The saga continues: NYT- Biden Irked by Democrats Who Won’t Take ‘Yes’ for an Answer on 2024

[WV222]

By Jonathan Martin and Zolan Kanno-Youngs

WASHINGTON — Earlier this month, when Senator Bernie Sanders said he would not challenge President Biden in 2024, Mr. Biden was so relieved he invited his former rival to dinner at the White House the next night.

Mr. Biden has been eager for signs of loyalty — and they have been few and far between. Facing intensifying skepticism about his capacity to run for re-election when he will be nearly 82, the president and his top aides have been stung by the questions about his plans, irritated at what they see as a lack of respect from their party and the press, and determined to tamp down suggestions that he’s effectively a lame duck a year and a half into his administration.

Mr. Biden isn’t just intending to run, his aides argue, but he’s also laying the groundwork by building resources at the Democratic National Committee, restocking his operation in battleground states and looking to use his influence to shape the nomination process in his favor.

[Sir Mohamed]

I feel like the media wants to create a "Dems in disarray" or "Biden in disarray" narrative here where is just none. Sure, questions about his health should be fine, he even said this himself, though there was always little doubt he'd run unless his health declines significantly.

During 2020 I though he may just intend to serve a single term after fulfilling his "main duty" to defeat Trump, though it has been clear from the start he'll run again of possible. The dude wanted to be prez for more than a third of a century; once you finally get there, you're not quitting after 4 years.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

One wonders if the lack of loyalty he feels stems from his refusal to meet the moment and go all in on tackling the issues that actually motivate Democrats to turn out.

[xavier110]

You would think this would get him to show more fire in his belly… I realize he’s always been an idiot, but does he think we’re stupid?

[President Johnson]

These Sanders suggestions were always bizarre. Bernie's way too pragmatic to realize a primary challenge would help the Republicans. Furthermore, there's not much he could do that Biden can't. He knows that the reason many things on his agenda remain undone is not on Biden but on Manchin and an unwilling Republican opposition to work things out.

Unless his health deteriorates between now and 2024, Biden is absolutely going to run and he'd face practically no serious opposition for the nomination.

[MR DARK BRANDON]

This is more Dems fault than Biden’s. Idk what they expected from him, though it is clear the guy does not want to be a lame duck, these ppl need to sit the f*** down, wait their turn, let Biden do his job, and stop looking for 15 minutes of fame.

[Utah Neolib]

The news seem to have forgotten that Joe Biden is the incumbent president. Biden will probably be in decent health in 2023, and he’ll run again. Biden wants to be the one to defeat Trump and his movement - and it didn’t stop after January 20, 2021.

[Comrade Funk]

In modern American political history, no presidential incumbent has faced such a dearth of enthusiasm and incessant begging for him not to run. Yet here in Atlas, our resident Dem hacks remain the only under-35s who give a damn about him.

[MR DARK BRANDON]

In modern American political history, no presidential incumbent has faced such a dearth of enthusiasm and incessant begging for him not to run. Yet here in Atlas, our resident Dem hacks remain the only under-35s who give a damn about him.

These ppl literally just want attention, they want their 15 minutes in the limelight, it’s about them not Biden.

[MABA 2020]

The thing you always come back to though is do the democrats have anyone better? And the answer is unfortunately no. Not particularly looking forward to 2024.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

The news seem to have forgotten that Joe Biden is the incumbent president. Biden will probably be in decent health in 2023, and he’ll run again. Biden wants to be the one to defeat Trump and his movement - and it didn’t stop after January 20, 2021.

While I will near-certainly vote for Biden as the nominee should he be on the ballot again, I think it's an exaggeration, or at least inaccurate to say Trump and his movement have been "defeated" when they are running around freely plotting their next coup. The 2020 election was a battle, not the war.

And while I think Biden's choice of Garland for AG and to remain hands off the Justice Department was a good choice for the legitimacy of our democracy, if it fails to hold Trump and his fellow coup plotters accountable for their treason, it will end up being fatal to our democracy and our freedom.

