As we reported over the weekend, The Guardian claimed that one of President Joe Biden's regrets upon leaving office was dropping out of the presidential race after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump. We still wonder what it took to get Biden to drop out — he'd said it would take almighty God to get him to drop out, and he'd be on the November ballot unless a train hit him. And then he dropped out.
This New Year's Eve, The Bulwark is reporting that Biden world is still trying to convince people that Biden could have defeated Trump where Kamala Harris did not. Biden seems to agree.
Did you know Biden world folks are still trying to argue that Biden could have outperformed Harris? Come on now. @saletan looks at the numbers:https://t.co/Wv1Evp2PO2
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) December 31, 2024
Will Saletan asks what these people are smoking:
You could argue that these numbers don’t fully capture how Biden would have done. He, too, might have won a chunk of his disapprovers, since some of them also disliked Trump. And maybe if Biden had stayed in and showed more vitality in the campaign’s final months than he did in the debate, his favorable rating at the end would have been higher. Certainly, some Democrats who were wary of Biden would have “come home” to his camp as the election neared.
…
There’s plenty to regret about Biden’s campaign. Maybe he should have skipped the 2024 race and let a new generation of Democrats fight it out. Maybe he should have focused less on passing good legislation and more on taking credit. Maybe—and it pains me to say this, as a Bulwark institutionalist—he shouldn’t have counted on a majority of Americans to stand up for the rule of law.
But handing the reins to Harris in July, rather than sticking it out, wasn’t one of his mistakes. His mistake was that he didn’t do so sooner.
A lot of people seem to think that Harris just didn't have enough time to make herself known to voters, even though she's spent three-and-a-half years as vice president. Would Harris have defeated Trump if Biden had dropped out earlier? No. His mistake was the entire Biden-Harris administration and the destruction of the country.
Biden also would have lost to Trump. But even cadaverous, he'd have done better than Kamala.
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) December 31, 2024
I've never seen two factions argue this much to be the first loser.
— Spud Juice (@OddreyMonkey) December 31, 2024
Do you know how useless this is?
— Karen De Manbey (@KManbey) December 31, 2024
Biden obviously would have outperformed Harris. "Republicans for Harris" types still failing to cope... https://t.co/mljUcSh0F1
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) December 31, 2024
Biden's age is a real issue, but Harris's unpopularity is on another level. Her net approval is consistently 15-20 points worse. The data is clear - she'd be a disaster as nominee.
— RichardXBT (@HananiaXBT) December 31, 2024
Correction: She was a disaster as the nominee. Maybe if Biden had dropped out sooner and they'd held a proper primary, they could have come up with someone who could beat Trump. But they didn't. They anointed Harris and she lost, big time. It's over.
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