Does anyone on DU have lingering frustrations over Joe's decision?

[Septua]

Politico: "Biden harbors lingering frustration at Pelosi, Obama, Schumer"

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/14/biden-frustration-obama-pelosi-00173883

Like 'em or not, Joe's competence numbers were consistently weak before he announced the decision to drop out of the race. And almost instantaneously after becoming the presumptive nominee, Kamala appeared to be the New Hope for the Democratic Party and the polls are reflecting that observation. Trump is now on defense and not doing very well.

I believe Joe made the right decision.

[Funtatlaguy]

1. Nope. None. Zero. Joe is a hero!

[EYESORE 9001]

2. I have placed Politico on my 'pay-no-mind' list

This election cycle has really separated the sheep from the goats.

[getagrip_already]

4. Yes, but i understand his decision

My frustration is with the party and the nattering class.

Joe would have won the election. People would have turned out. Nobody would have stayed home, or voted for tsf instead.

Maybe they wouldnt have been as excited, but they would have voted.

The polls were and are garbage.

[newdeal2]

12. Same

Plus the media double standards laid out below.

I also think Pelosi, who is coincidentally on a media tour promoting her book, needs to have a more polished answer when she’s asked about what happened.

I do get some comfort that Joe got the last laugh by endorsing Kamala and forcing everyone onboard.

[The_Counsel]

85. Definitely Agreed on That Last Point!

I do get some comfort that Joe got the last laugh by endorsing Kamala and forcing everyone onboard.

+ ~4,000,000

[moonscape]

49. Not sure the youth vote would

have been there/turned out. Yet to see if it does for Kamala but the enthusiasm and hope and energy are undeniable. It is roping in more fence-sitters, and although I was initially distraught that he withdrew, I now see we have a much better chance with Kamala.

Not convinced his next debate would have been less brutal.

[BannonsLiver]

74. He probably wasn't going to win the election.

[onenote]

77. Joe might well have lost the election. Harris has a much much better chance of winning.

A lot of people who are energized by the Harris/Walz ticket would have stayed home. The party and "nattering class" faced reality. Some here continue to refuse to do so.

[BigDemVoter]

5. NO, but. . . .

The only frustrations I have is the clearly unequal treatment the press gave Biden versus **$$Y-Grabber, and also I think those who publicly denounced Biden should have done it privately.

Otherwise, I think Kamala Harris is Biden's legacy to us. She has been terrific. I live in San Francisco and voted for her when she ran for DA and Attorney General. I supported in her 2020 before she left the race, and then I supported her with Biden at the top of the ticket.

I always knew I liked Biden, but I never expected him to do such great things. He was exactly what we needed in 2020.

[Gore1FL]

6. I am not fond of the way it all rolled out. nt

[DeepWinter]

25. Same

I still feel he was VolenTold to step aside. The weeks prior, especially the 2 weeks prior, a LOT of Dems stating he needed to drop out. A lot of High level Dems. I don't blame him in the slightest, he simply saw he was fighting his own party as well as others and read the tea leaves. You can go back and look on DU right here in that period and see the rage.

[MustLoveBeagles]

30. Same here

Joe deserved more respect than what he got. However I am happy that thing have turned out so well and am enthusiastically supporting the Harris/Walz ticket.

[Ocelot II]

51. I agree.

[Deminpenn]

56. Me, either

I'm happy it seems to have turned out well, but Biden's "friends" really threw him under the bus.

[Duncan Grant]

93. I'll never forget the 3 weeks of continuous media coverage.

I believe now is the time to support the Harris campaign (and I enthusiastically do). My questions about recent events in the Democratic Party can wait until after the election. I’m not going to discuss it further in this thread.

I never thought I’d see a publicly orchestrated campaign to remove an incumbent nominee. Anyone who keeps an eye on “systems of power” should have serious questions about it and consider the implications. We did not witness a grass roots effort to remove Joe Biden. Let’s understand and acknowledge the energy expended to accomplish that.

