Wow.
Things are so bad for President Joe Biden right now that New York Magazine is openly questioning if he’s too old to run in 2024:
In November of 2024, Joe Biden will turn 82 years old. And while he hasn’t formally announced his campaign for a second term, in his mind there’s no question he’s running https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
Even worse for team Biden? CNN’s Chris Cillizza noted the elderly president “has been of[f] script a whole lot lately” as well:
Biden has been of script a whole lot latelyhttps://t.co/2j0ohFwI8X https://t.co/T6r358Hx2B
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) May 24, 2022
*We* did warn everyone this was going to happen:
Despite the issue being, largely, moot during the campaign, Republicans continue to keep questions about Biden's mental health front and centerhttps://t.co/tceqy4qYQ9
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) August 19, 2021
Anyway, there’s really no way to discount the bomb that NY Mag is dropping:
“Biden has said in private that he sees himself as the only thing standing between the country and the Trumpian abyss and has instructed his aides to redouble their planning for a rematch.”
Biden has said in private that he sees himself as the only thing standing between the country and the Trumpian abyss and has instructed his aides to redouble their planning for a rematch https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
But “relatively few people outside the White House” believe the spin:
But relatively few people outside the White House totally buy it. With Trumpism reascendant, ambivalence about Biden's age and political standing is fueling skepticism just as Kamala Harris's image dips even further than his https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
Well, it’s not so bizarre. People in D.C. live in this weird bubble and they just don’t understand how the rest of the United States works:
The result is a bizarre disconnect within the Democratic Party, with two factions talking past each other https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
How can Biden bounce back when you can’t even put him in front of a microphone without the risk of a major gaffe, like what just happened with his comments on Taiwan?
One group consists of Biden and his loyalists, who are convinced that while the ticket's numbers are undeniably bleak, they’re historically appropriate for a president and VP facing their first midterm and will surely bounce back https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
Or, just admit he’s too old for the job! There’s no shame in it:
The second group comprises a broad swath of the Democratic elite and rank and file alike, who suspect that vectors of age, succession, and strategy have created a dynamic with no obvious parallel in recent history https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
According to NY Mag, even big donors are starting to “poke around for alternatives in 2024”:
In recent months, many of the biggest Democratic donors — even as they pledge to back Biden’s reelection in earnest — have quietly started to poke around for alternatives in 2024, partly out of a sense of responsibility just in case Biden steps aside https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
LOL. Do they think Barack Obama has some secret up his sleeve? During the last primary, every candidate but Biden crapped all over Obama’s legacy and now they think he’s the answer?
Several of these donors have bombarded Barack Obama’s old associates with pleas for insight into some sort of top-secret real plan that must exist for the next presidential contest https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
These people are delusional. They either run Biden or it’s Kamala Harris. Deal with it:
Imagining an alternative is far from a D.C. parlor game. Only three in ten Americans think Biden will seek a second term, according to a recent poll. Even among Democrats, fewer than half are sure he's planning on round two and a third think he isn’t https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
The word journos should use here is “narcissist.” Or does that at-home psych definition only work on the bad orange man?
But facing a country dubious that he will run, Biden just gets more convinced that he must https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
And, too be quite honest, Dems should be more worried about Gov. Ron DeSantis as Trump’s age will negate a lot of the coming attacks on Biden’s age:
And so as they look toward 2024, Democrats are unified in their conception of doom: the restoration of Trump, joined down-ballot by anti-democratic Republicans who will end fair elections and any hope of combating climate change https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
Sorry, Dems. It’s inevitable:
But Democratic divisions remain over how to prevent that dismal future. @gdebenedetti reports https://t.co/NH6Rm8O9JI
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 24, 2022
***
Related:
Join the conversation as a VIP Member