As much as I love Joe Biden, I don't think he should run. I think Jon Tester should.

I know this post will incur a lot of wrath. Believe me, if Joe does decide to run, I will support him all the way and will, of course, vote for him. But we have to be realistic. We have to win the presidency in 2024 or our democracy is all but doomed.

For people like us on DU, we KNOW that Joe rescued our country from disaster following Traitor Trump and the pandemic, we KNOW all of his amazing achievements, we KNOW that during his administration millions of jobs were created and that unemployment is at a 50-year low and that the economy is booming.

But waaaaay too many voters don't pay any attention to politics until Election Day. They could not tell you what ARPA stands for, let alone any of the wonderful things that came out of ARPA, or that Joe Biden was responsible for it. I hate to say it, but I think Joe's age will be a deciding factor in the way they vote. Especially the independent voters and the disgruntled Republican voters that we need to vote Democratic in 2024.

Okay, so about Jon Tester, senator from Montana. First of all, Rachel Maddow adores Jon. How's that for a credential? Second, Jon has managed to win and hold his Senate seat three times in our ruby-red state. These days, that's nothing short of miraculous. Third, Jon is a farmer with broad appeal. He is the real deal whose down-to-earth, common-sense approach to politics and his refreshing no-bullshit demeanor would highlight DeSantis's slick, suck-up-to-the-MAGA-crowd phoniness (or the phoniness of any other Republican who wins the Republican primary).

Here's a sample of Joe's straightforward style:

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And here is the Rachel Maddow interview with Jon Tester in which he shows his devotion to helping veterans. At the very end, Rachel says she's going to ask Jon after the break about his plans for running for the presidency, but unfortunately they don't show that part! But she did indeed encourage Jon to run.

[link:|

So I know this post will piss off many, but seriously, I'm just being pragmatic. I still adore Joe Biden and will back him for president if he does run, but I'm terrified that his age will lose us the election.

(And, I'll be away from home and off DU the rest of the day, so won't be able to respond to any responses for a day or two. Please don't hate on me too bad!!!!!)