The network facilitated punditry (hour after hour after hour…) against Biden was calculated. Who within the beltway was turning those screws? It takes powerful people to remove a party’s nominee. Who recruited them? The New York Times never called for trump to drop out, but they required Joe Biden to step aside. Wtf? Why did AOC warn us about an open convention? How did the unprecedented fundraising on day 1, derail the open convention and the deal making that took place during the preceding 3 weeks? And there’s so much more…

Obviously, important things can be done. Why haven’t these previously unseen forces coalesced before? Why haven’t they directed their power at the minimum wage? Gun violence? Racism? Homelessness?

I think the answer is obvious.

(Btw, I remember how equal marriage was manifested. It was Joe Biden. That event was the antithesis to what I witnessed in recent weeks.)

[Susan Calvin]

105. Just to address one point, and just my humble opinion.

AOC may have warned against an open convention for the same reason I would have if anybody was listening to me. It would have wound up being Democrats in disarray, instead of the Democrats in array that we got. For myself, I voted for Harris along with Biden, so I am satisfied with the ultimate outcome, if highly dissatisfied with the way it came about.

[XanaDUer2]

119. Great post

[servermsh]

7. It's just Politico doing their Dems in dissarray stories

They always have to do that.

[megapuzzler]

8. I'm still half convinced he engineered the way things fell out

The way he got us through the primaries with nary a democratic battle and then dropped out after the Republican convention where Kamala was the logical choice seems epically smart in hindsight. And am I mistaken or did he say four years ago that he only wanted one term?

The only thing that pisses me off is that America doesn't understand what a great president he's been -- the best in my lifetime for sure.

[DFW]

88. Interestingly enough, my wife, who can't even vote in the USA, agrees completely

She thinks that he saw the writing on the wall after reviewing his performance on June 27, and, along with his team and that of Harris, immediately started planning and choreographing the hand-off to Harris with exquisite timing. So far, it has all turned out as if following a movie script.

In 2016, while visiting the USA in the summer, when the whole world was convinced that Trump stood no chance against Hillary, she just observed the US media, and told me we were ignoring some serious danger signs. She noted that the TV stations were carrying 40 minutes of Trump ranting uninterrupted and unchallenged, while cutting off speeches by Hillary after 30 seconds. Against all predictions, including mine, she said, "watch out, there is something going on inside your country, and it could turn out to be a surprise disaster." And she was so right. She has hopes for a better outcome this time, but she says we in the USA tend to ignore danger signs until it's too late. Overconfidence is our worst enemy--worse than Republican cheating, "squads," self-aggrandizing "progressives," Fox Noise, or even unexpected revelations like Tim Walz is secretly married to a moose (calm down, he isn't). We should NEVER think it is going to be a slam dunk in our favor, because that is when we are most in danger of being the ones who get slammed and dunked.

Remember 2016--the time to celebrate is the day AFTER we win the election, not the day before the election when we are sure we WILL win the election.

[The_Counsel]

90. Like You, I Get the Feeling Biden Had Been Playing Chess All Along.

And am I mistaken or did he say four years ago that he only wanted one term?

He did. Said he wanted to be a "transitional President" and turn it over to a new generation. Said it even before the election back in '20.

He was also questioned on that same point the week after the infamous debate and it felt, in real time, like he didn't have a terribly good answer for staying in.

But the timing has been perfect and I think history will look well on Mr. Biden.

[TBF]

92. Not sure if he engineered it - although I wouldn't be surprised

but he had to have been in on it. I think the VP choices were talked about ahead of time too (maybe not who she would ultimately pick), but I bet they had the slate picked out of best potential candidates. In hindsight, it really was flawless.

[Zeitghost]

113. If true

He basically bypassed the party primary system so he could install his hand picked successor.

That may have been a politically expedient move, but it's extremely problematic.

And I don't necessarily think you are wrong.

[Mysterian]

9. Oh, Politico

What a trash source.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

10. NO.

What Joe did was admirable. He put the country first in the most UNSELFISH way possible.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are energizing even former and Moderate Republicans in ways not seen in decades to look at what FREEDOM means in a DEMOCRACY that provides all of us the opportunity to prosperity.

Joe Biden knows this to be true.

The days are numbered for C F#45 and his co-horts in Dictatorship.

