For what it's worth, I continue to believe that President Joe Biden will not end up seeking re-election in 2024. I don't think he'll be up for it on really any level, but he and his team have no choice but to go through the motions of gearing up for another run, all the way up until the moment he opts out. The White House does not want to turn Biden into an official lame duck until they absolutely have to, sometime well after the midterms. Democrats' whispers on this subject have grown loud enough that people can no longer be accused of saying "the quiet part out loud."
At this point, they're just saying the out loud part out loud. And that's making Joe ornery:
Mr. Biden has been eager for signs of loyalty — and they have been few and far between. Facing intensifying skepticism about his capacity to run for re-election when he will be nearly 82, the president and his top aides have been stung by the questions about his plans, irritated at what they see as a lack of respect from their party and the press, and determined to tamp down suggestions that he’s effectively a lame duck a year and a half into his administration. Mr. Biden isn’t just intending to run, his aides argue, but he’s also laying the groundwork by building resources at the Democratic National Committee, restocking his operation in battleground states and looking to use his influence to shape the nomination process in his favor... This account of Mr. Biden’s preparation for re-election and his building frustration with his party’s doubt is based on interviews with numerous people who talk regularly to the president. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. But several said the president and his inner circle were confounded by Democrats’ discussions about a Plan B when the one person who has defeated Donald J. Trump has made clear he intends to run again. Mr. Biden has told advisers he sees a replay of the early days of his 2020 primary bid, when some Democrats dismissed him as too old or too moderate to win the nomination. He blames the same doubters for the current round of questioning.
That's per The New York Times this week. Question: Are the Democrats, by so openly discussing moving past Biden, pissing Biden off to the point that he's doubling down on actually running in 2024, as a matter of pride? I floated this idea on Special Report:
With their increasingly open, brazen chatter, might Democrats offend an ornery & touchy Joe Biden…*into* running for re-election, almost as a matter of spite/pride? pic.twitter.com/Ia3Tkd1jCq
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) June 29, 2022
Biden can be a cantankerous person whenever he feels like he's being looked down upon, dating back years. Hence, vintage embarrassments like this:
Stumbled across this montage from the doomed Biden ‘88 campaign and I’m crying at the McLaughlin Group reactions at the end. pic.twitter.com/A9etqn8J4H
— Jimmy (@JimmyPrinceton) May 23, 2022
It's possible that Biden might be steeling his resolve to do something just because people won't stop acting as if he's not going to do it. Again, I think he ultimately bows out, but if he doesn't...then what? Part of the answer may depend upon whether his political standing is substantially improved from, well, this:
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Another day, another fresh all-time low for Biden job approval on RCP, under 38 for the first time. pic.twitter.com/EIJMMNucHb
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) June 29, 2022
Right now, many Democrats are looking at his popularity and effectively pleading, don't stand so close to me:
Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger on if she wants Biden to campaign for her: "I intend to do the campaigning myself." pic.twitter.com/15RAWDzD5v
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 28, 2022
Inflation remains bruising (remember this July 4th BBQ flashback?), gas prices are at record highs, and worries about recession are surging. Let's say any combination of factors align to eventually push Biden out of 2024 contention. Will the Democrats really want to run with their heir apparent? And if not, how do they plan to dislodge her, exactly? And speaking of the vice president, I'll leave you with this, which is amusing:
Pretty good impression of Kamala! ?? pic.twitter.com/NCGge724OE
— We Will Win?? (@DefSue3) June 21, 2022
