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* Lynn Sweet…
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., was sitting in her Evanston kitchen on Friday night, just back from a hit on MSNBC where she strongly urged Democrats to stop calling for President Joe Biden to step aside and unite behind the Biden-Harris ticket. […]
On Friday, in another segment of “All In with Chris Hayes,” Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., made news when he called on Biden to step aside. Quigley is one of five House Democrats — as of Sunday — to say on the record that Biden should be replaced. […]
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is one of those House members who wants to consult with his colleagues before making a decision on what to do. […]
Rep. Lauren Underwood is a member of the Biden Harris campaign National Advisory Board and has been traveling the country doing events for the Biden-Harris ticket. On Sunday, her senior political adviser, Pavitra Abraham, told me nothing has changed and Underwood “supports the president.”
Rep. Danny Davis’ position is that Biden should stay, his chief of staff, Tumia Romero, told me. “Likely any other option creates deep divisions within the Democratic Party. Biden has earned the right to stay in the race.”
Rep. Jonathan Jackson told me Biden should stay, but he didn’t elaborate.
Rep. Robin Kelly announced her support for Biden last night.
Lots more, so click here.
* Related from the NY Times…
As President Biden watches his support among some key Democrats in Congress quietly crumble, one group has emerged as a vocal base of support on Capitol Hill: Black lawmakers, particularly older ones.
While most elected Democrats have avoided publicly weighing in on Mr. Biden’s fate and many have privately expressed skepticism that he can remain the party’s candidate after a disastrous debate performance, senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus have filled the void with full-throated expressions of support.
It is reminiscent of how Black Democrats rallied behind Mr. Biden to help propel him to his primary victory in 2020. It also speaks to a broader racial and generational divide in the party that could be consequential in determining how it moves forward from the president’s current crisis.
More than a dozen Black Democrats in both the House and Senate have begun to offer a strong defense of him, even as their colleagues whisper in increasingly urgent tones about pushing him aside.
* More from Politico…
“Some Democrats just naturally get nervous,” said Mark Guethle, who is the newly elected chair of the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association and “100 percent” behind Biden. “Look,” he said, “I’ve been around politics for 40 years. We all know Joe Biden has a speech impediment. We all know that he was tired [in that debate]. And I don’t care how old Joe Biden is. He is fighting for the middle class. He has always fought for the middle class. If anybody should drop from the race, it should be Donald Trump.” […]
State Sen. Dave Koehler and Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell aren’t ready to commit either way. Dowell said she’s talking to constituents “before I put my hand on the scale.” […]
Also with Biden: Attorney Gen. Kwame Raoul, Comptroller Susana Mendoza, state Reps. Jehan Gordon-Booth, La Shawn Ford and Margaret Croke; state Sens. Elgie Sims, Adriane Johnson and Javier L. Cervantes; Chicago Alds. Walter Burnett Jr. and Gilbert “Gil” Villegas; Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering; Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon; Illinois AFL-CIO chief Tim Drea; delegates Desiree Rogers, Beth Penesis and Chris Dunn; and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun. […]
A big name keeping quiet: Gov. JB Pritzker hasn’t commented since Biden’s interview Friday on ABC, suggesting he’s concerned about the president’s chances. Earlier last week, Pritzker spent 13 minutes on CNN offering carefully worded support, saying he’s “100 percent on board” with Biden “unless he makes some other decision.”
* Brenden Moore on US Rep. Nikki Budzinski…
“The reality is that President Biden has won our party’s nomination in 2024, and it is up to him to choose his path forward,” Budzinski said. “I believe if he decides to stay in this race, and he has indicated that he obviously is, I’m going to be supporting him because I think there is just too much at stake for any other alternative.”
* Daily Herald on US Rep. Brad Schneider…
Schneider also discussed the presidential race in the wake of a poor debate showing from President Joe Biden that has some of his congressional colleagues, including fellow Illinois Democrat Mike Quigley, calling for the incumbent to step aside.
“The debate was a debacle,” Schneider said. “There is no question about that.”
Schneider said he is talking with his colleagues and leadership about next steps.
“My commitment is to do everything we need to do to ensure that we win in November, that Trump is not reelected to the White House.”
