Liberals Shouldnt Be So Worried About Biden
A fear among liberal skeptics of Biden is that his pragmatism represents a retreat from the partys leftward momentum. Thats true in one sense. He doesnt pass progressive purity tests on issues like Medicare-for-all. On paper, his plans are less ambitious.
But hed still be the most progressive Democratic nominee in history if he won.
His plans line up closer with the center of gravity in the party, but in recent years the center has moved much further left than even during the Barack Obama years. For example, Biden isnt willing to replace the Affordable Care Act with a new, single-payer system like Warren or Sanderss Medicare-for-all. But he does want to improve on it with a major new addition, an expansive public option. Hed also cap premiums at 8.5 percent of a patients income.
These might seem small relative to the scope of Medicare-for-all, but Medicare-for-all has pretty much no chance of becoming law, and its likely to spark a damaging intraparty fight among congressional Democrats that harms the chances of passing any health care bill.
Lamb pointed out that there probably arent enough votes in the Democratic-controlled House to pass it, never mind a Republican-controlled Senate . And the key Senate Democrats who will drive health care policy if Democrats retake the gavel have already said Medicare-for-all is a nonstarter.
Woodfin agreed, echoing Lambs point that most Americans dont favor Medicare-for-all even among Democrats, the enthusiasm has .
Should Biden Run In 2024 Democratic Whispers Of No Start To Rise
In interviews, dozens of frustrated Democratic officials, members of Congress and voters expressed doubts about the presidents ability to rescue his reeling party and take the fight to Republicans.
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By Reid J. Epstein and Jennifer Medina
Midway through the 2022 primary season, many Democratic lawmakers and party officials are venting their frustrations with President Bidens struggle to advance the bulk of his agenda, doubting his ability to rescue the party from a predicted midterm trouncing and increasingly viewing him as an anchor that should be cut loose in 2024.
As the challenges facing the nation mount and fatigued base voters show low enthusiasm, Democrats in union meetings, the back rooms of Capitol Hill and party gatherings from coast to coast are quietly worrying about Mr. Bidens leadership, his age and his capability to take the fight to former President Donald J. Trump a second time.
Interviews with nearly 50 Democratic officials, from county leaders to members of Congress, as well as with disappointed voters who backed Mr. Biden in 2020, reveal a party alarmed about Republicans rising strength and extraordinarily pessimistic about an immediate path forward.
Donald Trumps Chances Vs Joe Biden If He Runs Again In 2024
A number of bookmakers are naming Donald Trump as their favorite to win the 2024 presidential election if he runs, but several polls suggest it is still neck-and-neck between him and Joe Biden in a hypothetical match-up.
According to OddsChecker, which aggregates betting odds from numerous sources, Trump is the favorite to be the next president by several bookmakers including Paddy Power and Betfairwho are offering odds of 11/4as well as Bet365 and SkyBet .
In comparison, Paddy Power and Betfair are offering 9/2 odds on Biden winning the 2024 election, with Bet365 and SkyBet offering 5/1.
Trump has not formally announced that he intends on running for president again, but he has hinted at it from the moment he left the White House in January 2021.
The suggestion that Trump could beat Biden in a hypothetical 2024 match-up has been backed by a recent Emerson College poll conducted on May 24 and 25.
According to those taking part in the survey, 44 percent said they would vote for Trump in 2024, and 42 percent said they would back Biden if they were the two candidates.
The poll also shows that Bidens approval rating remains low at 38 percent, down from 42 percent in an April survey.
The Emerson College poll reveals Bidens job approval is lowest among white voters at 33 percent, and highest among Black voters at 61 percent.
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Biden Calls For Election Of Lawmakers Who Will Codify Roe V Wade
To be fair, he has accomplished several important things since taking office, such as building an international coalition to fight Vladimir Putin in Ukraine while keeping China on the sidelines. His aggressive push to get more people in the U.S. vaccinated has also been a huge success 67% of the population are now fully vaccinated, and 78% have received at least one dose. Another major win was his signing into law the first major gun safety measure in more than 30 years. And finally, perhaps most importantly, Biden has returned a sense of normalcy to the presidency after the tumultuous Trump era.
However, in other key areas, the president has failed to meet the moment by not adequately addressing important kitchen table issues across the country. His anemic response to concerns about rising gas prices has been a point of contention that cuts across party lines, as have his plans for combating inflation, of which now nearly 3 in 4 Americans disapprove, according to an ABC News poll.
His milquetoast response to the overturning of Roe vs. Wade falls short of some of the more aggressive tactics championed by Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives, such as expanding the Supreme Courtor moving abortion clinics to federal lands.
