What if Biden drops out in the coming weeks? House Democrats, who have long been pushing for the president to step aside, have been slowly coming out of the woodwork, demanding the old man step down. Megadonors also want Biden to exit, even reportedly colluding to find ways to pressure Biden, who is mentally declining, to leave the race. CNN’s Jamie Gangel mentioned the plan when she reported that the dam is breaking concerning the president’s standing as the 2024 nominee. Here's a more detailed memo on it.
There would be a short primary, open to all, followed by a few debates, and then a final decision by the delegates next month. A memo obtained by Semafor went into further detail about the “blitz primary” the Democrats allegedly put together in case Joe bows out. The outline is sort of a disaster, with rather lofty predictions concerning how this would be received by voters. Taylor Swift being a debate moderator is indicative of the insular liberal bubble we’re dealing with; Ms. Swift’s impact on the election would be negligible.
not even Aaron Sorkin could’ve dreamed this up https://t.co/PfBsRNYJ95 pic.twitter.com/GXoENDYWWZ
— Colton Long (@ColtonMLong) July 7, 2024
Biden would step down as the Democratic nominee in mid-July, and announce the new system, with backing from Vice President Kamala Harris.
Potential candidates would have a few days to throw their respective hats in the ring. The Democratic Party then would begin a primary sprint in which the six candidates who receive the most votes from delegates pledge to run positive-only campaigns in the month leading up to the convention.
The “blitz primary” would involve weekly forums with each candidate moderated by cultural icons (Michelle Obama, Oprah, and Taylor Swift are among the names floated in the memo) in order to engage voters.
The nominee would ultimately be chosen by the delegates using ranked choice voting before the start of the Chicago convention on Aug. 19.
It would be announced with plenty of fanfare on the third day of the gathering. The memo imagines the nominee unveiled on stage with Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
According to its authors, the country would be captivated. Donations would pour in. And Biden would be celebrated as a “modern-day George Washington,” the proponents argue.
[…]
This plan looks to chart an optimistic course of action for the party but probably stands little chance of being implemented. For one, it would require Biden — who has only been digging in — to decide voluntarily to exit the race within days. And it wouldn’t automatically make Harris the nominee, instead ushering in a broader field, which could exacerbate the party’s problems with some key constituencies if she’s seen as being passed over. It’s also hard to see candidates sticking to a positive-only campaign pledge that avoids attacking their competition. Even if they publicly restrained themselves, a competitive race would likely usher in a knife fight of opposition research, leaks, and whispers by their allies in the press and on social media.
The memo acknowledges that time is not on the Democrats’ side: “Will it happen?
As of now, it’s not going to happen. And with a virtual roll call planned for early August that would cement Biden in stone as the 2024 nominee, there isn’t much time to initiate putting Biden's Replacement Theory into practice. Also, Obama, Oprah, and Swift? It’s rather dubious to think either of these women would weigh into this mess. Michelle Obama is reportedly in a state of war over Biden’s treatment of Hunter’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, who is one of her close friends. She was also quite clear that she was looking forward to not being in the public eye anymore after her husband left the presidency.
Second, the Kamala Harris snubbing would lead to more infighting and political heartburn. Harris is the only candidate who could legally inherit Biden’s war chest. For now, Biden is staying, but those two words, “for now,” have been applied to the many factions still supporting the president. If polling remains dismal, who’s going to make the big move?