* US Rep. Eric Sorensen dodged repeated questions from a Quad Cities interviewer…
“I’m really focused here on the things I need to do in the district,” Sorensen said. “I’ve seen the clips from the Thursday night debate, but I wasn’t watching live because it’s not a decision that is front and center in my mind.”
More from the interview…
I just don’t think that my opinion matters for, for the people at home.
* Greg Hinz asks who would be VP Harris’ running mate if Biden stepped aside and she had the nomination in hand…
Pritzker, unlike, say, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro or North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, comes from a solidly blue state that would be expected to go Democratic. Beyond that, while Shapiro and Cooper both share law-enforcement backgrounds — with Harris as a former state attorney general — Harris and Cooper are also said to be personal friends.
Pritzker comes from the business world. But the huge wealth the Chicago billionaire could bring to to the race at a critical time might make a difference, and Pritzker has made no secret of his desire to be a national political player.
Sources close to him are divided on whether he’d accept the No. 2 job. Pritzker himself and his team aren’t commenting.
Pritzker is due to speak at events thrown by both the Indiana and Ohio Democratic parties this upcoming weekend. Perhaps he’ll say something then — and perhaps by then we’ll know more about Biden’s situation.
* More…
* Parkinson’s doctor made 10 White House visits, logs show: Dr. O’Connor, the White House physician, said he “assembled a team” of medical specialists, including “movement disorder neurologic specialists to carefully examine and assess the president” during his Feb. 28, 2024 physical exam. The team concluded “that much of his stiffness is in fact a result of degenerative osteoarthritic changes of his spine.” Dr. O’Connor said he conducted “an extremely detailed neurologic exam” that found no evidence consistent with “cerebellar or other central neurological disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s.”
Deep breaths before commenting please. Very deep.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:02 pm
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
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It’s over. We all saw what looked like dementia in real time. I am the most anti-Trump anti-Trumper there is. And there is no way I can vote for Biden after that debate. If Joe Biden and other reality averse democrats want Donald Trump to be president, that is their business.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:08 pm
=== Sources close to him are divided on whether he’d accept the No. 2 job. ===
Color me skeptical that someone with Presidential ambitions would turn down a chance to increase their nationwide name ID and, if they win, guarantee a spot next in line. Seems very farfetched.
Comment by vern Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:13 pm
The debate was a disaster. The campaign has compounded the problem with its response post-debate. A lot of people have dealt with aging relatives who have declined and recognize similarities with Biden.
I didn’t think I’d be here but I’m pro-step aside. I think the only realistic option besides Biden staying in, is Biden steps down and Harris becomes President and the candidate. I think Pritzker, Newsom or Whitmer headlining a ticket is fantasy. It would split the party in half to sideline the VP.
Comment by ChicagoVinny Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:14 pm
==Color me skeptical that someone with Presidential ambitions would turn down a chance to increase their nationwide name ID and, if they win, guarantee a spot next in line. Seems very farfetched.==
I obviously have no insight into what the Governor wants to do, but I think the argument goes that an ambitious Dem reading the writing on the wall might stay out of 2024 and try to run in 2028, rather than get involved in the current messiness.
Comment by Garfield Ridge Guy Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:15 pm
To all of those holding out on a full-throated endorsement of the man who won every Democratic primary:
Your actions are proving to have one result, and it’s not the one you’re wishing for. You have turned a one-day story into a 10-day attack on your nominee. President Biden has made abundantly clear that he’s not going anywhere. So every time you tepidly issue a statement or avoid commenting, you are not pushing him out. You are helping Donald Trump. Every headline in the country for the past 10 days has been about whether Biden is too old/weak/feeble. Not a single voter knows what Project 2025 is, and that is the fault of all the people who see a President when they look in the mirror and have convinced themselves that their lukewarm statements will push Biden out.
Older black voters, like usual, have it right.
If Trump wins, I will blame every single person who couldn’t look past their navel to focus on the binary choice here.
Comment by Wishcasting is Not a Strategy Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:17 pm
===“Some Democrats just naturally get nervous,” said Mark Guethle,…===
That’s very true. Bed wetting is our default setting. I think it’s because we are self-aware as a party.