On the other hand, his inability to reign in his partys progressive wing is turning off critical swing voting blocs, including Latinos.
Trumps Fixation On The Past Puts His Political Future In Limbo
But some Trump allies believe he may ultimately opt against a run, either for health reasons or, if Bidens poll numbers rebound, because he doesnt want to risk a second loss, even though he has yet to acknowledge the first defeat.
So far, a slew of prominent Republicans have begun making overt moves to run in 2024. Whether they will abandon their own White House dreams if the former president were to run again is another matter entirely.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sens. Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz are among those who made appearances in early voting states, and some have started securing top political consultants. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has hinted shed mount a bid but wouldnt run against Trump if he decides to enter the race. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has suggested he may run even if Trump does. And there is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has emerged as an heir-apparent to Trump and the populist MAGA movement.
Things may be just as uncertain on the Democratic side of the ledger. If Biden opts against seeking reelection, the field may not clear out for Vice President Kamala Harris, who has yet to find her political footing in the role. Two 2020 candidates, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker , each have held recent high-profile events on hot button election topics.
If Biden opts to seek a second term, a serious primary challenge would be unlikely.
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Worries About Age And A Successor
To nearly all the Democrats interviewed, the presidents age 79 now, 82 by the time the winner of the 2024 election is inaugurated is a deep concern about his political viability. They have watched as a commander in chief who built a reputation for gaffes has repeatedlyrattled global diplomacy with unexpected remarks that were later walked back by his White House staff, and as he has sat for fewer interviews than any of his recent predecessors.
The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue, said David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Barack Obamas two winning presidential campaigns.
Biden doesnt get the credit he deserves for steering the country through the worst of the pandemic, passing historic legislation, pulling the NATO alliance together against Russian aggression and restoring decency and decorum to the White House, Mr. Axelrod added. And part of the reason he doesnt is performative. He looks his age and isnt as agile in front of a camera as he once was, and this has fed a narrative about competence that isnt rooted in reality.
Voters On The Direction Of The Country
Do you think the United States is on the right track, or is it headed in the wrong direction?
Note: Polls prior to 2020 are Times/CBS surveys of U.S. adults, with the wording Do you feel things in this country are generally going in the right direction or do you feel things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track?Based on a New York Times/Siena College poll of 849 registered voters in the United States from July 5-7, 2022.
For Mr. Biden, that bleak national outlook has pushed his job approval rating to a perilously low point. Republican opposition is predictably overwhelming, but more than two-thirds of independents also now disapprove of the presidents performance, and nearly half disapprove strongly. Among fellow Democrats his approval rating stands at 70 percent, a relatively low figure for a president, especially heading into the 2022 midterms when Mr. Biden needs to rally Democrats to the polls to maintain control of Congress.
In a sign of deep vulnerability and of unease among what is supposed to be his political base, only 26 percent of Democratic voters said the party should renominate him in 2024.
Mr. Biden has said repeatedly that he intends to run for re-election in 2024. At 79, he is already the oldest president in American history, and concerns about his age ranked at the top of the list for Democratic voters who want the party to find an alternative.
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What Will It Mean For Trump And Biden If Liz Cheney Runs In 2024
Trump Republican adversary could make a symbolic impact in the moderate party lane but she could also take votes from Biden
When Liz Cheney left the podium at a Wyoming ranch on Tuesday night, clapped and cheered by supporters, a Tom Petty song boomed out beneath the Teton mountains: Well, I wont back down / No, I wont back down / You could stand me up at the gates of hell / But I wont back down.
The woman who has emerged as Donald Trumps most implacable Republican adversary had suffered a landslide defeat in a primary election to decide Wyomings only seat in the US House of Representatives.
But unlike the former president, who loves to play victim, Cheney refused to dwell in political martyrdom after her act of self-sacrifice. In a 15-minute speech beside a dozen hay bales, a red vintage Chevrolet truck and four US national flags, she made clear that, while Trump had won the battle, the war for the soul of the party rages on.
This primary election is over, Cheney acknowledged to a crowd that, with aching symbolism, included her father, former vice-president Dick Cheney. But now the real work begins.
She invoked Abraham Lincoln, who lost congressional elections before ascending to the presidency and preserving the union. The vice-chair of the congressional January 6 committee warned that Trump and his enablers pose an existential threat to democracy and urged Americans of all stripes to unite.
Trump Still Beats Biden In 2024 Rematch Despite Jan 6 Hearings: Polls
Former President Donald Trump is still favored to defeat President Joe Biden in a 2024 rematch if both politicians ultimately become their respective party’s nominees, despite the evidence and testimony presented in televised hearings by the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Since June 9, the committee has held eight lengthy public hearings revealing what many analysts have described as “damning” evidence against Trump. The hearings have focused on the former president’s actions, and lack thereof, when the Capitol riot unfolded, as well as his efforts to unconstitutionally overturn Biden’s 2020 election win. Prominent Republican officials from Trump’s own administration have provided testimony.
