Was it a mistake for Joe Biden to step down from the election?

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   Lone Wolf Primeposted 6 months ago

   I heard some people claim that Joe Biden would've done way better against Donald Trump in this year's election than Kamala Harris.  I disagree personally as I know Trump was beating Biden in the polls before dropping out if memory serves me correctly.  But what do you guys think?

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      Sharlee01posted 6 months agoin reply to this

      I totally get what you're saying. I think it would’ve been incredibly difficult for Biden to beat Trump this time around, especially with his frail condition. In 2020, he got away with a much quieter basement campaign due to COVID and the restrictions that limited in-person events, but that wouldn’t have worked this time. Biden would’ve had a much harder time campaigning effectively, and Trump’s energy and presence would’ve been tough for Biden to match. I think Trump would’ve still had the upper hand in this election.
      
      In my view, if Biden had been removed from office two years ago when it was clear he had cognitive issues, the Democratic Party would have had the time to recruit a stronger candidate. They really should have done the right thing then, as it could have led to a different outcome. Giving themselves that time might have allowed them to put forward someone more capable, which could have changed the dynamics of this election.
      
      Maybe common sense would have served them better.

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         Lone Wolf Primeposted 6 months agoin reply to this

         I personally feel it was a mistake to allow Biden to ever be president to begin with.  Everyone I talked to on this site, and in real life, that voted for him all knew he was going senile way before he got elected in 2020.  Yet, he still won the nomination, in spite of this fact.  I personally think the Democrats should've nominated either Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Tulsi Gabbard, or anyone else, as I was never convinced Biden wasn't going to try to run for re election like I know many people on this site thought he wouldn't.   I kept warning people on this site that I doubt seriously Biden would only want to be president for one term, and not run again, yet that fell on deaf ears. 
         
         I'm not saying I wanted Trump to be president in 2024, or even back in 2020, and I hate being the guy that says, "I told you so", but yeah...to those hubbers that said that Biden would never want to run for re election if elected, then all I'll say is "I told you so."   Yes, I'm aware he did step down during this year's election to allow Kamala to take over, but he should've stepped down ages ago before it got to that point like you were alluding to.

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            Sharlee01posted 6 months agoin reply to this

            I completely agree with your perspective. It felt like was a mistake from the start to allow Biden to become president, especially considering that many people were aware of his cognitive decline well before the 2020 election. Despite these concerns, he still secured the nomination, which seemed baffling given the alternatives available at the time, like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, or Tulsi Gabbard—candidates who could have brought more energy and clarity to the ticket.
            
            I also had doubts that Biden would stick to just one term, even though many believed he wouldn't run for re-election. Your warnings make complete sense, and it must have been frustrating when they went unheeded. Now, seeing him step aside for Kamala Harris only to see her lose underscores how overdue that decision was for the Democratic party. It would have been far better for him to step down earlier, sparing the country from a period marked by uncertainty and ineffective leadership.
            
            At any rate, I am very pleased to see Trump going back to the White House.

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            Credence2posted 6 months agoin reply to this

            If electing Biden was a mistake due to his age, how is that corrected by electing another practically octonegarian candidate in Donald Trump.
            
            There were administrative reasons and time constraints as to why another candidate outside the Biden/Harris ticket could not be selected,
            
            Biden in his very persona was voice of moderation and trust that was difficult for Harris to duplicate, particularly in a very conservative Midwest.
            
            We attack Biden's evident symptoms of dementia, but Trump displays much of those symptoms today, add on the arrogance and his stark ignorance about the job, and I do not think we are better off.

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               Lone Wolf Primeposted 6 months agoin reply to this

               I'm not advocating for Trump at all.  I'm just pointing out that I feel Joe Biden probably should have stepped out the race for re election a lot sooner than he did, so they could've had a primary to select a new candidate with sufficient time.  I understand what you're saying about the time restraints, but that could've easily been remedied had Biden chosen not to go for re election before the before the election year started.   Although to be fair to Joe Biden, I do think there was other reasons why Harris lost as badly as she did.   
               
               I agree with you that Trump isn't perfect, and he does tend to put his foot in his mouth, to put it lightly.   However, I'm more curious on what happens now that Trump won.  It'll be an interesting next four years. I'll give you that.   I think Bill O'Reilly said recently on Steven A Smith's podcast that this next term for Trump isn't going to be as easy for him as it was for his first term, so we'll see what happens.

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      abwilliamsposted 6 months agoin reply to this

      I don't think it would have made any difference. Joe is Kamala is Joe is....

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         Kathryn L Hillposted 6 months agoin reply to this

         yep

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   Kathryn L Hillposted 6 months ago

   Lets go back even farther in time since we are going back.
   Let's say Trump did not run to become president, ever. And Biden, after serving as Obama's VP, went home to retire on the beach, way earlier in life.
   
   What would a Hillary Clinton presidency have looked like, had she won in '16?
   Would she have won a second term because everything was going so swimmingly?
   
   Who would she have run against in '20? 
   
   Who would have been a good republican contender in '20, against Hillary?
   
   I actually liked Huckabee.
   
   Would we have had a pandemic under either President Huckabee
   or President H. Clinton?
   
   ... wondering.
   
   In my opinion it was a mistake for Biden to even become president. He SHOULD have retired on the beach way earlier in life. The election WAS stolen thanks to the Pandemic and Trump should have been president for the last four years. I think we had lessons to learn, however, so a little anomaly was allowed to occur. Allowed by who? God or ?
   
   I think it is very important to remember what we citizens learned during the last four years: How precious and easily lost freedom can be. We need to stay humble and tread the narrow path.

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   Kathryn L Hillposted 6 months ago

   "... Joe Biden would've done way better against Donald Trump in this year's election than Kamala Harris."
   
   Even if he had done better, he couldn't have served any of the term.
   So, this to me, is an odd premise. In my view, the reason Joe was picked in the first place was due to his connection in the public's mind with Obama. When Biden started loosing it, they needed to replace the Obama connection. Who better than Kamala?
   It was all perfect ... as far as anomalies go.

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