President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., the incumbent Democratic presidential nominee for 2024, announced Sunday that he will be dropping out of the presidential race, according to a letter published by his campaign.
In the letter—dated July 21, 2024, but bearing no presidential seal—Biden has faced mounting calls from wealthy progressive donors, as well as elected Democrats, to step aside following a debate performance in which his cognitive deficits and ailing health were glaringly obvious.
Despite Biden’s very obvious health struggles, Maine’s top Democrats had continued to back him right up until Sunday.
This week, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) even held a rally in Brunswick boosting Biden and making a series of false claims about Congressional Republicans and former Republican President Donald J. Trump.
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Biden and campaign aides close to him, including his wife Jill Biden and son Hunter Biden, had resisted those calls for him to withdraw from the race. But a growing mountain of polling data had begun to show that Biden’s path to victory over former President Trump was all but impossible.
Ironically, the very party that has been preaching loudly for more than five years about threats to democracy has now had its democratically elected candidate forced out by political elites and wealthy donors — the same political elites and wealthy donors who will now have an outsized say over who the real Democratic presidential nominee will be.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in the letter.
Although Biden’s signature appears on the letter, there’s no affirmative indication that he supported the decision to withdraw, leading to much speculation that the letter was a continuation of internal and external pressure to drive narratives in the media that would make it impossible for Biden to continue as the nominee.
Trump responded to the news almost immediately with a post to social media:
“Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement. All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t – And now, look what he’s done to our Country, with millions of people coming across our Border, totally unchecked and unvetted, many from prisons, mental institutions, and record numbers of terrorists. We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
According to the letter, Biden plans to give some form of address later in the week about his decision. Nowhere in the letter did Biden indicate whether he would back his vice president should she choose to pursue the nomination; however, media reports later indicated that he had endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) immediately posted on X that he had grave concerns about how the announcement was made, noting that Democratic party insiders had effectively thrown out tens of millions of primary votes just 100 days before the presidential election.
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Biden’s exit from the race now sets in motion what will be a chaotic nomination process heading into the Democratic National Convention.
While Vice President Harris will enter the convention with an advantage in name recognition and historical precedent, the DNC rules do not provide her with any official advantages.
Harris, who rose to political power by serving as former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown’s very special assistant, later became a tough-on-drug-crime Attorney General in California before serving as a U.S. Senator from 2011 to Jan. 2021.
With Biden out of the race, more than 90 percent of DNC delegates, including the coveted superdelegates, are now free to throw their support behind the candidate of their choosing. Little more than an honor system binds delegates pledged to Biden to respect his endorsement of Harris.
That means any Democratic delegate is likely to get inundated with calls, offers, promises, and even bribes as politicians scramble for a chance at growing their power.
Speculation about Biden’s intention to withdraw from the race or be forced out of the race had already set in motion a behind-the-scenes scramble to identify and coalesce behind a non-Biden candidate during the convention. Biden’s announcement Sunday is likely to send those conversations into overdrive, with would-be contenders lighting up the phone lines in hopes of securing support from party insiders.
At the same time, DNC elders must be wary of warring factions within the Democratic base looking to seize the publicity of the convention to advance more narrow causes.
All summer long, pro-Palestinian demonstrators sympathetic to the terror group Hamas have marched and rioted in American cities, frequently clashing with police and vandalizing American monuments. Although the demonstrations have abated in recent weeks, there’s little reason to believe the same financial backers and foot soldiers will stand on the sidelines as the Democratic Party holds a pig scramble to select a new candidate to face off against Trump.
Should the young activists decide to seize on the convention to promote sectarian causes like Palestinian liberation, it will be exceedingly difficult for the Democratic Party to maintain a tight grip on the version of the convention that most Americans see through their television screens. The high-stakes event, intended to showcase unity and a collective vision for the future, could morph into an unpredictable stage where divergent agendas and varying degrees of radicalism take center stage.
Instead of witnessing a unified party rising from the ashes of Biden’s ignominious end, the American public could find themselves captivated—or perhaps horrified—by a tumultuous live-action series of riots, publicity stunts, and other eye-catching displays of left-wing extremism. The image of a cohesive and forward-looking Democratic Party could shatter into fragments of discord and internal conflict, each piece representing a different faction with its own priorities and methods of expression.
