Why stay on?
The answer is semi-psychological. While it is difficult for people who toil at miserable jobs to appreciate, individuals who sincerely enjoy their work do not want to quit for a simple reason: their specific employment is pleasurable to them.
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There is more to this than psychology, however. Just as Washington famously warned that a demagogue might refuse to relinquish power after losing an election (which did not happen until Trump lost to Biden in 2020), so too did the founding fathers in general worry about politicians choosing to act like royalty.
Then discussing ageism.
If you ask older individuals if they would like to go back in time to their early years, most say they wouldn't mind occupying their younger bodies, but the thought of being insecure, with little life experience, emotional insecurities, an unsettled love life, no job, little or no money, etc. etc., is very unappealing. Older individuals should be thought of as one of society's most precious resources that should be nurtured and valued, not discarded. Younger people should aspire to get there healthy rather than fearing extended survival.
Sure, sure but I think that Biden is less self centered than that. I think that Biden is as aware as you or I or anyone else that it is too late in the game to switch candidates without a very clear and very serious reason to do so. If the party elite was so unhappy with Biden in the months leading up to primaries, that was the time to mount challenges to a second term.
As it is, suppose those who call for Biden to step down are right: he's not up to the job anymore. Or suppose that will be true in 6 months or a year or 3 years. What happens then? What happens is that Kamala Harris assumes the POTUS role. Given that Harris is the most obvious heir apparent anyway, and the person most likely to win the nomination if it is not Biden, then why not stick with Biden? If he can't do it, she can.
For myself, I do not like Harris' chances at a win as POTUS in 2024. I think that's ridiculous but that's what I do think. She will lose the most progressive voters and she will also lose all the closet bigots and sexists. Sometimes people are very stupid and cannot see that an imperfect candidate is better than a second Trump term. Electing a pile of dog shit is preferable. Not that I think that Harris is comparable to a pile of dog shit. I think she's quite a good candidate and would be a competent POTUS. Perhaps even a very good one. But unfortunately not everyone is smart enough to look at the very stark choices we have:
(democratic candidate) V Trump. It does not actually matter who it is who defeats Trump, so long as someone does. I think Biden has the best chance.
I tend to agree with you. Biden has been treated very unfairly based on the bad debate episode. The Dems should have applauded his accomplishments and spent more time criticizing his opponent, a convicted felon, who wants to be a dictator, who loves dictators, who has both signs of cognitive decline along with other mental illnesses.
I watched "The Beat with Ari Melbor" recently and he gave most of the show to Michael Steele, once a Republican chairman who is now one of the biggest critics of Trump. He said the Dems need to stop all the "pearl clutching" and emphasize Biden's abilities instead of going nuts over a night where he gaffed more than usual. The man has never been a great public speaker and he's had a stuttering problem since childhood, but he's over come so many things that most people could never do. Of course, he's not perfect, but Dems and decent people need to unite and support him, assuming he doesn't decide to back out. I'm watching his speech in Detroit right now, and he's doing a great job, to much applause. I've said it before....Dems eat their own and the media needs to stop with saying Biden can't win, and simply try to be more objective and write more often about Trump's psychopathic tendencies.
I'm old enough to remember when LBJ backed out, due to. the Viet Nam War, which of course, most of my generation hated, but that didn't work out very well, did it? LBJ did a lot of good things for the country too, like for example, Medicare. We need to spend more time emphasizing Project 2025, but it is hard to beat an organized bunch of liars and motivate young, naive people who are incapable of looking at the big picture and not voting or voting third party. I know because in retrospect, I was one of those naive young people who thought it was a good idea for LBJ to step down, without realizing the good things he had accomplished. And then there was McGovern, who lost in a landslide. I voted for him and he was simply too progressive for this country. That gave us Nixon again, who's crimes seem mild compared to Trump's.
I'll vote for a cadaver over Trump, and while not everyone is fond of Harris, she will do just fine if for some reason, Biden can't finish the job. We also need to remind ourselves that the presidency isn't a one person job, and Biden will have good advisors and cabinet members compared to the man who brags about wanting to be a dictator, confused the names of Pelosi with Halley, referred to the fictional character of Hannibal Lector as a good guy and said he enjoyed sending love letters to Kim in NK, etc.