Regardless of the hearings and the evidence being laid out against Trump, recent polling largely shows that the former president would still more likely than not win in 2024 if he faces off against Biden a second time. Notably, Trump has not officially confirmed a plan to run for another White House term. Biden has said multiple times that he will seek reelection.
Polling from Trafalgar Group showed the former president with an even more substantial lead of 5 points. That survey, which was conducted from July 11 to 14, had Trump at 48 percent and Biden at 43 percent. The poll included 1,085 likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percent.
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Could Joe Biden Really Beat The Hell Out Of Donald Trump
This article was published more than 3 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.
Joe Biden will be three weeks shy of his 78th birthday when Americans next vote in a presidential election in 2020. Barack Obamas former vice-president was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, the same year Richard Nixon won a second term in the Oval Office.
The scrappy former Delaware senator is an old-fashioned, moderate Democrat at a time when his party has been overtaken by progressive activists who want to make the 2020 vote not just about ousting Donald Trump, but about radically expanding U.S. government.
Mr. Biden has no grassroots organization to mobilize Democratic voters in early primary states, nor a ready online operation to raise millions in small donations as Senator Bernie Sanders, former congressman Beto ORourke or Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., have formed.
Theres also the matter of the stream of women who have come forward to recount instances where Mr. Biden bestowed unwanted and in their view inappropriate affection upon them. Its hardly the kind of character-vouching anyone considering running for president in 2020 would invite.
After months of keeping Democrats guessing, Mr. Biden is set to enter the race himself on Thursday, becoming the 20th candidate in a crowded field. Rarely have Democrats been so ideologically divided, with this primary race shaping up to be a bitterly fought battle.
Bidens Associates Say He Will Feel Compelled To Run If Trump Does If That Rematch Materializes Biden Said Recently I Would Not Be Disappointed
President Biden for most of his life has engaged in a near-quadrennial regimen of deciding whether he can, should or will run for president giving perhaps more thought, over a longer period of time, to that question than anyone in American history.
Hes about to undertake a similar process in the coming months, one that will involve discussions with his wife, Jill perhaps in quiet moments during their upcoming vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Del. along with considerations of how a run would affect his family, including potential congressional investigations of his son.
But as the president weighs his options, according to those close to him, one person looms largest over his decision: the man hes often tried to ignore, the one whose legacy hes worked to erase, the one hes simply called the former guy.
Biden was motivated to run for office in large part because he saw himself as best positioned to defeat President Donald Trump. He still considers knocking Trump out of the White House one of his major contributions to Americas welfare. And with Trump looming as the potential Republican nominee hes eyeing a September announcement Biden maintains that he is still best positioned to beat him.
Im not predicting, Biden recently told an Israeli TV interviewer, when asked about a Trump-Biden rematch. But I would not be disappointed.
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Legal Heavy Hitters Reject Trump As Investigation Heats Up Wapo Reporter Says
Combine President Joe Biden’s age and his ongoing political struggles and you get this: a series of stories examining whether Biden runs again and, if not, who might take his place.
* Kamala Harris* Pete Buttigieg* Elizabeth Warren* Amy Klobuchar* Roy Cooper* Mitch Landrieu* Gina Raimondo
Biden Has The Best Shot At Carrying The Senate
Any Democrat who could beat Trump would only have a shot at a transformative presidency if he or she also took the Senate. Right now, it looks bleak for Democrats.
McConnell controls the Senate by three votes . And in 2020, there is no Republican running in a state that Clinton carried by 5 points or more. So while Democrats defend seats in 12 states where theyre up for reelection, a few of them tough races, theyll also have to flip seats in at least three competitive races to take back control of Congress.
Most Democrats believe their best bets for flips are in Colorado, Arizona, Georgia, and Maine. Biden has earned about a dozen endorsements across these states, including from Napolitano, the only Democrat to be elected governor in the state since 1982.
Vulnerable Democrats defending seats include Sen. Gary Peters in Michigan, a state where Biden has consistently polled above Trump by a higher margin than any other candidate. Hes earned some half a dozen endorsements from sitting lawmakers there, too.
Similarly, hes picked up strong support in Alabama.
Even if you look at an example like the state of Alabama where theres a clear dichotomy between urban-exurban and rural, hes uniquely positioned not to move just urban voters, said Democratic Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, who has endorsed Biden. When you think about all parts of the state, hes actually able to excite and motivate those same Alabamians who may be white or rural.
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