A year away from Election Day 2024, former President Donald Trump is set to testify in a civil fraud trial and separately faces more than 90 criminal charges, setting up the possibility that a convicted felon tops the Republican ticket next November.
A year away from Election Day 2024, former President Donald Trump is set to testify in a civil fraud trial and separately faces more than 90 criminal charges, setting up the possibility that a convicted felon tops the Republican ticket next November.
But it’s President Joe Biden’s political prospects that are plunging.
In another extraordinary twist to a 2024 campaign season that is more notable for court hearings than treks through early voting states, Trump is expected to be called to the witness stand in New York on Monday. This is hardly typical activity during a post-presidency. But Trump was, after all, the most unconventional president.
Biden's biggest problem, honestly, is the same problem every Democrat has -- an inability to communicate effectively. They have a bad habit of just doing things without actually talking about what they're doing. There is a website with Biden's achievements, but Biden doesn't actually advertise this, so the Right can make claims about Biden's accomplishments that aren't supported by the facts. Some examples:
Student Debt Relief for 40 million borrowers.
11 million jobs created.
Pell Grant increase by $900.
3.5% Unemployment rate.
Extends to people with disabilities.
Chips Act
Inflation Reduction Act (and the decrease of inflation over the past year).
Protecting American and allied interests abroad by opposing Chinese and Russian Imperialism.
That I have to list this stuff out instead of having it well known across the nation is damn frustrating. That Biden isn't pointing out that much of the malaise the country faced in 2021 and 2022 is directly attributable to policies enacted by the Trump administration as well as Russian imperialism in Ukraine is downright criminal. But you can get a list of things Biden's accomplished by going here. Or here. Or here. I like that the last article points out what I said above. Democrats don't tout what they accomplished. They focus on the Republicans, saying how bad they are, giving the impression that their policies are really just "meh, our accomplishments aren't that great, but the other side is so much worse." Somebody needs to change out Biden's PR guy, because whoever is in that role is doing a shit job. But when you really dig deep into the above links? Everything Biden's done is what I wanted him to do. Some of it may have been slower that I think it should have gone (hint: had Trump's ass been nailed to the wall in 2022 rather than this year, we'd not be talking about him as the front-runner because the GOP would have literally put up a convicted felon at that point. But I guess they wanted to be sure they nailed his ass to the wall, so he's the front-runner on the GOP side and according to these polls cruising for election in 2024 despite the numerous indictments, all based on the fact that despite only being 3 years older than the Shitgibbon, Biden is somehow too old and feeble to be POTUS.
Mind you. I think that's a crock of shit and these polls are all bullshit pushed by a media eager for a horserace for ratings and shit, but there ARE people who buy that bullshit, so I think the Dems should be acting like these polls are serious and start touting Biden's achievements.
Bidens age is a real problem. In your 80s your mind and body can deteriorate quite rapidly. What is the solution if he develops dementia? This is a real risk!
Mind you, better than Trump (who is also too old, and clearly more senile). Nevertheless it’s just not ideal, and I really cannot see why he did not step aside for the next generation.
He didn't step aside because incumbency is a huge advantage. Harris is viewed worse than Biden is, with approval ratings in the 37% range (below Biden's 38%). So replacing Biden with Harris removes the Incumbency Advantage without improving any other metrics. What else do we have?
Bernie Sanders: He's lost 2 times already in the Primaries and has an approval rating in the mid 40s. He's also 82 years old.
Elizabeth Warren: She's got an approval rating in the low 40s, and is 74, and a woman as well.
Michelle Obama: While she has a mid 50s approval rating, she's still a woman, Black, and related to a former President, all things we've seen run against you. She's also not been tested politically yet. She's at what I consider the optimal age to be Potus, at 59, but given she's never run for office before, she has a huge liability I expect to be exploited if she did run. And let's be clear. She doesn't want to. Made it clear repeatedly that she doesn't want to run for office and is happy working behind the scenes without being a politician.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: A potential Progressive Firebrand youngster that some people would scream with joy at being able to vote for, but even more would vote against her. Mid to upper 30s approval ratings make it clear she's NOT a desired candidate for most Americans, with a good 63% saying "No, she's not a good politician." Also, this is the first year she could run as POTUS (she'll be 35 years old in October of 2024). Her experience is limited to her Congressional District, and she's not run in a wider election. I personally think she needs more time in the oven, running for a State Office such as Governor, Senator, or so on. Regardless, getting one of the Squad into the Oval Office sounds like a tough sell for America, to me.
Gavin Newsom: You'd think the governor of California would be a logical first choice for President. Thing is, he's polling in the mid 40s approval rating in his own state, and 7 in 10 reject his running for POTUS, which would make his job in Sacramento insecure if he tried to have a go at Washington. And this is before we talk about how much California is reviled in parts of the US. I can't find national polling numbers, but if he's only polling in the mid 40s in California, I can only imagine his numbers nation-wide, and that's BEFORE the Republican attack ads. Don't forget he has some things he's done that can be used to generate attack ads from the Left too!
Robert F. Kenney Jr: This guy is a nutcase, a virtual MAGA in Donkey clothing, with downright dangerous views on vaccinations. He is in the upper 30s in terms of approval rating, and isn't even running as a Democrat, but instead, as an independent. He's seen the writing on the wall, and knows that Biden's incumbency advantage will be too much in the Dem primary, so he's given up on that. He might poach enough votes from the Dems to elect Trump in 2024, but current polling suggests he's more a threat to Trump than Biden (as usual, take those polls with the usual caveats and turn out to vote for your chosen candidate -- the only poll that matters is the one held a year from now). Side note. Here's a "fun" read on the guy. A whackjob for sure, but one that indicates we shouldn't ignore the siren call of conspiracy theory bullshit on our side. After all, we are the original home to antivaxxers before it became fashionable on Team Red to reject basic biological science because "ain't nobody gonna tell me what to do!"
Marianne Williamson: Who? This 71 year old nobody was -4 points underwater in 2019 in approval rating, but the real numbers were that 53% of people didn't even know who she was or had no opinion of her. She's polling at below 10%, even after RFK dropped out. The latest head to head poll I can see has Biden taking 73% while Williamson takes...5%. 'Who?' indeed...
Dean Philips: Another nobody who joined the party late. Like Williamson, he's polling at below 10%.
Biden is the Incumbent. He has a proven track record, name recognition, and the backing of the Democratic Party. He's beaten Trump once. He's the most likely to beat Trump again. Switching horses mid-race has never been a good idea, in horse racing OR politics. Just look at Carter for a good example of that. Unless there is a compelling reason to swap Biden out (such as death of the candidate, conviction of a major crime, involvement in a major scandal), as the old saying goes, in times of trouble, go with who you know.
I do think Biden could use to swap Harris out for a more progressive firebrand, or at least somebody younger, and this time make the VP be more front and centre. When confronted by it, he should say, "Hey look, I'm just an old man. I'll be 86 years old when I'm forced to retire by the 22nd Amendment, so I'm going to focus on making things work, and (s)he can focus on the PR crap." Just for shits and giggles and to spike the cannons of the 'he's too old!!!' crowd...and to set up his VP to deal with a Don Trump (third or first for jr) attempt to take the Whitehouse in 2028.
Defeating the shithead again in 2024 won't make him go away. I'm sure the oligarchs on the GOP side are planning for their next tin-pot dictator. Putin and Xi won't be denied, after all.