Joe Biden And The Hard Question

This is not the question anyone desperate to preserve democracy in America wants to answer. But they must.

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by Ben Cohen

I have thought long and hard about writing this piece. Since Joe Biden won the Democratic primary back in 2020, I have defended him from the far left and far right for one primary reason: he was (and is) the only force preventing the collapse of democracy in America. I also like Biden personally and believe he is an extremely decent man.

However, I now think it might now be time for Biden to step aside in 2024 and let some hungry Democrats have their shot. I don’t say this lightly, and I will of course get behind Biden should he decide to stay on. But perception in politics is everything, and the public is souring on Biden for reasons that are now out of his control.

Biden the patriot

I have it on fairly good authority that Biden never wanted to run for president but was convinced by people around him who saw that he was the only candidate capable of building a big enough coalition to get Trump out of office. It turns out this was entirely correct. Bernie Sanders couldn’t attract black and Latino voters. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg had similar problems. Kamala Harris wasn’t talented enough. No one liked Michael Bloomberg. None had much sway with centrists and swing voters. Biden, at least on paper, was the party’s best bet.