OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The Democrat party is starting to look more and more like a retirement home when it comes to those who want to be president.
If President Joe Biden seeks another four years in the White House he would be 82 on his first day of his next term, but not to be outdone there may be another, even older, challenger if the president decides not to campaign.
If the president decides not to be a contender for president in the next election, a close advisor of Democrat Socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is 81-years-old, said that the senator would “take another look” at a presidential bid, CBS News reported.
“I assume that he would give it a hard look,” Faiz Shakir, who managed Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, said. “I don’t want to make the judgment for him. Obviously, it would be his choice to make. But I assume that he would want to reevaluate it.”
He said that the senator is “very aware that he’s older now and he’d have to make a real judgment about his own vigor and his stamina and his desire and hunger and passion to do this a third time. But if it were an open field? Yeah, I’m confident he would take another look at it and say, ‘Do I want to do this or not?'”
“Personally, I take President Biden at his word and our orbit takes him at his word that he’s taking it seriously and presume that he is leaning toward yes,” he said.
Biden has not formally declared whether he will run for re-election in 2024, but First Lady Jill Biden reportedly confirmed it during a state dinner late last week with an important U.S. ally.
“Jill Biden, the first lady, told President Emmanuel Macron of France at the White House state dinner last week that she and her husband are ready for his re-election campaign, according to two people with knowledge of the discussion. President Biden then joined the French president and the first lady in a playful toast,” the New York Times reported.
“It was a lighthearted moment — and Mr. Biden still intends to make a formal decision about whether he will run again after the holiday season — but the fact that the Bidens were willing to signal to an important foreign ally about the president’s plans hints at how committed they are to a second term,” the Times continued. “The interaction also offered a window into the thinking of Dr. Biden, who has been held up as a decisive voice in her husband’s deliberations.”
Biden in March 2020: “Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else. There’s an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.”
Biden now: https://t.co/HeZvHp3Eas
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) December 7, 2022
While Biden has not made any official announcements on his plans, reports have already circulated that he may ditch Vice President Kamala Harris if he does decide to run in 2024.
In a scathing piece published by Slate, Christina Cauterucci noted how “we are stuck with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris” for now but that Biden may be able to “change that” going into 2024.
Cauterucci stated: “As Joe Biden weighs a run for re-election even as he becomes the first octogenarian U.S. president in history, he should think back on what it was like to watch the Harris campaign flame out. A second Biden term would mean even higher stakes for a vice-presidential pick—not only because Biden is older than he was the first time around, but because the VP serving when he leaves could be the de facto frontrunner in the 2024 Democratic primary. Harris, a proven dud of a presidential candidate who has done little to distinguish herself since is not a good choice for the Democrats’ top billing. For his second term, should he seek one (he shouldn’t!), Biden should tap someone else.”
The mainstream media has begun sounding the alarm bells about Biden and Harris.
Capitol Weekly ran a story titled, “Memo to Democrats: Beware of Kamala Harris, in 2024 or beyond,” where Democrat strategist Garry South detailed, “Despite her obvious intelligence, Harris just isn’t very good, I’m sorry to say, either as a candidate or communicator. When it comes to Harris and 2024 – or beyond — Democrats would be wise to bear in mind the old time-honored caution, caveat emptor.”
The Atlantic published a report titled, “20 Reader Ideas for Who Could Replace Biden,” where the outlet compiled a list of potential lawmakers who could replace Biden.
A recent poll from Morning Consult found that if Biden didn’t run in 2024, Harris is losing support among Democrats.
Politico also published a report months ago claiming that “chatter has picked up” about whether Biden will run again in 2024 and if he does, will Harris be his running mate.