Imagine the televised scenes: impassioned young activists storming the convention floor, unfurling banners that demand justice for Palestine, chanting slogans that echo through the convention hall, and possibly clashing with security personnel. The carefully choreographed speeches and policy proposals from established party leaders could be drowned out by the fervent cries for immediate action on deeply polarizing issues. Viewers at home, instead of being reassured by a vision of stability and competence, might be left with an indelible impression of chaos and disunity.
The potential for such disruption extends beyond mere visual spectacle. The ripple effects could be felt across the political landscape, influencing public opinion and voter behavior. Media coverage would likely amplify the most sensational moments, giving them a life of their own in news cycles and social media discussions. The narrative of a party in disarray could undermine efforts to present a coherent strategy for addressing national challenges, thereby weakening the Democratic Party’s position in upcoming elections.
Moreover, the internal fractures exposed during the convention could have long-lasting implications for party dynamics. The older, more traditional wing of the party might find itself increasingly at odds with a younger, more radical base that is unwilling to compromise on issues they see as moral imperatives. This generational divide could complicate efforts to craft a platform that satisfies both pragmatic concerns and ideological purity, potentially leading to further alienation of key voter demographics.
In essence, the decision by young activists to use the convention as a platform for promoting sectarian causes like Palestinian liberation (a.k.a. “Death to Israel”) could transform the event into a crucible of conflict and controversy. The Democratic Party’s ability to project an image of unity and resolve would be severely tested, with the potential fallout reverberating far beyond the convention hall.
Further complicating the DNC’s new predicament: Will any rising star Democrat want to enter a presidential contest this late in the season to face a former Republican president who emerged seven days ago from a failed assassination attempt more popular than ever?
What little polling has emerged since Thomas M. Crooks nearly murdered President Trump and did murder one of his supporters has shown Trump surging in popularity across critical battleground states where Electoral College victories are invariably won or lost.
The Democratic figure who eventually emerges from the DNC convention will more likely than not be setting themselves up for a significant loss—a career move that could easily sour the fortunes of a promising liberal politician. Although there are many young liberal governors and members of Congress who have been waiting patiently with that lean and hungry look, all of them will have to wonder whether it’s worth risking their careers in a bid to challenge a Republican candidate who increasingly looks unstoppable.
So now we’ll have the “Border Czar” or some other Commie loser such as the “Hildabeast” lead the Dems after the media glorifies OBiden’s failed policies. I hope that Trump absolutely smashes whomever they nominate in November so we can get our country back on the right track. MAGA!
THIS WAS NO BOATING ACCIDENT!
Was Shenna involved in this? It’s her forte.
Ahh, wonder if the dream team shall emerge of Hitlery and Michael Obama! Time will tell….
FJB!!!and FJMills!!!!
Remember Rod from Chicago? He said something like “you don’t just give those seats away” The DNC or donors finally came up with a number Brandon thought his seat was worth, it’s that simple. Now just one more thing to do, pardon his shitstain son.
Hopefully brandon will see the same consequences as Ron.
Ayuh,…. The democrat convention oughta be a hoot, much like their ’68 convention, burning the city to the ground,….
Shouldn’t make any difference, it is the policies, just focus on those.
Bye Joe .
Your fellow democrats screwed you didn’t they !
Join the club pal .
Democrats are a plague that will destroy the country .
Vote them ALL out in November .
Make America Great Again .
Obama didn’t endorse Kamala — which means he has someone else in mind…
..Let’s see, who was the last one he endorsed instead of his VP?
Hmmmm
The main worry of the DNC is that the American voters aren’t stupid enough.
So far. they have nothing to worry about.
Judge Smells, of course obama did not endorse the Camel. Obama plans to get his live in boyfriend, Michael nominated. He and his fellow travelling communists will then rig the election with a flood of late night “votes”. It worked last time and obama is not a creative thinker.
We watched as the party that brought us Jim Crow Laws and the KKK, brushed aside Joe Biden. We will soon watch as they brush aside VP Harris and democrats across America will be ok with that.