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July 18, 2024 09:52 AM UTC

Hickenlooper: Clock Ticking On Biden's Fateful Decision

  • 21 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: There is a lot of information to be gleaned, including between the lines, from this rundown via POLITICO’s “Playbook”.

—–

Sen. John Hickenlooper with President Joe Biden.

An exclusive report from Jeff Mason at Reuters today quotes Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper saying that President Joe Biden, who was forced off the campaign trail yesterday after testing positive for COVID-19, is close to a decision on whether to remain in the 2024 presidential race after weeks of uncertainty and dramatic events elsewhere continue to cloud Biden’s prospects, and despite Biden’s insistence up until this week that all systems were go:

U.S. President Joe Biden is working towards a decision on whether to stay in the presidential race that is good for the country, Senator John Hickenlooper told Reuters, noting sadness among Democrats about the president while stopping short of saying he should step aside…

“Joe Biden has always put the country first. He’s done what’s best for America…I think he’ll keep doing so,” Hickenlooper said in a telephone interview late Wednesday. “He’s working towards that.”

Asked about Biden potentially stepping aside, Hickenlooper said: “That’s his decision to make, but certainly there’s more and more indications that that would be in the best interests of the country, I think.”

Since the June 27th presidential debate between ex-President Donald Trump and Biden, voters have been subjected to an almost daily emotional roller coaster of attempts by Biden to overcome the doubt created by his performance, interrupted by more evidence of dissent in the Democratic ranks over whether Biden should remain in the race. An AP poll released yesterday shows fully 65% of Democrats believe Biden should withdraw, the clearest sign yet that Biden’s attempts to restore confidence on the stump and in frequent interviews since the debate have not been successful. At the same time, polling of the presidential head-to-head matchup since the debate has showed a smaller drop in support for Biden than alarmed critics and pundits feared. Similarly, polling in the presidential race does not appear to have moved meaningfully after the assassination attempt against Trump last weekend, another sign voters’ opinions are so set in stone that no externality can change them.

Unfortunately for Biden, those narrow polls mostly have him coming up short, and at this point there is no denying that the crisis of confidence among Democrats is real. A perceived need for Biden to dramatically reengage in the weeks after the debate has very clearly not been met in the minds of a large majority of Democratic voters. The specter of a second Trump administration fueled by the dystopian plot laid out in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 has filled Democrats with dread. Any change in circumstance that could help ensure Trump isn’t given another once-unthinkable four years as President feels welcome.

And that is why Democrats are at this incredibly difficult moment, after four historically successful years of Joe Biden as President.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize how beloved Joe Biden is and what sorrow and anguish people feel that he might not be the candidate. Even people who feel that he should not be the candidate feel a great sense of loss,” Hickenlooper said. [Pols emphasis]

“He’s been one of the greatest presidents, perhaps the greatest president of my lifetime.”

But Hickenlooper said feedback from his constituents in Colorado – not donors, he said, and not insiders – showed overwhelmingly that average Democratic voters wanted Biden to step aside.

In the end, it’s a decision that only Biden as the Democratic nominee affirmed by millions of Democratic primary voters can make. But whatever happens next, history will note that it was Colorado Democratic leaders, from Sen. Michael Bennet to Reps. Brittany Pettersen and most recently Jason Crow, who led the campaign for this dramatic course change–sincerely believing it was the only option to ensure the universally shared goal of keeping Trump from returning to the White House.

That’s where we’re at as of this writing. We’ll update when we know more, and as always try to do no harm until then.

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21 thoughts on “Hickenlooper: Clock Ticking On Biden’s Fateful Decision”

  1. My political instincts are crap, but is part of the calculation whether Biden gets to name his replacement? If he withdraws his candidacy, it creates a void and potential chaos. If it is a done deal that Harris replaces him on the ballot, will the rest of the party fall in line? Is Biden willing to resign as president, give Harris the job, if it would help her get elected? 

    1. Hmm, that’s actually not a half-bad solution.  A lot of ambitious Dems would be frustrated, and hard to corral.  Of course Harris (or any alternative) would be exposed to a blowtorch of media deconstruction.  Alas, we Dems are not built to just fall in line, and today’s media is fascinated by shiny new objects and false equivalences in the name of “Balance”.

      But with Harris on the job, and at the top of the ticket, the opportunity to create a strong, balanced ticket with a savvy VP choice could be transformational.

