Calls for Biden to stand aside grow after shaky debate performance against Trump – live | US elections 2024
[ad_1]
Biden’s performance in the debate sent Democrats into a panic
Rachel Leingang
Could there be a contested Democratic convention? How is this even going to work? Changing the president may not be an option, they said, but many conceded democrats are talking about it, prompted by Biden’s troubling performance in the debate.
MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace laid out how a candidate can free their delegates. Joy Reid said someone sent her the rules.
“The rules spread,” laughed Wallace.
“Nobody’s saying that’s going to happen, it’s highly unlikely,” Reid reiterated.
The fact that a liberal network would raise the issue of whether a sitting president running for re-election can be replaced after winning the nomination shows how democrats scramble after the debate to confirm Biden’s ability to lead the nation. Many are questioning whether the party should have serious reservations about what else could be done instead.
David Plouffe, a Democratic strategist and former Obama campaign spokesman, called the debate “kind of like a Defcon 1 moment.”
“The biggest thing in this election is the concerns of voters — both the caucuses and the primary — with his age, and tonight, those were compounded,” Plouffe said.
Read the full story:
Key events
Jess Bidgoodwriting for the New York Times On Politics newsletter, summed it all up as “Well, that was ugly” and said the bottom line was “mostly, they were fighting each other.”
She writes:
Both Biden and Trump are deeply unpopular, and voters have been telling pollsters for months that they don’t want this rematch, even as they send the candidates to the top of the ticket. Watching last night’s debate, with each pointing to the other as a reason to run again, it seemed clear that the two Americans who most wanted this rematch were standing on stage.
“I wish you were a great president because I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be in one of my many places to have fun,” Trump said, adding, “The only reason I’m here is because he’s such a bad president.” Biden has described Trump as a unique threat to the country, calling him deeply personal and repeatedly calling him a liar. The deep enmity on display – and the night’s turmoil – may have taken a toll on both of them.
David Smith
David Smith was in Atlanta for the Guardian, and this is his sketch of what was a terrible debate night for the Biden campaign:
That sickening thump he heard was jaws hitting the floor. That nasty sound he heard was hearts sinking into boots. That hoarse noise you heard was the President of the United States embodying what felt like the last gasp of the ailing republic. Say it ain’t so, Joe.
The first US presidential debate in Atlanta on Thursday was the night that democrats went from “No panic!” to “Okay, it’s panic time!” After months of preparation and anticipation, they made it to the altar and suddenly realized they were marrying the wrong man.
In 90 miserable minutes, Joe Biden accomplished two things that seemed impossible. He lived up to the expectations that were already set in stone. And he managed to do Donald Trump they sound almost in agreement. Trump didn’t win the debate, but Biden certainly lost it.
Democrats were lulled into a false sense of security by Biden’s high-energy State of the Union performance. They were expecting Superman again. Instead, they caught Clark Kent at his age.
Read more about David Smith’s sentencing here: ‘You’re the scion, you’re the loser’: 90 miserable minutes of Biden vs. Trump
Who could replace Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee?
Must Joe Biden decide not to run for re-election in November, after all, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which takes place August 19-22, will have to nominate someone else. There is no clear leader, but there will be some potential options.
Kamala Harris
The most obvious default choice would be Biden’s VP. She has been widely criticized for not building her own role in the Biden administration and has low approval ratings in polls, suggesting she will struggle against Donald Trump in the glow of an election campaign. The 59-year-old endorsed Biden after the debate, but is also perhaps the party’s easiest to pick as a replacement. She would automatically become president if Biden resigned from the White House, but that would not automatically make her the nominee.
Gavin Newsom
The 56-year-old California governor was in the room last night discussing any alternatives to Biden being the nominee, saying it was “pointless speculation.” He had a prime-time debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year in what could be a presidential matchup of the future, and made it a point to support democrats in an election away from his home state that at times felt like a White House shadow campaign.
