasons and let Gavin Neesome run. He’s managed to grow California s economy in spite of Covid and all the many problems so that California May pass Germany this year as the 4th largest economy in the world. Already ahead of England, France and other countries with larger populations. DeSantis didn’t shut down Florida, but the mortality rate there was almost double California and the economy did no better - I think it might have been worse than California in spite of California shutting down
DeleteFord became VP because of the Spiro Agnew scandal. He was Speaker of the House. I’m definitely hoping that Johnson never becomes VP and then President
DeleteNewsom as a candidate seems unlikely this cycle. Would be interesting if he were, since he is the ex Mr Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump Junior's "fiance." But the news media keep floating Newsom's name around. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/12/california-gavin-newsom-biden-president-2024
DeleteI think Newsom would have a chance in 2028, but I don't see how he could get enough traction this time around. Yeah the Kimberly Guilfoyle thing is strange. Hard to see how they ever would have had much in common.
DeleteBoth ambitious hot shots?
DeleteI don't know much about Newsom except that he survived a recall election, had some type of fling with his secretary, and went to alcohol rehab 15 or 20 years ago. Otherwise a West Coast Limo Liberal with ties to the wine industry. How any of that would play with the American electorate in 2028 I don't know, and I don't expect to need to worry about it.
DeleteDon’t know if anyone is still reading, but Atlantic has a take on old presidential candidates
Deletehttps://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/donald-trump-old-age-biden/676052/
At 83 my husband has suffered a catastrophic injury. But his mind is fine. Last week one of his close friends in college, the USA champion in his age level ( old) and third in the world of old men who still compete ( diving) - dropped dead of a heart attack. The son in law of a lifelong friend suffered a very severe stroke in June - he’s 51. They don’t know if he will fully recover but it will take a long time. Prayers for him too - he’s a 7th Day Adventist pastor of a small, rural congregation in a poor part of Appalachia which has kept him on full salary for months. And of course, caring for his wife. His name is Brent.
DeleteNone of us know.