[ShazzieB]

59. ALLof this.

I have no frustrations or doubts whatsoever. Things are turning out beautifully.

I always thought Joe could win in November but was still afraid that he might not. I feel much less fearful now.

I think what Joe did was beautiful and heroic, and I believe he did it of his own free will, because he was convinced that it would the best thing for the country. And boy, was he right!

[MarineCombatEngineer]

11. Not me,

I was wrong and I'll admit it.

[Doc Sportello]

33. Me too

I'm not sure at all that he would have won, in spite of all the great work he has done. We have a lot of uninformed and some downright dumb voters. Harris and Walz have lit a fire that was ready to flame up. We can look back at the machinations later - meaning after November 6. Until then there is work to do.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

34. +100. nt

[LeftInTX]

54. Yeah, was totally against this "experiment"...But oh well! Shades of 1968!

But Kamala is no Humphrey that's for sure!

[Srkdqltr]

13. The whole thing was a setup. A good setup. So Biden could bow out gracefully and Harris could

be the candidate. Timed to the moment. Executed perfectly.
I believe most were in on it. Except the media, because we know how they are.
Left Trump flat footed and floundering too close to the convention and the election to do much about it.
Walz was a genius move .

[sarisataka]

28. I would consider such deception to be worse

than the actual events.

[Srkdqltr]

38. No not at all. It looked authentic as it was supposed to. He is not obligated to tell everyone everything.

[sarisataka]

48. I wasn't speaking of the execution of such a plan

but of the Machiavellian duplicity and disenfranchisement of Democratic voters than such a plan would have entailed.

I would like to think the Democratic Party holds democratic values and believes the voters should have a right to select candidates.

[Srkdqltr]

52. Sorry you feel that way. But this is reality not a reality show. And Harris was chosen as vp she was voted on

by dem voters.

[Susan Calvin]

107. I don't feel disenfranchised.

No way did I want an open convention, and I voted for Harris along with Biden.

[padfun]

39. I think that this was the strategy all along

Things happened so fast it is as if it was planned well in advance.
Biden would take the hits that Kamala would have gotten. And then set the trap for Trump and his VP pick.

If it happened this way, it was brilliant strategy.

[MichMan]

86. It was the debate that started everything into motion.

One would have to believe that the debate went exactly as planned in order to believe it was all deliberate.

[Tommy Carcetti]

14. I would be 100% okay if he decided to stay in.

That said, what’s happened has happened, we’re all 100% behind Kamala and it was handled as very well as it could have.

[Xavier Breath]

15. Not in the slightest.

[ImNotGod]

16. I'm disappointed President Biden isn't younger as I wish I was younger. You can;t fight mother nature

I am fully behind his decision because he's a true leader that puts country before themselves.

[lastlib]

17. It still pisses me off that people didn't support him....

as enthusiastically as they're doing Kamala. Dammit, he DESERVED better! Not giving a flying f**k about how old he is, I would've crawled over broken glass, hot coals, and a nest of scorpions to vote for him. But since he stepped down and handed the reins to Kamala & Tim, I will crawl over broken glass, hot coals, and a nest of scorpions, and fight Hans Gruber to support/vote for this team.

[Bucky]

18. How does a story like this get written? "Sources" in the White House say....

There's are probably Biden staffers projecting onto the boss emotions they themselves are feeling about being undercut by Pelosi. By all reports she very subtly nudged the right people to get Biden to choose to step back.

She did the right thing in the right way. But in those tense 5-6 weeks there, if not before, there had to develop among Biden's outer circle a kind of bunker mentality to protect the boss. Those feelings don't just go away; no one likes being the eggshell needed to make the omelette.

[Demsrule86]

19. I see someone as already left us...clickbait...

For shame.

[Conjuay]

20. I dare you to find ANYONE ELSE who could have made the country move ahead with such polarization.

The man is so gifted and yet he gets treated like a goat- even from people in his own party, -ESPECIALLY considering what the other side had to offer. I will never understand.

Mind you, I have no problem with the new ticket; none at all. But he was treated badly.
He is that once in a lifetime president.

[LoisB]

70. I agree except that the head of the new ticket would not have been my first choice.

[Voltaire2]

21. Fuck no.

He did the right thing. The election was entirely reset in our favor.

