67% of Democrats want someone other than Biden; 82% can’t name who they want

[Progressive Pessimist]

We know this. Many less tuned-in Democrats who aren't accepting that changing horses would actually be worse than nominating Biden are bring pouty and not all that constructive since they can't name someone they prefer.

It's frustrating right now, but I'm still confident that they'll come around in time when it becomes clear what the choice actually is and that they can't order off the menu if they want to eat at all.

Not really surprising. There’s just this kinda frustrated acceptance that has dogged the idea of Biden’s candidacy since 2019.

Started a little bit with 2016 and Hillary too.

All I know is that "You're stuck with him. What are you gonna do, vote for Trump?" doesn't sound like the best message to send to Democrats.

To hell with inspiration. That sunk us in 2016 and that's the reality. Sorry, but the entire Democratic Party is behind Biden and if it isn't him who stays President then an even more empowered Trump will. That fear should be a sufficient enough motivator if  these certain Democrats knew what was good for them.

I'm sorry, but sometimes in life you don't always get every choice you want. Maybe it would help if these voters actually could identify who they would prefer. If they can't then they really just need to get their heads straight and stop whining.

I know this sounds patronizing, but as I said before, I do think when Biden hits the campaign trail, especially in contrast to Trump, they'll recognize that even if he is too old and benign that he is still the better fit for the job.

[Progressive Pessimist]

We know this. Many less tuned-in Democrats who aren't accepting that changing horses would actually be worse than nominating Biden are bring pouty and not all that constructive since they can't name someone they prefer.

It's frustrating right now, but I'm still confident that they'll come around in time when it becomes clear what the choice actually is and that they can't order off the menu if they want to eat at all.

Not really surprising. There’s just this kinda frustrated acceptance that has dogged the idea of Biden’s candidacy since 2019.

Started a little bit with 2016 and Hillary too.

All I know is that "You're stuck with him. What are you gonna do, vote for Trump?" doesn't sound like the best message to send to Democrats.

To hell with inspiration. That sunk us in 2016 and that's the reality. Sorry, but the entire Democratic Party is behind Biden and if it isn't him who stays President then an even more empowered Trump will. That fear should be a sufficient enough motivator if  these certain Democrats knew what was good for them.

I'm sorry, but sometimes in life you don't always get every choice you want. Maybe it would help if these voters actually could identify who they would prefer. If they can't then they really just need to get their heads straight and stop whining.

I know this sounds patronizing, but as I said before, I do think when Biden hits the campaign trail, especially in contrast to Trump, they'll recognize that even if he is too old and benign that he is still the better fit for the job.

Biden is literally neck and neck with Donald Trump! A competent candidate would blow him out of the water!

We're still a year away from the election. That prospect will mean more and alarm Democrats when it is actually in their faces. Right now voters like them are entertaining scenarios that aren't going to happen, when that uncertainty is gone things will change.

[Progressive Pessimist]

It’s really amazing how a lot of left leaning people say they don’t like Joe Biden yet

1. Can’t name anyone better

2. Either Can’t articulate exactly what they don’t like about Biden or blame him for not achieving some next to impossible action or not tackling some issue they had not heard about till they scrolled through twitter that day

I'll vote for Biden over Trump.  But I'm shopping for an alternative to Biden because I really, really don't like his age.  If a Republican other than Trump is nominated, I might vote for them over Biden -- I'd have to see how they handle the pivot from the primary to the general election campaign.  I've never voted R for any federal or gubernatorial office in the past.

I'd really like to see Tim Walz, or Dean Phillips, or Amy Klobuchar instead of Biden on the Democratic ticket.  And that's just among Democrats from Minnesota.

I don't want to come across as a confontational instigator or anything, but in what specific way do you believe Biden's age has negatively impacted his ability to do the job of President? This is where I feel a real disconnect from the average American who is bothered by Biden's age. He is indeed old and comes across that way but it's not like he has been mistaking "lunch" for "launch." At worst he he stumbles over his words every now and again...which he kind of always has done throughout his life.

I get that Americans overall are tired of the gerontocracy at all levels of government, but I do expect that to end in 2028 after Biden. There is finally a talented crop of relativelty young rising stars in the Democratic Party, but even they know that sticking with Biden for now is for the best and can wait their turn.

And I feel the need to inform you that this election will be Biden vs. Trump no matter what. So you might as well start backing Biden now, especially since you appear to live in what has become one if the nation's most important swing states.

I feel like the universal expectation in the 2020 primary was Biden was going to defeat Trump and serve one term after. The one term and pass to the torch expectation kind of smoothed over age concerns in the primary. Most Dem voters were probably not expecting the idea of voting for a soon to be 86 y/o President down the road. So the polling on this makes sense to me. Biden has accomplished enough that he could step aside and still have a respectable legacy but there's his ego and he boxed himself with Harris, maybe on purpose.

I was kind of on the same page with that expectation until the 2022 midterms failed to be the GOP wave that it easily could have been. After that I think it became clear that sticking with Biden would be more advantageous than a divisive primary which Harris probably would have been the frontrunner for. Biden has very clear faults that many cannot seem to get over, but the 2022 midterms suggested to me that his negative approvals might be more out of indifference than outright seething hatred, and that might remain true.

