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| Home Front: Politix |
| Why Is Biden Hanging On? |
| 2024-07-09 |
| [CityJournal] As President Biden’s weak debate performance continues to erode his standing in the polls and the credibility of his reelection campaign, not to mention his presidency, observers may wonder why the Biden team continues to operate as though nothing has happened. Every day brings news of elected Democrats or major donors openly imploring Biden to terminate his campaign. With early voting in some states set to begin in September, time is running short if the party wishes to "swap in" a new candidate at the top of the ticket. Democratic leaders are in a bind. Biden remains popular with the party’s rank-and-file, who are less concerned about swing-state opinion polls, "electability" questions, or down-ballot considerations than are party insiders, who obsess over these matters. It nevertheless appears obvious to many observers that the president, whose legendary "gaffes" are beginning to look like unambiguous signs of dementia, will eventually have to come up with a dignified way to exit the race. But doing so ahead of his nomination poses significant problems for Democratic Party leadership. After all, the Democrats are fractious by nature—but even more so now. The party includes an extraordinarily broad spectrum of opinion. Some senior members believe that Israel is a pariah state; others are hawkish Zionists. The party includes socialists who seek to end private markets in housing and health care and fiscal centrists who voted against Biden’s economic agenda. The party has built this unlikely coalition on a foundation of minority identitarianism and "inclusion," so representation at the level of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation is a central concern in forming consensus. ...This factionalism is helpful as a means of attracting voters who feel disenfranchised, but much less so when it comes to facing something as contentious as an open convention, which is essentially the proposal being pushed by people calling for Biden to withdraw. An open convention, in which no candidate has secured a majority of votes ahead of time, hasn’t occurred in either party since 1952, when it took multiple ballots before Adlai Stevenson won the Democratic nomination. If Biden bows out before getting nominated, one can easily imagine a host of candidates emerging to replace him. Even if, as many prominent voices are urging, Biden throws his support to Vice President Kamala Harris, his pledged delegates will be allowed to vote for a candidate of their choosing. Elements in the Democratic Party would prefer other candidates besides Harris, whose own electability is a major question. ...The Biden campaign’s current efforts to tread water, which many find mystifying, may reflect the Democratic leadership’s desire to carry the president over the line to the nomination, only then having him step aside in favor of a new candidate. Political parties at every level maintain a committee on vacancies to deal with post-nomination absences, which can occur through death, dropouts, or other incapacitating events. According to the Charter and Bylaws of the Democratic Party, vacancies in the national ticket are managed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) itself. The DNC is composed of true party insiders: the heads of all the state parties (and the highest-ranking officer of another gender); 200 other members apportioned by state population; the heads of various labor unions; senior Democrats in Congress; prominent mayors; representatives of "Democrats Abroad"; and so on. This group, totaling about 500 people, would be called upon by the Executive Committee of the DNC to vote on filling a vacancy on the national ticket. The vote would require a quorum of half the members, who must actually be present to vote. The meeting would, presumably, be held in private, like a papal conclave. The committee members, all party regulars, would be able to pick a new candidate strictly on the question of electability, without regard to fringe opinion. This scenario is hypothetical, of course, but the Democrats are in uncharted political territory. It is probable that every permutation is being analyzed in the party’s high chambers. Waiting until after the nomination to relieve Biden of his command would sacrifice transparency in favor of apparent harmony, but that may be a trade-off the mandarins are willing to make. |
| Posted by:Grom the Reflective |
| #27 Jefe - look at Avril Haines wiki |
| Posted by: Griter+Slash1619 2024-07-09 19:12 |
| #26 First, Joe still thinks he is full control of his faculties and the only people who could convince him otherwise have no interest in doing so. Second, all the money Biden/Harris has raised can only go toward their election and cannot be used by another nominee. Third, they know Harris would lose against Trump, but they can't replace her without angering the black female vote. The Democrats don't have many options and may choose to run Joe and hope they can squeeze out a victory against Trump. |
| Posted by: Chantry 2024-07-09 19:03 |
| #25 We have the technology! Behind-the-scenes footage: Benetton Robotics kids soccer-kick at robot bike. Old Segway dude sticks cane in spokes. |
| Posted by: Pancho Poodle8452 2024-07-09 18:37 |
| #24 Know what's hip, now, and wow? Bicycling. Takes stamina and concentration. Get Joe out to some nice looking bike trails and have him peddle around, smartly dressed, and pull up suave to a group of selected media attendants. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2024-07-09 18:13 |
| #23 Why does everyone keep saying President Biden, like it is him making the decision? We all know that is NOT JB running the show, and has not been him for 2+ years. It is the hidden power welding puppet masters in the background, and certain DC Swampers/Elites running the US Gov. They are the ones risking the continued operation of the USA, so they can promote abnormal Social/Moral Change and skim $$$$$$. |
| Posted by: NN2N1 2024-07-09 17:51 |
| #22 Awesome, but why stop there? The Curse of the Helmet was doomed! A clatter, and suddenly loomed From out of the sun Our Great Pilot! As one: "How articulate, clean, and well-groomed!" |
| Posted by: Pancho Poodle8452 2024-07-09 17:21 |
| #21 What they should do is gather up a select group of press and head on out to a vehicle park, have Joe drive up to the crowd, get out, and make some poses in his aviators. The catch is that the actual driving controls will be for the starboard seat and the actual drive be dressed and situated so as not to be seen from a predetermined camera position. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2024-07-09 16:19 |
| #20 ^ That is the big fear. |
| Posted by: Herb Crinens2416 2024-07-09 16:02 |
| #19 When the voting returns wildly exceed the 2020 census of adults in key cities/states, that's when they'll force the "what are you going to do about it" moment. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2024-07-09 15:33 |