Joe Biden is old. We’ve suspected this for some time. We nominated him anyway. I’m with Joe, whatever he decides.
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:20 pm
I have one question for wafflers like Nikki. Do you believe Biden has sufficient mental capacity to be President? Yes or no. None of this well he’s the nominee and it’s up to him. Same question to Jay. Refusing to definitively answer that question detracts from their credibility as well as the credibility of so called journalists who let them get away with their obfuscations
Comment by Captain Obvious Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:21 pm
Biden on his worst day is still miles better for American democracy than Trump on his best day.
And yes, Biden had a bad debate night. Meanwhile, nobody seems to bring up that Trump constantly lied, constantly threatened, constantly was non-sensical, and has recently been named specifically in assorted Epstein Island docs for some very heinous stuff. But I guess we’re used to that and therefore Biden = demented because he had a head cold.
Comment by TJ Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:24 pm
This sucks and I direct my ire at the President’s family and insider circle who have sheltered and hid how much he has regressed. It feels like they completely misread the politics and assumed that Trump’s consistent verbal gaffes and age-related decline would make Biden’s significantly worse decline moot.
Comment by Chicago Blue Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:25 pm
“ If Trump wins, I will blame every single person who couldn’t look past their navel to focus on the binary choice here.”
I get it. It shouldn’t be a hard choice between a fairly mainstream democrat who is losing it vs a neofascist who never had it. But that was before, “we finally beat Medicare.”
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:29 pm
“We nominated him anyway.”
Choosing from so many options…
Comment by Save Ferris Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:33 pm
The stuttering isnt a big deal. Yes everyone knows about it. Ive had one since I was young. The issue is he had several opportunities to attack Trump or call him out and he didnt take advantage of them. He looked lost and weak. That is the problem.
Comment by low level Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:34 pm
= I just don’t think that my opinion matters for, for the people at home. =
Sorry, wut?
Comment by Dirty Red Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:38 pm
=Refusing to definitively answer that question detracts from their credibility as well as the credibility of so called journalists who let them get away with their obfuscations=
LOL, ask a maga person about the election and you get worse. Your argument is facile until they start holding all politicians accountable not just some.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:39 pm
== But the huge wealth the Chicago billionaire could bring to to the race at a critical time might make a difference, ==
Yes, agreed but in the national spotlight it could also create campaign issues.
Comment by Mary Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:48 pm
Also, who do the step-downs think that the Dems should run instead of Biden? Harris? She’s never topped Biden’s approvals at any point. Pritzker or Newsome or anyone else? Neat, but we’re all okay with ignoring primary results now and letting a bunch of no-name delegates pick a candidate? Who has the name recognition and funding capacity to match what Biden already has done other than a rich dude footing the bill all by himself like Pritzker (which optically would just look like a billionaire buying a nomination this late in the game)? Not to mention does anyone remotely think that GOP states like Ohio would make it easy to change the Dem ticket at such late notice on the ballots?
Comment by TJ Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:50 pm
=== He looked lost and weak. That is the problem. ===
Thank you. Not every voter is like me who will vote for Biden in a coma over Trump.
But also his decline, particularly in contrast to Trump who has declined but not as severely, and statements like he needs to be in bed by 8 pm make me think he’s just not up for the job itself anymore, forget the politics.
If people want to be angry at something for the current situation, blame the inevitable march of time.
Comment by ChicagoVinny Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:51 pm
I do not think the delegates have any real discretion if President Biden does not drop out voluntarily. There was a primary, which President Biden won. The rules say the delegates have to follow the primary results if doing so is “in good conscious.”
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 12:59 pm
Intra-party dissent is healthy and necessary in a democracy. Good for some Democrats for expressing that Biden should not run for re-election. Blind fealty is autocratic, like today’s GOP.
At the same time, the national corporate news media is utterly derelict in not devoting equitable time to the threat Trump is to America, and his torrent of lies at the debate. Does this media think Trump has mental health and fitness of office? If the political news media’s purpose is to not defend democracy and self-determination, cornerstones of the county, it has no purpose at all.
Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:05 pm
Of everyone listed above, Quigley has the least to lose. He lost his coveted Intelligience Committee spot and his House career has hit a wall.
Comment by NIU Grad Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:05 pm
As one commentator noted, “If you owned a company, which job would you feel comfortable having President Biden perform for an eight hour day?”
Comment by Downstate Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:09 pm
Sources close to him are divided on whether he’d accept the No. 2 job. Pritzker himself and his team aren’t commenting….
Let’s review
1. How many recent veeps have gone on to be PREZ?
2. Why would anyone with a big state platform and his Pro-Choice PAC even think veep for a moment?
Comment by Annonin' Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:10 pm
TJ - I am wholeheartedly living in reality with you.
=== but we’re all okay with ignoring primary results now and letting a bunch of no-name delegates pick a candidate?===
This has me thinking. An enterprising reporter should ask all the Illinois convention delegates who they would side with in a Harris vs Pritzker vs Newsom vs Whitmer showdown. Same for the California, Michigan etc delegations. I find it hard to believe that anyone would have a lock on even their state delegation.
Comment by Wishcasting is Not a Strategy Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:12 pm
After Biden’s statement this morning there is no way he can be forced out he did after all win the delegates and by rule have to vote for him on the first ballot. What are Democrats supposed to do change rules to force him out? I thought this was the party fighting for democracy. The people that should be blamed are the people that hid this and that includes any media member that knew of this. If however his debate night was a first time event then that should not be a disqualification but the party still knew his age and what could happen and they made a choice and must live with it
Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:20 pm
@TJ
The chances of it happening are one in a trillion, but you basically force Harris to step aside and you force Michelle Obama to run. You campaign as vaguely as the republicans. She makes nice, always smiling and saying great things about America’s future, and you have a pit bull for a VP candidate who grinds the opposition into dust.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:28 pm
==Pritzker (which optically would just look like a billionaire buying a nomination this late in the game)==
No, this is blunted with Trump who also is very wealthy.
Given his ability to self fund and his solid record as Governor, JB would be the best alternative to Biden. Personally I will vote for whomever the Dem nominee is.
Comment by low level Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:28 pm
===How many recent veeps have gone on to be PREZ?===
The current one is a good place to start.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:29 pm
This is a very strange national discussion from my point of view. I don’t see much difference between now and 2020 in either candidate. They’re both forgetful and incoherent. Why there wasn’t this pressure in 2020, I’ll never know. Why this pressure only applies to one of the clearly incoherent candidates, I have no idea. Was a bad idea to run these guys in 2020. Still a bad idea today.
Comment by SWIL_Voter Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:35 pm
I have never seen this much chaos among democrats before. It’s like watching the republicans.
Comment by Joe Biden Playing Golf Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:39 pm
As a Republican, all I can say is that democrats and Biden himself are going about this all wrong. Do not defend yourself or attack Biden. Every time the question comes up, call Trump old, weak, a liar, a mental midget, or whatever you want to say. You need to fight fire with fire.
Comment by Lurker Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:48 pm
@ Ducky - Michelle Obama is basically a grass is greener candidate. She’s never expressed interest and aside from generic and basic statements has never had to stump on the campaign trail or attach her name to anything more complex and controversial than measures to combat childhood obesity rates. Plus, talk about an insanely undemocratic move, to replace an elected and twice nominated pair ticket with the spouse of the guy before last.
@ low - I get that, but we’re dealing with a national discourse where a guy being out of it for maybe an hour and fine before and after is considered worse than a guy living in a revenge-filled delusional world 24/7 for years on end. The media likes Trump’s soundbites and doesn’t remotely go as hard on him as they do for Biden or any other Dem. Pritzker would absolutely be tagged as undemocratic oligarch if he got the nomination in ways that’d never be levied against Trump, for better (Trump actually won the primaries) or worse (Mr. Gold-plated Toilet is somehow a man of the people per Fox News).
Comment by TJ Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:54 pm
==How many recent veeps have gone on to be PREZ?==
Besides the current one the last one was George HW Bush. And he lost his re-election bid. Based on what things look like it doesn’t look good for VP’s to be two termers.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:55 pm
=== Every time the question comes up, call Trump old, weak, a liar, a mental midget, or whatever you want to say.===
Agreed. And, it’s pretty easy to do; it’s all on video.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 1:56 pm
Nixon was another Veep who eventually became president.
