Today, Joe Biden finally announced he won’t be running for re-election, and by that decision he might’ve cost Democrats the presidency. I’m not saying he could easily beat Trump, but his delayed exit has potentially harmed the Democrats’ ability to rally behind a strong nominee and prepare for a nasty fight with Trump.
Biden’s tenure as President has had its successes, but taking his age into the account, the political landscape for him was very different in this election from the get-go compared to what is was in 2020. If he would’ve stepped aside earlier, Dems would have more time to go through the usual process of selecting and promoting a candidate. This extended time could’ve allowed to run a more comprehensive campaign, pick someone who can rally people behind a cause (other than beating Trump) and a more robust strategy to counter Trump’s ideas.
Personally I don’t have anything against Kamala Harris. She ran a good campaign in 2020, has a good track record, she’s got the votes of immigrants, basically she checks all the boxes for a Democrat candidate. But in terms of where we are now, I think she had a better chance if Biden would drop out of the race sooner so she could have the chance to get elected through the democratic process.
That’s not all. It’s not even the first day of her campaign and she already started the attack ads. Attacking someone who’s been a target of an assassination not weeks ago is a risky move. This strategy might alienate swing voters, particularly those who, despite their political beliefs, sympathize with Trump following the attack. Also, this is not the game where she can win against Trump. This is the time to be respectful, not only because it’s morally the right thing to do regardless of politics, but also because then you have the chance to win back some of the voters who are leaning the other way out of sympathy for an assassinated Trump. American voters haven’t witnessed an assassination attempt in 43 years since Reagan was targeted, and the emotional impact of such an event can’t be underestimated. Harris’s early negative campaigning might not sit well with a voter group that is currently more empathetic towards Trump. Trump already had a better start than 2020 and even so, this assassination attempt was the best thing that happened to his campaign so far.
Biden ran a successful term, but his late exist might’ve created an uphill battle for the Dems. Kamalla while a capable candidate, now have to overcome numerous obstacles because of this decision. \
As we move forward, the ramifications of Biden’s timing will become clearer, but if this election is lost for the Dems, Biden is the guy to point the finger at.
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