President Joe Biden insists that he plans to run for a second term, but according to several reports, a growing number of liberals are saying, “No, thank you.”
What started out as the occasional story examining potential 2024 Democratic presidential candidates seems to have abruptly picked up speed and morphed into questioning whether Biden should run again.
The latest episode comes from The Atlantic, no bastion of far-right conspiracy theories, where writer Mark Leibovich penned an article titled, “Why Biden Shouldn’t Run in 2024.”
“Let me put this bluntly: Joe Biden should not run for reelection in 2024. He is too old,” Leibovich wrote. “Biden will turn 80 on November 20. He will be 82 if and when he begins a second term. The numbers just keep getting more ridiculous from there.”
He went on to share that he spoke to 10 “unofficial advisers to the administration who have spent time around the president during these deranged and divided days in America.”
“They say, for the most part, that Biden is coping fine. You know, despite the 8.6 percent inflation, his depressed approval numbers, his vice president’s worse approval numbers, the looming wipeout in the midterms…But here’s another recurring theme I keep hearing, notably from people predisposed to liking the president. ‘He just seems old,’ one senior administration official told me at a social function a few weeks ago,” he added.
Leibovich argued that announcing plans not to run again could be “liberating” for Biden because it would let him “shed the demands of being a disciplined candidate (never his strong suit).” Additionally, he suggested it could buy the president goodwill.
“The age issue will only get worse if Biden runs again. The ‘whispers’ are becoming shouts. It has become thoroughly exhausting—for Biden and his party and, to some extent, the country itself,” he continued.
Leibovich admitted that it “feels impolite to point this out—disrespectful, ageist, and taboo, especially given the gross Republican smears about Biden being a doddering and demented old puppet” to touch the topic.
He noted Biden “takes care of himself. He does not drink or smoke, is not overweight, and works out at least five times a week. He looks great for a guy his age. Biden is fit to faithfully execute his duties.”
However, Leibovich said Biden is “by no means the more eloquent character he was in his younger days,” and it “can be painful to watch him give prepared speeches.” He also suggested that” the matchup between America’s current condition and the doctor on call feels untenable.”
Additionally, Leibovich argued that Biden not running again could “unleash a profusion of youth and energy into the Democratic field” and reinvigorate the party. Meanwhile, the president would be “praised for knowing when to step aside, for putting the interests of his party and country before himself, and for selflessly turning things over to the next acts.”
It seems like something is afoot in some corners the Democratic Party.
What started as questions confined to the primetime hours of Fox News, other conservative media, and some left-leaning podcasters and Substack writers is now making its way into mainstream outlets.
But what changed? Did Biden suffer some tragic medical emergency? No. Is the economy crashing through the floor? No. Has there been some major scandal? No. Did Democrats suffer a beating in the midterms? Not yet.
Perhaps this is just part of the natural process of the party in power fretting about the midterms, and nothing will come of it.
Or it is an attempt to lay the groundwork for Democrats to urge the incumbent not to run again, something that hasn’t been seen in over 50 years, if the party gets a beating in the midterms by arguing that they need a young, fresh candidate who can excite voters in 2024. Whatever is behind these stories, it is certainly interesting to watch.