Comment by Gravitas Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:07 pm
Seems to me the Dems kind of deserve what is now occurring. The president ran as a transitional one term president. When he convinced himself he was a modern day FDR and elected to run in 24 the Dem establishment shut down all efforts to run competitive primaries. Biden is your nominee- live with the consequences of covering up his problems
Comment by Sue Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:11 pm
It would take a miracle to get her to run even if Biden dropped out. My question to the entire non-MAGA nation is… do you want to win? Or are you fine with Trump? Because to win, you probably have to do the unthinkable, forsake the current administration. Harris might could win. Obama wins.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:17 pm
And valid points are being raised regarding Veephood being a better path to the presidency than just about any other gig. In my parents’ lifetimes, we’ve had Truman, Johnson, Nixon, HW Bush, and Biden elected in their own rights as presidents (albeit with two of them becoming president first before getting elected), and Ford becoming president but not elected as such (or elected as Veep either). That’s a pretty high hit rate of vice presidents that become presidents, plus more than a few going on to be successfully nominated and not elected.
Meanwhile, how many hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Senators and Governors haven’t gotten the presidency or the nomination? It’s easy to point out that oh, Senators Kennedy and Obama got elected president, or Governors Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush. But 6/hundreds versus 5/a dozen or so? One’s odds are much better than the other.
Comment by TJ Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:18 pm
== The president ran as a transitional one term president. ==
Biden described himself as a transitional figure for sure, but I would strongly encourage you to find anywhere where Biden ever said that he was only planning to run for a single-term. Everything that’s ever been said to that effect was hearsay or speculation due to his age.
Also, a president running for a second term, which is something that every president in all of our lifetimes has done, doesn’t remotely make them think they’re the next FDR.
Comment by TJ Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:20 pm
I can’t think of anyone who can replace Biden as the Democratic candidate for President and win at this late date. Also I suggest that this judgement by the press against the President smacks of ageism.
Comment by Enviro Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:28 pm
If President Biden drops or is forced out you can call off some of the DNC convention parties. Joe’s 4,000 delegates and thousands of volunteers will be hunkering down at the United Center rather than out on the town.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:30 pm
I’m voting against trump. Nothing can change that reality. Whether it is Biden or ……….
Comment by Tobor Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:38 pm
I happened to see President Biden’s phone interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show this morning. It went very well.
Comment by Enviro Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:38 pm
“Also, a president running for a second term, which is something that every president in all of our lifetimes has done”
Maybe I am getting old but I am not senile yet - How about Johnson?
Comment by no relation Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:48 pm
The perspective of Dem elected officials on this is shaped largely (but not totally) by how safe their district is. Those who represent deep blue areas can’t fathom that anyone would vote for Trump or simply not vote at all, so they don’t fully grasp the risk in sticking with Joe. Those in swing districts understand the election is going to be decided by the relative few people that make up the middle in American politics — and they know the debate killed Joe’s chances with a whole bunch of those voters.
Comment by TNR Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:53 pm
== Maybe I am getting old but I am not senile yet - How about Johnson? ==
His first term was the remainder of JFK’s term, his second term was post-1964. He chose to not run for a third term due to Vietnam baggage, but he still ran for a second term. And, in fact, tried to run for a third term before it was clear that he didn’t have a pathway to the nomination.
Comment by TJ Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:57 pm
We are not only voting for a President but also for the administration he/she would put together. I have more confidence in the current Biden administration rather than Trump surrounding himself with nothing but people who don’t have the backbone to stand up to him and tell him when he’s wrong, which is pretty much all the time.
Comment by Chicago Voter Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 2:58 pm
@TNR
Yes. But with huge down ballot consequences. Think about Jon Tester. Think about Eric Sorensen. Think about a GOP controlled House and Senate. The odds are increasing by the day.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 3:03 pm
I’ve emotionally surrendered.
Whenever, we progress toward keeping the despot from returning to office something new comes up to dash those hopes.