      2. As others have noted, Harris is the only one ( besides Biden) who can legally access the funds raised for the Biden / Harris ticket.

        $264 million says Harris is the nominee if Biden withdraws. Harris haters ( all of whom cite other people's prejudices as the reason she can't win), suck it up!

        I'd actually like to see the order reversed – Harris at the top of the ticket – relatively young, experienced, charismatic speaker – and Biden as the elder statesman / diplomat, which was essentially the role he played under Obama. If Biden then becomes unable to serve due to the effects of long Covid or ???, Hakeem Jeffries steps in to fill the Veep responsibilities. Actually, I don't know if that's how veep slots work. Any precedent for a vacant veepage?

         

         

         

        1. $264 million AND the Congressional Black Caucus say Harris is the nominee. Remember how, in 2020, we praised black women for saving the country? There would be no faster way to lose this election than to skip over the qualified African-American female candidate. 

        2. kwtree — while I’m not an election specialist, here is my take on the 25th amendment process:  If Biden resigned, and Harris became president, just like when Nixon resigned and Ford took over as president (after Agnew was forced out), that VP office vacancy was filled by Nelson Rockefeller.  Both times, the VP had to be confirmed by both houses of congress (GLWT).

          So, Harris would be president sans VP.  However, she could name anyone she wanted to join her ticket to campaign to become VP if they beat the Trump/Turd ticket.

        3. From what I've heard, KWTree is right, and NOT having Harris would present some big practical issues.

          Harris as candidate shifts the demographic audience game a little: some benefits here, some difficulties there. But she certainly calls to some extremely important parts of the coalition, namely women and African American voters.

          Personally, if Biden pulls out, we have the opportunity of a reset moment. Rebrand with a new face on the Party, younger, more vigorous, attack doog (like Adam Schiff) Get the "Party Elders" out to rally the audiences, three months of intense, unified marketing.

          Remember it is the DEMOCRATIC brand, not the Biden brand: Abortion Rights, Safety in Foreign Policy, Anti-Russia & Stand up to China, Preserve Democracy. 

          Yes, the candidate probably needs to be Harris for a bunch of obvious reasons. 

        4. If Biden resigns and Harris assumes the Presidency, she gets to choose her Vice, as Ford did when Nixon resigned. Rockefeller wasn’t in government at the time. A replacement V.P. must be confirmed by Congress, as Ford and Rockefeller were. See the 25th amendment

          1. Each house votes separately on confirming a new vice president.

            And the current House of Representatives will almost certainly pull a Merrick Garland and leave the VEEP post vacant with Mike Johnson standing next in line of succession.

             

        5. "Harris haters ( all of whom cite other people's prejudices as the reason she can't win), suck it up!"

          OK, Pomposa, I'll take the bait.

          So, those of us who are Harris skeptics (meaning we question whether she is the strongest candidate to take on Trump) must be Harris haters who are misogynists or racists or both. What other explanation can there possibly be?

          Setting aside the fact that I am fairly certain that I have voted for more women of color who ran for president than you have (i.e., Nikki Haley last March), and while I have suggested that Dems draft different woman of color as their nominee (i.e., Michelle Obama) who actually has polling numbers which show her beating Trump, you prefer the left coast DEI candidate. Fine.

          In fairness to Harrris – for whom I will vote in November if she is the nominee – she probably will have an easier time with accessing the money and she does provide a marginal improvement over Biden when it comes to polling numbers.

          The latest CBS News poll has her only losing the popular vote by 3% as opposed to Biden's 5% loss. I'm guessing she can stabilize the bleeding the Dems are experiencing in Nevada, Minnesota, Virginia and New Hampshire but she does noting to fix the problem in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

          But by all means, let's nominate her because (a) it is her turn (Biden picked her to be his VEEP), and (b) black women will be happy. The fact that the Dems have managed to chase away black and brown men is immaterial. 

          Like I said, I will vote for Harris but I have long history of voting for losing Democrats over the last four decades. What's one more?

          In 2028, there will be a new election and we can fight for those states which tip the balance one way or the other in the Electoral College (i.e., the rust belt states) when Vice President (or President) Vance will face off against Gretchen Whitmer or Josh Shapiro. (Or my dream ticket, Whitmer/Shapiro.)

