Political volatility breeds reassessments, and Joe Biden might have a Bernie Sanders problem. The self-described Vermont democratic socialist said he would not challenge Joe Biden in 2024. But that was contingent on a firm commitment from the Delaware liberal regarding a second term. Not even Joe is confident about a re-election bid in the next presidential election. The attitude exhibited by the president during his interview with CBS’ Scott Pelley for "60 Minutes" seems to be that of someone waiting to see the 2022 midterm results. We know from stories in The New York Times that members of the Democratic National Committee want a firm answer on re-election so they can have time to find someone to carry the party’s mantle in 2024. The economy will probably remain in a recession, and inflation is still high due to the Biden agenda’s hyper-inflationary action items.
With Biden choosing to remain ambiguous about his 2024 plans, Sanders appears to be revisiting his presidential ambitions, which isn’t good news for Democrats. These intra-party squabbles have always sunk sitting presidents. Though rare, every president who faced a primary challenge lost in the general election. It’s a historical warning not lost on anyone in the Biden White House. Should he run in 2024, the issues for Sanders are like those regarding Biden to a certain degree (via The Hill):
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday said he hadn’t yet decided whether he will make another bid for the White House.
“That’s a big — you know, I haven’t made that decision,” Sanders said on “CBS Mornings.”
[…]
He said his priority now is traveling around the country to get “often young progressives” elected.
Asked what he thinks about a potential reelection bid for Biden, Sanders insisted “that’s his decision.”
[…]
“Look, this is what I think. You can’t categorize everybody. You’re different than everybody, you know. We’re all different. We’ve got to look at the individual. But what I think we do, guys, is we look too much at race, at gender, at age. What does somebody stand for? What are their views? Do you agree with them?” Sanders said on CBS.
For a brief period, mainstream outlets were reporting about Joe Biden’s age and its detrimental impact on the man executing his duties as president. We also know that his staff must work ferociously to clarify his remarks, which has irked the elder Biden since he wants people to know he means what he says. The problem is that a lot of what he says is nonsensical. If age is an issue, then Sanders is facing the same dilemma—he’s 81.
Hillary Clinton’s name keeps popping up, mainly because her former allies keep recycling it, but she’s also old and is dealing with a Democratic base determined to turn the page on the power couple being flagbearers for the party. The progressive Left and younger voters who weren’t high on the former first lady in 2016 have only increased in number and influence within the party ranks. The Biden 2024 question and the scenarios concerning whether the president should bow out point to another issue among Democrats: their appalling lack of depth in the candidate pool.