President Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 election, while hardly surprising, certainly adds drama to the already dramatic twists and turns in the election–particularly of late. While it remains to be seen how it plays out, a few things seem fairly obvious.
First, Biden had no real choice but to quit the race. Democratic politicians and their media allies virtually destroyed his chances by their escalating expressions of doubt over his capacity to win reelection and serve a second term. It had reached the point where the growing perception they fed that he was unelectabe became a self-fulfilling reality. With friends like these, he was almost sure to lose.
Second, their hypocrisy in now praising Biden for his “selflessness” is breathtaking. These are the same folks who have been working intensely for weeks, overtly or covertly, to undermine his viability as a candidate and make it almost impossible for him to continue effectively. Many among them were also surely aware of his limitations for some time, but willing enough to cover them up before his debate performance made that no longer possible.
Third, it’s hard to believe that Democrats have either the time or the inclination to mount a serious, substantive contest over their presidential nomination at this late stage and after all their internal angst and dissension over Biden. Many are already coalescing behind Kamala Harris. If they do go through some sort of process other than selecting her by acclamation, it will probably be mainly window-dressing. What credible Democratic rival, particularly anyone looking to the future, would want to risk mounting a forceful, potentially divisive, and probably long-shot challenge to her at this point? Any real competition will most likely be limited to the nominee for vice president, where a couple of swing state governors (Whitmer, Shapiro) might give Democrats a much needed boost.
Last but not least, Trump’s malignant and utterly graceless statement on Biden dropping out refutes once again any fleeting notion that he has somehow taken on a less toxic persona.