Of Course, He’s Running
Those of us who overthink such things have consistently said Joe Biden would not serve a full term in office, much less seek a second term…but not necessarily for the reasons you may think.
Sure, there are the issues of competency, physical health, and mental health. But for whatever reason, Biden saw 2020 as a grudge match against Trump, and for him, simply displacing #45 was enough of a legacy. Some of us suspected that he would stay in office past the 2022 midterms, then perhaps resign early in 2023 to allow his successor, Kamela Harris, to have the power of incumbency—and for him to be able to claim he allowed the first woman president to take the oath. At the very least, he’d serve the full four years, but designate Harris as his heir apparent and grease the skids for her own 2024 run.
But a funny thing happened on the way to that plan happening. Harris is even worse as vice-president than she was as a presidential candidate. Witness her frequent gaffes on the world stage, witness the mass exodus of staff members, witness her continued lack of connection with people.
So Biden continues to make public assertions that he’s very much running again in 2024, and hopes his opponent is “that figure who was here before me,” as he likes to say. He even repeated all that earlier this month when his old boss, Barack Obama, stopped by the White House.
In one respect, Biden has to say he’s running again. If you think he’s ineffective now, imagine if he made it known he was a lame duck barely a quarter of the way through the term.
He also probably thinks he’s in a good position to run again. He seems to be quite insulated from reality in terms of how his policies are catching on, how popular he is, etc. He probably really thinks he’s the best ever, because that’s all he’s told.
In the meantime, prominent Democrats are clearing their throats and upping their national media appearances, to be ready if there’s a lack of interest in Biden or Harris in 2024. The Washington Post even compiled a top ten list of Democrat presidential candidates in 2024…striking given there is a sitting incumbent eligible.
But Biden did finish first on their list, so he’s got that going for him.