[Utah Neolib]

The news seem to have forgotten that Joe Biden is the incumbent president. Biden will probably be in decent health in 2023, and he’ll run again. Biden wants to be the one to defeat Trump and his movement - and it didn’t stop after January 20, 2021.

While I will near-certainly vote for Biden as the nominee should he be on the ballot again, I think it's an exaggeration, or at least inaccurate to say Trump and his movement have been "defeated" when they are running around freely plotting their next coup. The 2020 election was a battle, not the war.

And while I think Biden's choice of Garland for AG and to remain hands off the Justice Department was a good choice for the legitimacy of our democracy, if it fails to hold Trump and his fellow coup plotters accountable for their treason, it will end up being fatal to our democracy and our freedom.

I’m not saying that Trump’s movement has been defeated - I’m trying to say that Biden wants to win over Trump again. Trump is still an existential threat to our democracy.

[Senator Incitatus]

In modern American political history, no presidential incumbent has faced such a dearth of enthusiasm and incessant begging for him not to run. Yet here in Atlas, our resident Dem hacks remain the only under-35s who give a damn about him.

I speak to family members and friends who are extremely partisan Democrats and they all agree that they don't want Biden to run (usually citing his age) but don't see an alternative. I still think he'll be the nominee.

Nobody is enthusiastically for him because nobody (outside political nerds) really ever was. He was the nominee by default and is the President by default. And despite his lack of book smarts, tact, or acuity, he remains a fairly smooth political operator. Elevating Harris and Buttigieg while leaving more credible successors in the wilderness was smart from a personal perspective.

[xavier110]

In modern American political history, no presidential incumbent has faced such a dearth of enthusiasm and incessant begging for him not to run. Yet here in Atlas, our resident Dem hacks remain the only under-35s who give a damn about him.

I speak to family members and friends who are extremely partisan Democrats and they all agree that they don't want Biden to run (usually citing his age) but don't see an alternative. I still think he'll be the nominee.

Nobody is enthusiastically for him because nobody (outside political nerds) really ever was. He was the nominee by default and is the President by default. And despite his lack of book smarts, tact, or acuity, he remains a fairly smooth political operator. Elevating Harris and Buttigieg while leaving more credible successors in the wilderness was smart from a personal perspective.

This is where I’m at. I think the dude is a well-intentioned idiot, I would take him over Trump or DeSantis, and there are no other viable alternatives.

[LostInOhio]

Oddly enough I think one of Biden’s strengths and weaknesses is, paradoxically, that he is so boring and bland. Just about anyone even remotely left-leaning can project moderation or progressiveness onto him because he isn’t particularly too much of either. At the same time, this seems to have led to a complete lack of enthusiasm on the part of the electorate.

If Biden were ten years younger I think he’d be doing a whole lot better in the polls as he was quite smooth when he was VP

[Mr. Smith]

The thing you always come back to though is do the democrats have anyone better? And the answer is unfortunately no. Not particularly looking forward to 2024.

Of course they do, but going up against an incumbent is foolhardy, it only almost worked in '76 because Ford was a peculiar incumbent.


That and Biden's very entry into 2020 [and Sanders to a minimal extent] pretty much eliminated the healthy, internal tension that needed to rise up.

This is more Dems fault than Biden’s. Idk what they expected from him, though it is clear the guy does not want to be a lame duck, these ppl need to sit the f*** down, wait their turn, let Biden do his job, and stop looking for 15 minutes of fame.

How? He didn't have to enter at all. There was clearly a desire to move the system forward at the time, but obviously that was logjammed by the need to get rid of Trump first.

By running on that rather than a concrete direction, he got to be all things to all people, and therefore all the expectations, which also meant he'd be lame ducked immediately if he couldn't get over the top with Congress, and he didn't get over the top.

Frankly instead of whining about people wanting the 15 min. fame, you ought be wondering why people would choose this moment to seek it out?