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“President Joe Biden abandoned his reelection bid on Sunday under growing pressure from his fellow Democrats and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's candidate to face Republican Donald Trump in the November election.” Reuters
Here’s our recent coverage of a potential Harris candidacy. The Flip Side
The left praises Biden and is divided as to his successor.
“Biden managed to push through Congress a remarkable series of game-changing spending bills: The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. [This was] ‘the most important intervention the federal government has made in the lives of low-income Americans since the great society.’…
“The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Infrastructure spending isn’t particularly novel, which is why this bill received bipartisan support. But the scale of Biden’s bill was ambitious in a way the country hadn’t seen, arguably, since the New Deal… The $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA was the largest investment in green technology in U.S. history…
“He also pushed through Congress (in the IRA) a law that finally granted Medicare, two decades after creation of its drug benefit, the power it needed to negotiate the prices of those drugs. And he capped the price of insulin… Biden has not just been a good president—he has been a transformative one.”
Timothy Noah, New Republic
“Yes, his decision to abandon his aspirations for a second term and let another, younger Democrat seek the presidency came weeks later than it should have, after too much secrecy, too much arrogance, too much denial. He pushed wishful thinking to the limit… But that doesn’t erase the enormous impact and extraordinary example of relinquishing his candidacy…
“Biden’s exit also scripts a compelling message for his Democratic successor and everyone else in the party. They can — they must — talk about the differences between what Biden is doing now, no matter how reluctant he was to do it, and Trump’s titanically selfish and epically destructive behavior in 2020.”
Frank Bruni, New York Times
“Mr. Biden’s departure offers a fresh chance to address voters’ concerns with better policies. The next Democratic nominee should acknowledge and offer solutions for the pain and disruptions caused by uncontrolled immigration… Voters are [also] angry about the cost of living. Democrats particularly need to offer better ideas for addressing [the high cost of housing]… Biden made a courageous choice. Democrats must seize the opportunity.”
Editorial Board, New York Times
Regarding Harris, some argue that “This question should have been [settled] years ago, when Biden picked Harris as his running mate — and a majority of Americans voted to elect them as a team… A vice president who has performed admirably should get top consideration for the post because stepping up in case of emergency is the central part of the job…“If the Democrats opt for an open primary, I hope they have some muscular messaging to explain why they swerved from succession protocol.”
Michele Norris, Washington Post
Others argue, “Mr. Biden’s decision creates an opportunity for a reset, not only for his party but also for U.S. politics generally, through a competitive nomination process among future national leaders. Barack Obama was a stronger candidate in 2008, and maybe even a better president, because Hillary Clinton competed so fiercely with him during a marathon primary season. Though this sort of vetting process isn’t replicable, there is time for Democrats to scrutinize the contenders for top of the ticket.”
Editorial Board, Washington Post
The right is critical of Biden’s presidency and also the lack of a competitive Democratic primary.
The right is critical of Biden’s presidency and also the lack of a competitive Democratic primary.
“Democratic elites have deprived their voters of any real say in this election cycle and have from the start. The only reason Biden even made it this far was because Democratic leadership made sure he went unchallenged in the primary cycle. And the one Democrat who decided to challenge him anyway, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), was forced out of House leadership… If voters had had real options in the primary, there is a very good chance Biden would not have won…
“Make no mistake: An open Democratic National Convention is not a substitution for a robust primary. The voters and constituents to whom the party must be beholden will not get to determine who represents them at the ballot box this November. That decision will be made in backroom deals by, you guessed it, party leadership and influential donors… That’s not democracy in action.”
Kaylee McGhee White, Washington Examiner
“The media attacked anyone who pointed out his obvious infirmity. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee savaged special counsel Robert Hur’s integrity for his report characterizing Mr. Biden as a ‘well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.’ Ms. Jean-Pierre accused Republicans of producing ‘cheap fake’ videos of Mr. Biden looking lost and confused… Americans don’t like being played for suckers. That’s what Mr. Biden and the Democrats did, right up to the moment they couldn’t do it anymore.”
Matthew Hennessey, Wall Street Journal
“Were it not for a pandemic, Biden would not be president right now. Were it not for the Iowa Democratic Party botching its caucus and denying Pete Buttigieg momentum in the 2020 primary, leading Democrats to scramble to find an alternative to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Biden would likely not even have been the nominee. He blundered into the presidency after a career of blunders in the Senate and then blundered his way through the presidency…
“If the Democratic nominee wins in 2024, it will be because that person is not Biden. If the Democratic nominee loses, it will be in large part due to Biden clinging to power despite it being obvious for the sake of the country and his own party that he should only serve one term… It is a perfect ending to the career of a mediocre politician.”
Zachary Faria, Washington Examiner
Regarding Harris, “[She] has been one of the most unpopular vice presidents in history. She owns all of the failures of the Biden administration (especially inflation and a lax border policy), and, on top of that, she will now have to answer for her involvement in the cover-up of the president’s mental decline… In her previous run for presidency, she performed so poorly (including among women and black voters) that she was forced to drop out before Iowa…
“[Yet] Unlike Biden, she can be given a list of talking points and offer a more focused line of attacks on Trump, who still remains hugely unpopular. Even after receiving a bounce after the assassination attempt, an ABC poll showed Trump with a 40 percent approval rating, compared to 51 percent who have an unfavorable view. I’m not saying I’d place her as the favorite. But at the same time, I won’t assume she has no chance.”
Philip Klein, National Review