I saw the debate, not as a verification of senility, but as something that would be perceived that way. I didn’t foresee the wholesale handwringing and whining that would result. I expected some media frenzy afterwards, but this continuous drumbeat is fueled by handwringers.
Whilst I don’t recall seeing reports of internal staff complaints about lucidity before. The frenzy has now surfaced some in several stories. Suggesting they were careful covering it up until the damn burst, or they’re hand wringers who want to pile on.
What’s now coming into the commentary is an insane whataboutism that equates supporting Biden with the irrational MAGA cult love for Trump.
The hand wringers who say they oppose Trump rarely respond when asked who they think can magically come in at this late stage of the game and win. So they continue the frenzy and any chance for anybody to defeat corrupt MAGA GOP candidate is gone.
Comment by Norseman Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 3:06 pm
- Also I suggest that this judgement by the press against the President smacks of ageism. -
Saying elderly people aren’t capable of performing a job is ageism. Pointing out that an elderly man clearly demonstrated he isn’t capable of performing a job is not.
Comment by Excitable Boy Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 3:08 pm
After that debate and the anemic ABC interview, I’m just not convinced Biden has what it takes to make the forceful, aggressive, necessary case about Trump. I mean, my God. One of the first questions at the debate was about abortion, which is a slam-dunk issue for Dems and a massive weak point for Trump. Biden responded by pivoting to violent immigrants. That should be disqualifying.
Biden should pass the torch to Harris.
For people still on the Biden train: what happens if we get another debate performance like this one in September?
Comment by NewToSpringfield Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 3:32 pm
== I’m voting against trump. Nothing can change that reality. Whether it is Biden or … ==
Me, too. But you and I don’t matter much. Neither do the members of the Trump cult. It’s that small block of voters in the middle who don’t really follow politics and who don’t have strong ideological convictions who will decide this race. Joe’s debate performance was catastrophic and the damage is likely beyond repair for most of those voters.
Comment by TNR Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 3:34 pm
I always vote. Sometimes I’m voting for someone, sometimes against. I prefer to vote for. This time around, I’m going to remind myself that presidents don’t do everything themselves. There has to be a good team behind a list of accomplishments. I’m going to vote for the team that I’m most confident will competently handle any eventuality during these strange and often dismaying times.
Comment by yinn Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 3:44 pm
===what happens if we get another debate performance like this one in September? ===
I’m not taking sides on this, but I do not think enough people have thought about that. Also, even if he does ok, the TV ads with clips of the first debate are not gonna be pretty.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 3:45 pm
He’s got the lord all mighty endorsement or he’d told him not to run
Comment by Rabid Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 3:58 pm
When Axelrod and Carville both say you’re through, you’re through. Schumer, Jeffries, Durbin and Pelosi need to have a come to Jesus meeting with Biden by week’s end. If he doesn’t step aside after that, maybe use the “good conscience” clause to free the delegates and dare him to sue.
If he somehow stays in, there won’t be another debate. Trump doesn’t need it and Biden won’t risk it.
Comment by He's Toast Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 4:02 pm
===He’s got the lord all mighty endorsement or he’d told him not to run===
Pope Francis, make the call…
Comment by NewToSpringfield Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 4:09 pm
Of everyone listed above, Quigley (having the least to lose) had the most to gain?
Comment by Dotnonymous x Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 4:15 pm
David Axelrod, (author, respected former top reporter, current pundit deep into Democratic politics, political campaign strategist and past senior advisor to the president of the United States (Obama)) has been very vocal on the Biden
situation. In one of many Axelrod quotes over the past few weeks suggesting that Joe should step aside is this one from his interview with the Business Insider: “Biden is more likely to lose in a landslide than win narrowly”
Comment by Responsa Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 4:15 pm
“ I didn’t foresee the wholesale handwringing and whining that would result.”
Me either. I thought he would immediately suspend his campaign.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 4:20 pm
===Pope Francis, make the call…===
Jesus, take the wheel.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 5:55 pm
===Jesus take the wheel.===
“Jesus rides beside me, never buys any smokes.”
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Jul 8, 24 @ 11:13 pm
=== It’s over. We all saw what looked like dementia in real time.===
You a doctor?
Comment by Da big bad wolf Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:44 pm