           

        6. I suggested reversing the ticket many days ago and was jumped on here for it (no names). IF there needs to be a change, that is the change that makes the most sense. I assume the campaign funds raised to date would still be accessible and you would have powerful experience with both Harris and Biden, plus a move now not later to a younger candidate.

    2. In that scenario Harris would have to nominate a vice president, who in turn would have to be confirmed by both the Senate and the House. Speaker Johnson would probably not bring that confirmation vote up on the floor and, if he did, Republicans – who obviously hold the majority in the chamber at present – would vote it down.

      So Harris would be left with no VP. Yes, the convention could nominate a VP candidate, as you say, but that person would assume the position only if Dems win in November and after the inauguration in January.

  2. The whole situation is snowballing now. I am thinking Biden is out in two weeks or less. I wish whatever ailment, or just old age, wouldn't do this to him, but it is a fact. You can also bet on it that Trump is going to say some of the most misogynistic, sexist and mean spirited things about Harris if she's at the top of the ticket (I think she will be). She's can fend her own, but she's walking into the buzz saw. 

    1. Harris would carve Trump a new ass hole in a debate. And compare a much more vibrant, articulate, candidate; who also happens to be almost 20 years younger than Trump; who will now become the tired out, old white guy, candidate.

  3. I am relieved to see the rabid panic on the part of many Democrats over Uncle Joes’ age is tempering somewhat. As I have said from the beginning…

    Respect the process.

    We are not Republicans.

  4. The immense effort to overthrow the candidate with the most delegates looks suspiciously like it was coordinated by Republicans. Tell them to fuck off Joe. Tonight might be Trump's highwater mark. There are some bad days ahead for the dude including sentencing in September for multiple felony convictions. That ought to be more relevant to dropping out.

    1. I agree with your assessment. The abortion battle within the Republican party is about to explode. For that wing of the party who will settle for nothing less than a nationwide ban on abortion, the Trump championed "leave it to the states" plan is unacceptable. A firestorm is brewing.

      I am beginning to believe the motive for the Trump shooter was an increasingly popular idea among the most extreme Christian zealots that the Orange Jesus is leading them into perdition. He was trying to save MAGA from Trump…as weird as that sounds.

  5. Whether or not President Biden decides, after all, not to seek reelection is to be determined. I'll leave the opinions about whether he should or should not stay in the race to others.

    I would like to point out, though, that I don't think the Democratic bench of possible presidential candidates is actually very deep. Sure, you've got Klobuchar and Whitmer, Newsom and Booker, Buttigeig and Bennet, Kelly and Cooper. And, yes, Harris. But Harrris, though she has done a good job as VP, will struggle with independents. Klobuchar and Whitmer face America's reluctance to vote for women, as does Harris, when it comes to the Oval Office, while Buttigeig is not sufficiently experienced. Newsom will have "California" draped around him like a millstone, Booker will have to deal with middle America's and the South's racism, and Bennet, Kelly, and Cooper are too unknown. 

    Who else is there? And I mean who else could plausibly be considered a potential nominee? Heinrich of New Mexico? Merkley of Oregon? Warnock of Georgia? Schiff of California? The governor of Maryland (I can't remember his name, but I remember he's new to politics)? 

    The Democrats need to improve their willingness to grow the party nationwide. They've achieved that in some states, including Colorado, but not consistently and I think there is still a culture like a club where only insiders are made to feel welcome, at least in many places. 

    1. NotHopeful, you've identified each potential candidate's Achille's heel adeptly. There is one added factor to consider:  willingness to run.

      My personal choice, Michelle Obama, has made clear on numerous occasions that she has no interest in running for president. (At the same time, she talks about how important this election is and how distraught she becomes at the thought of Trump winning. And polling numbers show that she is the only prospective alternative candidate the Dems have who can beat Donald Trump.)

      Newsom is a close friend of Harris and would be unlikely to challenge her for the nomination. And you are right about Newsom reeking of "California," a problem Harris has as well.

      Whitmer has already taken herself out of the running should Biden withdraw from the race.  

      Buttigieg probably could not get elected because of his sexual orientation. He could certainly carry the dark blue states that Dems always carry but I don't know how he would do in rural Pennsylvania, especially after Fox and Newsmax start exciting the base by screaming "faggot"? 

      There is one other factor to consider. All of the potential substitute candidates are politicians. They can see the writing on the wall. All have the luxury of being young enough to wait until 2028 when Trump will be term limited and can wait to run then.

       

       

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