The media is desperately trying to restore ‘balance’ by finding something, anything, to dampen the growing enthusiasm for Harris/Walz.

[LostOne4Ever]

22. I don't entertain such hypotheticals

It is a waste of time

[Self Esteem]

23. 100%. They did Joe dirty.

Those who attacked him publicly in hopes of damaging him to the point he quit are not heroes. They did some severe damage and the only reason we're not fucked two ways to Sunday on this is that Biden told those openly pushing him to resign to pound sand and threw his full support behind Harris.

Remember, those who did their best to kneecap Biden, including a octogenarian former Speaker, didn't want Harris as the nominee. They wanted to turn the nominating process over to an open convention - and some, who are now patting themselves on the back, wanted a mini-primary and did not want what actually happened: the support of Harris as the nominee out of the gate.

But because Biden is a far more decent man than many in his own party, he did what needed to be done. He realized the attacks from his supposed allies were killing his campaign (way more than the debate did) and he backed out - but only on his terms and those terms were simple: he's out and Harris is in. I have no doubt that if the party rejected the idea of rallying around Harris, Biden would have stayed in the race because he's the only one it seems who saw that it was the only viable option.

Because I promise you, if the same people who knifed Biden in the back did the same thing to Harris out of the gate, she'd be just as doomed.

[Desert grandma]

73. Yes.

This! 100%

[Zoomie1986]

125. You're wrong about Pelosi

Remember, those who did their best to kneecap Biden, including a octogenarian former Speaker, didn't want Harris as the nominee.

Did you not read your own link regarding her? Here, let me help you you out:

Pelosi was one of several California Democrats who stressed that an uncompetitive process would turn off voters, according to those four people.

The concern wasn’t about Harris’ strengths as a candidate — and in fact, several people made clear Harris needed to be the party’s next pick — but instead centered on worries that party bosses were choosing the president, rather than the party’s base.

[Self Esteem]

129. Did you read your own text?

I guess not. No where did you prove me wrong.

You conveniently ignored the "several people" - there was no indication Pelosi was among those several people.

I was right. If Pelosi got her way, we might not even have a nominee right now. She was absolutely wrong in her thinking.

[Mad_Machine76]

24. I'm more upset how it was handled by TPTB

I think that, based on what has happened since, including the party's quick coalescing around Kamala, it was ultimately the right decision. But we need to sort these sort of things out earlier in the future (and maybe not quite so publicly).

[wryter2000]

26. I am still angry about how he was treated

Esp. About the ones who were so loud in the press. A lot of the joy of voting for Schiff is gone. I’ll do it, of course.

[Ninga]

87. I'm Sicilian. We keep our family business to our selves and do not talk about our business to

others. Pelosi knows better. She had many other options for getting Biden to understand.
Why did Sherrod Brown pipe up,or for that matter, everyone else.
I agree with you about the joy of voting for Brown who like Schiff spoke out, is gone.
The very public way people spoke up was shocking, and still is. Biden deserved better. I hope he gets the longest standing ovation in history, at the DNC.

[wryter2000]

96. I'm sure the convention will go crazy when he appears

And there are people who stood with him the whole time.

[HelpImSurrounded]

27. With Joe's decision, no. With the way it happened, yes.

[sinkingfeeling]

29. I don't buy what Politico is trying to sell. Joe would not hold bad feelings against those advisors.

[ms liberty]

31. I think it worked out. How we got here was unacceptable.

The public takedown of a successful POTUS is what we watched. I will never forget it, and some people will never regain my respect or support.
It was a close-run thing that we ended up where we're at now. That it has worked out even better than we had a right to expect is due to three things: some damn good luck, Joe's experience in DC political games, and VP Harris being prepared and ready.

[Vinca]

32. No. He made the right choice. I was peeved that the criticism of him was so public.

The people in Congress who were so vocal for so long should have done it in private with Biden.

[marble falls]

35. Yes.

[peggysue2]

36. I don't have a lingering frustration but I do have a lingering sadness

After everything Joe Biden did for the country, all the messes he cleaned up, how he pulled us out of the ditch economically, reaffirmed and strengthened the Western Alliance, all the legislation he pushed and made possible, etc., etc., his decision to step away saddened me at the time and still does.