| #18 CTH may have hit upon a primary motive behind the massive illegal immigration surge: "The people behind Joe Biden that used illegal voter registration, subsequent ballot harvesting, and ultimately corrupt ballot counting to install Biden into office, have threatened to veto any legislation that would impede their election fraud operation." "By now we should all know the essential process being deployed. This is the reason for the open border policies. The Biden administration (DHS) is not “importing democrat voters.” Instead, DHS is importing people, names, that allows the state fraud process to generate ballots. This is an important distinction. The migrants will not use the ballots. The DNC harvesters will collect them, fill them out (Team Obama), then the Precinct workers will scan them and count them (Team Clyburn). Illegals don’t need to vote. They only need to exist to create a ballot. " https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/07/09/biden-administration-promises-to-veto-any-legislative-effort-that-blocks-vote-or-ballot-fraud/#more-261958 |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2024-07-09 14:50 |
| #17 Ref# 15 Obama was tapped by someone(s). 1st term senators cNt destroy the Clinton machine without powerful backing. That is who is pulling the strings. |
| Posted by: Jefe101 2024-07-09 14:33 |
| #16 Hunter has become the gatekeeper and openly participating in senior meetings seated next to his father. Already questions are being raised about him receiving possibly classified information. This is a presidency converting to an Imperial kleptocracy because of a feckless political party unwilling to invoke the 25th and lose power. Never was there a clearer justification for immediate Impeachment or removal by the 25th Amendment! |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2024-07-09 13:05 |
| #15 At least since Obama won in 2008 I've been fascinated by Democrat Party discipline. Pelosi ruled the House with an iron hand. All of the Democrat members always voted the way the leadership told them to vote. I never heard any dissent. Republicans, the Stupid Party, seemed weak and divided. Pelosi, Schumer and Obama always got their way. If indeed there is a "broad spectrum of opinion" in that party, we've seen precious little of it in the past two decades. It would do us all a lot of good if some cracks in this monolith would finally appear. And I still can't help wondering if the DNC is really the organization calling the shots or if it's Obama or if it is some other shadowy person or organization phoning it in to Kalorama from an even more obscure location. But it would be wonderful if he/she/they finally lost his/her/their grip. Biden's obstinance is interesting because up until now most of us assumed he was only taking orders from Obama and, if ordered to stand down, he would. The scariest thing was the idea that Biden really was in charge in spite of his cognitive issues. But we still don't know because all of this could be part of some strategy that has yet to unfold. Democrats are full of tricks and this could all just be the latest trick. Let's just hope this is some kind of failure or mistake instead and they have no better options. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2024-07-09 13:01 |
| #14 Hunter is leading policy meetings. We can’t have that through January. Joe needs to be canned. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2024-07-09 12:19 |
| #13 What I find funny is a few days ago only Michelle Obama was beating Trump in the polls. Today only Hillary is beating Trump in the polls. The different Democrat factions are all trying to gain the upper hand and I don't think any are getting traction. A smart politician would wait 4 years until Trump has fixed the country and has been attacked and villified for 4 years and people have 4 years to forget Democrat overreach and horrific economy. That would be a better time for Newsome to run and I think he knows it. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2024-07-09 10:07 |
| #12 Joe not only has an outsized ego but also has magical thinking (Trillion$ programs produce lots of jobs but no inflation) and Mitty fantasies (I put together NATO, I put down Corn Pop). To be sure a lot of politicians have those characteristics (including Trump) but in Biden's case his incompetence and diminishing brain make it way worse. |
| Posted by: Lord Garth 2024-07-09 10:05 |
| #11 Jill Biden is negotiating are pardon deal because as soon as Joe steps down that ship has sailed. A deal would probably include Hunter which is a harder one to swallow because pardoning Joe can be played off as a uniting the country move while Hunter went down for gun charges not for the laptop which is harder. Perhaps Joe can pardon Hunter on his way out, despite his promises not to do so but assurances must be made. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2024-07-09 10:05 |
| #10 It's Jill, Hunter, and Obama hanging on. Jill likes the perks of the White House, Hunter doesn't want to give up the money from selling access, and Obama isn't finished fundamentally transforming the country. |
| Posted by: Deacon+Blues 2024-07-09 09:43 |
| #9 Free diaper changes! |
| Posted by: Jack+Creanter7508 2024-07-09 08:15 |
| #8 He will stay long enough to give his family members amnesty. |
| Posted by: Old Salty 2024-07-09 07:00 |
| #7 He's a tool of the globalists and eco-friendly, population control liberals who hate exceptionalism and all this country stands for. Too many people are the problem you see. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2024-07-09 06:37 |
| #6 Biden knows nothing else. |
| Posted by: Airandee 2024-07-09 06:24 |
| #5 He's staying in because he still has six and a half months to continue flushing the country right down the toilet. |
| Posted by: Raj 2024-07-09 00:40 |
| #4 Biden is not, his wife Jill is the one hanging on. Seems Jill like being the first lady and enjoy the power of running the country. |
| Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance 2024-07-09 00:35 |
| #3 Buden has been visited several times by a Parkinson's doctor. "A disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement, often including tremors. Nerve cell damage in the brain causes dopamine levels to drop, leading to the symptoms of Parkinson's. Parkinson's often starts with a tremor in one hand. Other symptoms are slow movement, stiffness, and loss of balance. Medications can help control the symptoms of Parkinson's." Mayo Clinic I also think Putin has Parkinson's disease. |
| Posted by: Whavick Scourge of the Apes9857 2024-07-09 00:28 |
| #2 To give the real reason would be to telegraph the punch. |
| Posted by: Ululating Platypus 2024-07-09 00:22 |
| #1 Trump predicts Biden won't drop out of race: 'He's got an ego' |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-07-09 00:19 |