Barring a health emergency, Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee in November. And, as crazy as it might sound to say this about an 81-year-old presidential incumbent with an approval rating in the high 30s, that is probably the best option for Democrats.
Yet, ever since special counsel Robert Hur questioned Biden’s memory, media outlets have churned out stories about the president’s advanced age. Democrats are — as is their want — panicking. “We’re in a grim situation,” one House Democrat told NBC News. And some pundits are now loudly arguing that Biden should drop out.
“Democrats Should Pick a New Presidential Candidate Now,” blared Damon Linker in the Atlantic.
The president’s party is demonstrating a lack of “seriousness,” argued former 538.com editor Nate Silver, by “going through the motions to renominate an 81-year-old with a 38% approval rating who 75% of voters think is too old without giving anyone a choice.”
“The Question Is Not if Biden Should Step Aside,” read the headline of Ross Douthat’s Sunday column in the New York Times. “It’s How.”
There is no way to jettison Biden unless he wants to step down. And he quite clearly does not want to do that, nor do Democratic voters seem eager to push him out.
Even Republican candidates are entering the punditry business. Nikki Haley recently told supporters, “My bet is 30 days from now, I don’t think Joe Biden is going to be the nominee.” That is a wager I would happily take, because it won’t happen — and for the good of the Democratic Party and its hope of holding the White House for another four years, it shouldn’t.
It’s true that Biden has lousy approval numbers and polls overwhelmingly indicate that the president’s age is a matter of serious concern to voters. The problem is there simply is no way to jettison Biden unless he wants to step down. And he quite clearly does not want to do that, nor do Democratic voters seem eager to push him out.
According…
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