If 2024 becomes a choice as 2022 turned into instead of a referendum, which should be an easy case to make against Trump, then I expect revulsion to Trump to motivate voters to back Biden more than anything.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I don't want to come across as a confontational instigator or anything, but in what specific way do you believe Biden's age has negatively impacted his ability to do the job of President? This is where I feel a real disconnect from the average American who is bothered by Biden's age. He is indeed old and comes across that way but it's not like he has been mistaking "lunch" for "launch." At worst he he stumbles over his words every now and again...which he kind of always has done throughout his life.

I get that Americans overall are tired of the getontocracy at all levels of government, but I do expect that to end in 2028 after Biden. There is finally a talented crop of relativelty young rising stars in the Demicratic Party, but even they know that sticking with Biden for now is for the best and can wait their turn.

And I feel the need to inform you that this election will be Biden vs. Trump no matter what. So you might as well start backing Biden now, especially since you appear to live in what has become one if the nation's most important swing states.

Bottom line for me is IMHO the Biden administration is doing a pretty good job, certainly better than a Republican administration would be doing. Even if Joe is the senile grandpa being told what to do by a cabal of Democratic heavyweights (he's not) good things are getting done and I will gladly vote for him again.

I'm hoping that once the campaigning actually begins more tepid Democrats and Independents will come to that conclusion as well, especially over Trump.

[Progressive Pessimist]

It’s really amazing how a lot of left leaning people say they don’t like Joe Biden yet

1. Can’t name anyone better

2. Either Can’t articulate exactly what they don’t like about Biden or blame him for not achieving some next to impossible action or not tackling some issue they had not heard about till they scrolled through twitter that day

I'll vote for Biden over Trump.  But I'm shopping for an alternative to Biden because I really, really don't like his age.  If a Republican other than Trump is nominated, I might vote for them over Biden -- I'd have to see how they handle the pivot from the primary to the general election campaign.  I've never voted R for any federal or gubernatorial office in the past.

I'd really like to see Tim Walz, or Dean Phillips, or Amy Klobuchar instead of Biden on the Democratic ticket.  And that's just among Democrats from Minnesota.

I don't want to come across as a confontational instigator or anything, but in what specific way do you believe Biden's age has negatively impacted his ability to do the job of President?

It hasn't, and I agree that Biden has done a good job, generally.  In 2024, if I do cast a vote for Biden, it will not be based on what he accomplished in the previous four years.  It'll be based on expectations for the next four years, and his age is a highly relevant factor there.  I will thus be really assessing it as Harris vs. R nominee.

Harris does not impress me much, mostly because she had so much going for her in the 2020 primaries, and couldn't even make it to Iowa.  I'd certainly take her over Trump; I'm just much less sure about voting her against other candidates.

Fair enough. But speaking for myself again, I don't get the dislike for Harris either. But after Hillary Clinton lost in 2016, I have to accept that some candidates are simply disliked and not meant for a national election at certain times. So I doubt I'd back her in a primary. But anybody should be considered less of a risk being in the White House than Trump. I don't know what else to say.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Common wisdom at some point was that women and Black voters (and of course, especially Black women) would be in open revolt if Kamala was passed over for somebody else and yet polls show absolutely nobody wants her to run. She's tied with RFKJ in this poll. Amazing. She proves to be a worse VP pick every coming month.

I still don't think she does much harm as a running mate. Her being nominated in the future is a different story.

[Progressive Pessimist]

It’s really amazing how a lot of left leaning people say they don’t like Joe Biden yet

1. Can’t name anyone better

2. Either Can’t articulate exactly what they don’t like about Biden or blame him for not achieving some next to impossible action or not tackling some issue they had not heard about till they scrolled through twitter that day

I'll vote for Biden over Trump.  But I'm shopping for an alternative to Biden because I really, really don't like his age.  If a Republican other than Trump is nominated, I might vote for them over Biden -- I'd have to see how they handle the pivot from the primary to the general election campaign.  I've never voted R for any federal or gubernatorial office in the past.

I'd really like to see Tim Walz, or Dean Phillips, or Amy Klobuchar instead of Biden on the Democratic ticket.  And that's just among Democrats from Minnesota.

I don't want to come across as a confontational instigator or anything, but in what specific way do you believe Biden's age has negatively impacted his ability to do the job of President?

It hasn't, and I agree that Biden has done a good job, generally.  In 2024, if I do cast a vote for Biden, it will not be based on what he accomplished in the previous four years.  It'll be based on expectations for the next four years, and his age is a highly relevant factor there.  I will thus be really assessing it as Harris vs. R nominee.

Harris does not impress me much, mostly because she had so much going for her in the 2020 primaries, and couldn't even make it to Iowa.  I'd certainly take her over Trump; I'm just much less sure about voting her against other candidates.

Fair enough. But speaking for myself again, I don't get the dislike for Harris either. But after Hillary Clinton lost in 2016, I have to accept that some candidates are simply disliked and not meant for a national election at certain times. So I doubt I'd back her in a primary. But anybody should be considered less of a risk being in the White House than Trump. I don't know what else to say.

I tend to agree with you about Trump.  If it's Trump vs. Biden, I'll vote Biden.  Trump vs. Harris, I'll vote Harris.  As far as primaries go, I'll be voting in the 2024 Republican primary so as to try to have a non-Trump Republican nominee.

You do what you think is right when it comes to your vote. I just think that the Biden vs. Trump rematch is inevitable no matter what.

But out of curiosity, which of the Republican candidates do you think you would vote for in the primary?