Jul 21, 2024
President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on December 3, 2021. Biden has announced that he is dropping out of the presidential campaign after pressure from Democrats. Less
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
President Joe Biden announced today that he will not be seeking reelection in the 2024 presidential race, but also didn’t say who he wants to take over as the nominee.
Biden’s decision follows weeks of mounting pressure from within his own party and from key Democratic donors urging him to step aside for the sake of the party’s future. This announcement marks a significant shift in the political landscape as the Democratic Party must now quickly organize to select a new nominee before August 7.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a statement posted on social media.
“I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.”
Biden’s reelection campaign has faced increasing scrutiny and concern following a widely criticized debate performance. Unlike the chorus of support he received after his State of the Union address, Biden’s debate with former President Donald Trump raised alarms about his ability to lead the country.
On July 2, Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett became the first Democrat in Congress to call for Biden to withdraw from the campaign. After a week of increasingly more skepticism from Democrats, Vermont Senator Peter Welch became the first Democratic senator to publicly call for Biden to withdraw, citing Biden’s debate performance and the potential risk of a Trump reelection.
Actor George Clooney, who campaigned with Biden weeks prior, also called for him to step down. It marked a notable shift for Biden’s prospects as the candidate and opened the floodgates for others to come forward. Afterward, anonymous sources said former President Barack Obama was encouraging Biden to step down.
Biden’s campaign initially dismissed the idea of him stepping down, but the chorus of calls from within his party grew too loud to ignore.
What Happens Now
With Biden stepping out of the race, the Democratic Party is now faced with the task of selecting a new nominee. Democrats will have to choose one by August 7 or face being kept off the ballot in Ohio. The easiest solution is to replace Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris. She can access his war chest since she’s already on the FEC filings and the Biden campaign was reportedly conducting polling on her ability to win in November ahead of Biden’s announcement.
The first immediate effect of Biden dropping out would be the reopening of the Democratic primary. Without Biden as the presumptive nominee, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) would need to facilitate a swift and organized process to nominate a new candidate. The pursuit could become contentious, as various Democratic leaders and potential candidates could step forward to vie for the nomination.
Potential candidates to replace Biden would likely include Harris, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Whoever the candidate is needs to garner enough delegates to avoid a contested convention and become the nominee before August 7.
A new Democratic candidate would need to quickly build or expand their campaign infrastructure, including fundraising, voter outreach and grassroots organizing. Biden’s existing campaign apparatus, which includes key endorsements and substantial financial resources, would need to be transferred or repurposed to support the new nominee. If Harris isn’t the nominee, Biden’s war chest becomes harder for the new nominee to access. He’d most likely have to donate the money to the DNC, which then would allocate it to the new nominee.
The party’s new nominee will face the challenge of unifying the Democratic base and mounting a strong campaign against Trump. Democrats are hoping that a new candidate can re-energize the party and help it with down-ballot races, giving them a higher chance of keeping the Senate and winning the House.
https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-drops-out-presidential-campaign-1924212
It was the right thing to do. It was the honorable thing to do.
Joe Biden, thank you. Thank you for your service. I wish you a good and well-deserved retirement.
he dubbed Kamala in a tweet…
Do you know if he withdrew only with the promise that his endorsement of Harris would be implemnted? I think not. Everybody is coming out of the woodworks to throw his hat into the ring. Even Mitt Romney. As a Democrat!!
Picking Harris would be a dire mistake!
We can assume that tired old Joe’s successor will continue his policy, which to help Ukraine defend herself from savage vermin but never provide enough to take the thieved land back and hold it.
Bookies aren’t often wrong and they favour Kamala.
We can also be pretty sure what a Trump presidency will bring.
He’s been talking about partition since at least 2014. Don’t forget, his Ukraine policy has always been influenced by his corrupt convicted criminal friend Paul Manafort; Ukraine’s most lethal enemy outside russia, apart from trump himself.
Thanks to trumpkov’s seemingly unassailable lead, Zel is now steeling himself to “negotiations” with putler; an experience not unlike eating the shit of a paedo-rapist-serial murderer.
Boris has let the cat out of the bag: Ukraine will be offered something very similar to the discredited Kissinger plan.
“didn’t say who he wants to take over as the nominee.”
That was the initial reporting; he subsequently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him atop the Democratic ticket.
No Chinese democracy in America?
Here’s the tweet:
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.
So, he really thinks that Harris would be the right choice? He might as well stay in the race then. I have an even harder time to choose this lesser evil. Biden is the lesser lesser evil than Harris.
Agreed. Giving it to Harris is just giving Trump the presidency.
She’s a far better choice than trumpkov.
Sure, but will she beat him? I doubt it very much.
You could be right but Harris has been so tainted and humiliated over the past three years with her “word salads” Trump would have a field day with her. How about being the Czar Of the Border, no 1 or 2 in importance for the us voters. She would be a freakin disaster.
Mitt Romney 2024 (as a Democrat)
Mitt Romney in 2012:
Mitt as a Democratic presidential candidate? Why not?
Machine would be a better puck then the three mentioned
Geez I need to be more careful with spelling. Should have read “ Manchin would be a better pick.” My apologies to the site. My bad.
No harm done, Sir Cap. We all make mistakes. Just think, you could’ve said, Manchin would be a better fuck or better prick. 😉
“Why not?”
Because he’s not a Democrat.
So?! He was an Independent, why not become a Democrat?
Joe Manchin is supposedly considering re-registering as a Democrat in order to throw his hat in the ring. And RFK Jr. said he’d be receptive. But I think most Democrats want a candidate who’s a Democrat based on principles – not someone who’s faking it just to get a prize.
RFK Jr. should run as a shit nugget, since that’s what he is. Manchin would be a far better choice.