JB Pritzker
The 59-year-old Illinois governor would be one of the wealthiest potential picks, but he could also thrive on the fact that he has codified abortion rights in Illinois and declared it a “sanctuary state” for women seeking abortions. He is also strong on gun control and legalizing recreational marijuana.
Gretchen Whitmer
The Michigan governor was on the short list for Biden’s 2020 vice presidential pick, and the Democratic Party’s strong performance in the midterm elections is partly due to her stewardship. The 52-year-old is in favor of stricter gun laws, repealing abortion bans and bringing back universal preschool.
Sherrod Brown
The 71-year-old would be the oldest of the alternative nominees, but still seven years younger than Donald Trump. It was considered a surprise when he fell short of the 2020 Democratic nomination, saying at the time that he saw remaining Ohio’s senator as “the best place for me to fight this fight” on behalf of working people . A strong voice on labor rights and advocacy, he has also spoken out in defense of IVF and abortion.
Dean Phillips
Joe Biden’s primary rival earlier this year has already demonstrated an inability to appeal to the wider party and is therefore unlikely to be a factor.
Democratic strategist Terrin Bond told Sky News the party needed to be replaced Joe Biden as a presidential candidate, but it shouldn’t be Kamala Harris because “the country is not ready” for a black woman to be president.
She said that California Gov Gavin Newsom and Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer can be candidates explaining:
Unfortunately, as much as I wish the US was ready for a black woman to be president, they are not. This country is not ready. This country is too divisive, unfortunately we are just not there. I don’t think she would be the one to lead the Democratic Party to victory.
How can Joe Biden be replaced as the Democratic presidential nominee?
Joe Biden does not become the party’s nominee for president until he is endorsed at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, August 19-22.
There is no formal mechanism to replace him as a presumptive candidate and this would be the first time a party has attempted to do so in modern times. In practice, the only option is for him to agree to withdraw.
He won the primary almost uncontested, and about 95% of the delegates who choose the nominee pledged to vote for him. There is no legal requirement that they vote for whoever won the primary, but they are asked to vote in a way that “in good conscience reflects the feelings of those who elected them.”
If Biden withdraws as a candidate, he could try to nominate someone — most likely Vice President Kamala Harris — as a preferred alternative that would carry some weight among delegates but would not be binding.
The most drastic course of action open to Biden — resigning from the presidency itself — would make Harris president. But that won’t automatically make her the 2024 Democratic nominee.
The party will still have to hold an open, contested convention, leaving around 700 party officials the choice to pick someone and then have just three months to rally and campaign for them.
And here are the best (by which I mean terrible) moments from this debate.
Warning: lots of golf talk.
On that note, it’s Helen Sullivan doing whatever is the opposite of championship in this live show. My colleague Martin Bellam will be with you for the next time.
It’s worth watching this from MSNBC analyst Claire McCaskill (you’ll hear her use the word “surrogate” a lot—it’s someone who speaks on behalf of a candidate, usually to promote him):
Politico has this explainer on how the Democrats could replace Biden (again: this is extremely unlikely to happen – not as unlikely as it was before this debate):
If Biden agrees to decline his party’s nomination, it would set in motion an open and unpredictable process to choose his replacement.
Other names – from Vice President Kamala Harris to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, and JB Pritzker, among many others—could be nominated. Candidates who could span the geographic, ideological and generational wings of the Democratic Party will work to get thousands of Democratic delegates to support them on the first ballot.
Pledged delegates aren’t the only ones with a say. The Democratic Party has stripped “superdelegates” — elected officials and party leaders who can vote for whoever they want — of most of their power after the disputed 2016 primaries. Those superdelegates would be free to vote if none a candidate did not win a majority of delegates on the first ballot. An open, contested convention would give more than 700 party officials a major role in choosing the new candidate.
Here’s how Jon Stewart fared:
Tim Miller, a former Republican strategist turned staunch Biden supporter, told the AP in the spin room after the debate: “This was the worst performance in the history of televised presidential debates.”
[ad_2]
