In late April, President Joe Biden made it official that he was running for reelection. That Biden will serve another term or even be the party's nominee remains to be seen, though. Countless polls show that even fellow Democrats don't think that Biden should be running again. Voters have concerns with his mental fitness as well as his age. Currently 80-years-old, Biden is the oldest president we've ever had, and it certainly shows.
Biden is facing primary challenges from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as well as Marianne Williamson, the latter who also ran in 2020. But, one wouldn't know it from the DNC, despite not only concerns with how poorly Biden has been polling, but how surprisingly well RFK Jr. has been polling.
The DNC has announced that there will be no debates, though such a move looks to be in contrast to the will of the voters, including Democratic ones.
On Sunday, USA Today's Susan Page highlighted the findings from a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll which showed that 80 percent of Democratic primary voters, including 72 percent who supported Biden, want there to be Democratic debates. Page reminded that "the odds of that actually happening are as close to zero as you can get in politics."
While Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz is quoted as defending the move, since no incumbent of either party has done debates, also included is a quote as to how this is not a good look for the president.
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"The decision not to debate is ignoring the 82% of women, 84% of union households, 86% of independents, and 90% of young voters who are not only planning to vote in their state's Democratic primary or caucus next year but also would like to see a series of Democratic primary debates," said David Paleologos, the director of Suffolk's Political Research Center.
The poll also showed just 58 percent support for Biden, while 21 percent are undecided, 15 percent support RFK Jr., and 6 percent support Williamson.
There are some details worth highlighting about this latest poll, though. The sample size is only 293 registered voters who plan to vote in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, and it has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.7 percentage points. By itself, then, it's worth taking with a grain of salt, though that's the way it tends to be with polls in general.
While the 58 precent is a particularly low number for the incumbent president in a primary, other polls as highlighted by RealClearPolitics (RCP), don't show Biden faring above 70 percent. Among recent polls, Biden performs best in an Emerson poll from late April, with 70 percent support, though Kennedy still had a not insignificant 21 percent and Williamson had 8 percent support.
It's not merely a majority of such voters, though. Late last month, actor James Van Der Beek made headlines for how vocal he was in his outrage about a lack of debates.
"This guy has obviously declining mental faculties," the actor said about Biden, during a live Instagram video, bringing up a concern many other voters have. "You’re putting him up in front of a podium with flashcards telling him who to call on and what the questions are going to be. And you’re telling us there’s no debate? What about the will of the people?"
Van Der Beek also called out what the lack of debates says about democracy. "If we don’t have a debate, this is not a democracy by the people, this is a democracy by them. For who? Big banks? Big business? Big tech, big pharma, big government, big whatever," he said.
"We need a debate. How do we have a government, how do we have a democracy, if we’re letting a small, little backroom of people make all the important decisions for us. It’s not a democracy. It doesn’t work. Because y’all have been wrong about a lot these last couple years in that back room. No debate, no democracy," he also mentioned.
In the post, Van Der Beek noted he was "Disabling comments on this one because the people debating should be the CANDIDATES," along with a heart emoji and "#NoDebateNoDemocracy," "#DNC," and "democraticprimary." In a long description for the post, he emphasized "I’m simply pro-democratic process."
That same post brought up concerns about Biden's mental capabilities as well. "But mental acuity is a valid concern - one that, btw, could be erased by a strong debate performance. And… if standing up for your record, addressing ideas from within your own party, and sharing your vision for the future is going to HURT you? It begs the question: Are you REALLY the strongest candidate?"
Kennedy and Williamson have both expressed a desire to debate Biden, especially with how much is at stake.
Kennedy spoke of inviting Biden "into a new era of respectful dialog in these times of division," as well as expressed his view that the Democratic Party "has gone off the track," though he "aim[s] to reclaim my party and its traditional values."
"It's time to return our party and our nation to the people," he concluded his statement with.
I am a multi-generational Democrat, but I think our party has gone off track. Remember when we upheld the interests of the poor and middle class against big corporations and Wall Street? Remember when we were the party of peace, civil liberties, and people power? I aim to reclaim…
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 25, 2023
The Biden administration is riddled with Neocons, war hawks, Wall Street people, and former corporate lobbyists. That's what the party elite has become. But I know the rank-and-file — and the American people as a whole — don't share their priorities. It's time to return our party…
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 25, 2023
In her statement, Williamson noted in part that "The Democratic Party establishment has indicated it is planning to subvert the primary process by shoe-horning Biden into the nomination, and Americans most concerned about our democracy must not let this happen."
"At such a critical time in our country, neither the President nor the DNC has the right to determine who and who is not a serious candidate. That is the right of the people alone," she concluded her statement with.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 25, 2023
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) April 25, 2023
STATEMENT FROM MARIANNE WILLIAMSON ON JOE BIDEN'S 2024 CAMPAIGN LAUNCH:
For those of us committed to Democrats winning the White House in 2024, the president’s campaign announcement today was concerning.
His remark that he has fought so…
Although other incumbent presidents have avoided debates, and still won the nomination, those with serious primary challengers have gone on to lose the election. Ronald Reagan challenged Gerald Ford for the nomination in 1976, and Ford lost to Jimmy Carter in the general election. When Carter ran for reelection, he was challenged by Ted Kennedy, who was RFK Jr.'s uncle. Carter ultimately lost to Reagan in the 1980 election. Pat Buchanan challenged George H.W. Bush in 1992, who lost to Bill Clinton.