“Manchin would be a far better choice.”
A Republican might think that; I think he’d be a terrible choice, and I think most Democrats would agree. He’s been blocking the Democrats for years.
Spoken by a typical dem who appears to hate the idea of compromise or governing from the center. It’s truly sad real sad
There were many instances where all Democrats were in agreement, except for Manchin (or Manchin and Sinema). They’re the ones who were unwilling to compromise.
In particular, Joe Manchin blocked lots of environmental bills. And, not at all coincidentally, he owns coal companies and has made millions in coal.
https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2023/07/senator-joe-manchin-coal-baron-s-favorite-coal-baron
Thanks Larry you prove my point. It’s either your way or no way. The environmental bills you speak of do nothing, let me repeat, do absolutely nothing for enhancing the US or the world. Instead of looking at the issues, you go after conspiracy theories. For example I don’t know if any of my portfolio managers have invested in coal companies. My guess is provably if they see that these companies are undervalued. Are you going to accuse me of owning a coal mining company? The best legislation in my lifetime has been when no one is happy and everyone is happy. It’s called compromise.
I wrote “he owns coal companies” – not “he owns stock in coal companies”.
Here’s another article about this:
It states, “the fact that Mr. Manchin owns a coal business is well-known” – but I guess it wasn’t known to you. So, now you know. 🙂
Maybe in this regard, but I would still prefer him to Harris.
Joe Manchin, who’s 76, had just said it was time for Biden to “pass the torch to a new generation”.
He has since confirmed that he’s not going to challenge Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential nomination:
https://x.com/morning_joe/status/1815367005748199720?s=61&t=dlYuBcwzZXmET9Xd_RRdaQ
A woman has never won a prestigious candidacy. It’s highly unlikely that will change during this next election.
What will be important for Kamala is when she debates Trump and makes him look like an idiot. She has a much younger mind and has her wits to rely on. She can potentially make Trump lose his mind during a debate.
She would still need to pick a running mate to fill the VP slot. We shall see who she picks.
As much as I’d like that to be true, but I think it’s highly unlikely. Have you seen her during some of her presentations? She sounds like a flaming idiot. “Word Salad” was a term made the media about verbal skills. Trump will eat her alive.
And the polls don’t make her look any better than Biden.
I’d like to see a debate between her and trumpkov – a debate between a top prosecutor and a convicted felon. I think she’d eat him alive.
Maybe, as long as she can keep from cackling like a fool.
“Cacklin’ Kamala” is quite catchy!
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Kamala Harris beating trumpkov:
TWO-WAY
Kamala Harris 44%
Donald Trump 42%
THREE-WAY
Kamala Harris 42%
Donald Trump 38%
RFK Jr. 8%
MoE +/-3%
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/harris-leads-trump-44-42-us-presidential-race-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2024-07-23/
Polls are polls, but I do hope that this is true and shows a trend.
I thought with Harris taking over from Biden, this would be a sure loss for the Democrats, but I don’t mind being proven wrong. Not at all.
I agree with sir OFP. Here’s a poll conducted by Quinnipiac the day before
“ One day after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party nominee, 49 percent of voters support former President Donald Trump and 47 percent of voters support Harris, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University national poll of registered voters released today. There is no clear leader as the lead is within the margin of error.
Within this poll shows Trump ahead with independents by about a ten point margin. They’re the ones that will elect the next President. I hope Kamala starts differentiating her policies from Biden showing perhaps a more centrist view.
Here’s the quote about the independents
“…Republicans (93 – 4 percent) and independents (55 – 41 percent) support Trump, while Democrats (97 – 2 percent) support Harris.”
Larry I yield to your good research. Indeed Manchin’s portfolio is largely in a coal mining operation. I don’t care much for coal but perhaps a saving grace, there’s a lot of employment in West Virginia in coal mining which I believe, is primarily exported to China. Honestly, I don’t know much about the so called improvement in coal burning foot print. I normally dislike equivalence arguments, but I’m still curious how elected government officials come into DC poor but leave with $100 million in their bank account. Don’t know what’s worse, a senator owning coal mines or the corruption in congress.
“I’m still curious how elected government officials come into DC poor but leave with $100 million in their bank account.”
If you’re really curious, you could investigate. In some cases it’s because of their spouse – e.g., Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, founded and runs the venture capital firm Financial Leasing Services, through which he and his wife Nancy Pelosi have amassed a personal fortune of about $114 million. Mitch McConnell’s wife is Elaine Chao. She’s worth about 30 million; it’s family money. The Chao family is worth over 14 billion.
In the case of President Biden, who MAGAt morons love to accuse of being corrupt because he’s worth millions now, he made his money *after* he left the vice presidency. Joe Biden was known to be one of the poorest men in Congress during his 36 years in the Senate, and his net worth didn’t improve much when he was vice president. His income jumped after leaving the office of Vice President thanks to six-figure speaking engagements and a lucrative deal to write a set of books.
In 2017, he and his wife signed a three-book deal with Flatiron Books, which was reported to be worth $8 million. After the announcement, they purchased a six-bedroom vacation house in Rehoboth Beach, Del., for $2.7 million.
Here’s a news article about the book contract:
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/book-deals/article/73268-biden-books-go-to-flatiron.html
Thanks Larry for your info. However I think you forget the fact that congressional and senate leaders can take non public information and trade on that info. Such behavior in the private sector would result in serious jail time. As for Pelosi are you so naive to believe Nancy never had pillow talk and relayed info to her husband? Too many politicians are entering government service not to help people but help themselves into having power and wealth. It’s a freakin disgrace the fact congress hasn’t amended the laws to stop such behavior tells me that legislators and their aids are no good useless pond scum.
By the way I know Paul’s fund and there isn’t a business man out there who thinks he is so brilliant.