Was it the right decision? Obviously.

The needle swung quickly to the Democratic party and Kamala's campaign and the fate of the country rests on the upcoming election results which look very favorable.

Do I believe that President Biden is sitting in the WH stewing over the particulars? No, I do not. The press always needs to churn the bottom waters.

But President Biden must have moments when he wonders if the press had not hounded him on the issue of age, age, age; allowed Trump and MAGA world to pretend that Donald Trump was inevitable, the strongman, the only choice; if he had gotten the proper rest and the debate had gone the other way . . . what if?

I'd like to think that Joe Biden in moments beyond such musings has a sense of relief knowing he's been a great, wise president; a good and decent man; and that he's earned the title for the ages as the Guardian of our Democracy.

Still, it makes me sad.

[Yavin4]

37. President Biden is a highly effective executive but he's a terrible politician.

He never faced any real competition for his senate seat, and the 2020 campaign was overshadowed by covid. He, and his team, lack the natural instincts of a competitive politician. His base needed to be energized and motivated, and they simply were not.

I think that being a long term senator like Gore, Kerry, and Hillary dulls a candidate's animal political instincts. Obama was successful because he was in the senate for a short period of time.

[Srkdqltr]

40. Bologna, i think we will find it went just the way it was engineered.

[Yavin4]

42. All data that we're seeing support my position

The base was not energized by Biden. His campaign was floundering. The median voter is not on DU nor watches MSNBC daily.

[Srkdqltr]

46. Yes that is why the did it. If, infact it was done that way. Whatever.

It seems to be working so far.

[Self Esteem]

45. This is just an awful take.

He never faced competition for his senate seat? Are you under the impression he just was born into that seat?

He beat a powerhouse Republican, in a state that was typically Republican during an election where Richard Nixon won 49 states, including Delaware by 20 points.

And to dismiss Biden beating an incumbent president, whose approval was far closer to Obama and Bush, two incumbents who won reelection, than it ever was to H.W. Bush and Carter, who both lost, is crazy to me.

Just a historic, awful take.

And I should point out that Biden's campaign team you so dismiss as lacking the instincts, are the same team leading Harris' campaign right now.

[Greybnk48]

41. Joe Biden will forever be an American legend and hero!

He is the greatest President of my 75 almost 76 year long life. Hands down. NO ONE has been for the people more than him. NO ONE.

[msfiddlestix]

43. Absolutely Zero, Zip, None, Nada, No Concerns or regrets. I'm flying over the moon with joy

[DemocratSinceBirth]

44. No. Joe did the right thing.

[Lulu KC]

47. Nope

And I am disappointed that he has aides who talk to Politico (or did they, really?) to share his emotional reactions. Does the word TRUST ring a bell? It does for Joe.

In any case, he is an integrated person who can think and feel at the same time, unlike a certain former "president" we know.

[if..fish..had..wings]

50. Not at all.

It was the right decision. I am sad that he felt unable to continue, I am proud that he chose country over self, I am thrilled with the renewed spirit.

[Septua]

123. That's the bottom line.

Joe has deteriorated over the last four years. Just look at some videos of him a few years past.

Though he obviously hasn't lost the ability to perform Presidential duties, his image in the eyes of many people who don't comprehend his successes, was one of an old guy who stutters, stammers and appears mentally disoriented at times. And the debate wasn't just "an off night"...it was a monumental, political train wreck that would have likely cost him the election.

He didn't want to drop out but I believe he finally accepted the reality of his situation and knew he needed to drop out to best serve the country. And that will be his legacy; putting country over self.

[JohnSJ]

53. Comment to Politico, bullshit.

[Wanderlust988]

55. I don't know if this article is correct and Biden harbors animosity but IF it's true,

Then Biden has to look in the mirror. He's the one that wanted that debate. Many people on our side was screaming that he shouldn't debate Trump. If he never agreed to it, then he'd still be the nominee. So at the end of the day, Joe is responsible for what happened.

[Raven123]

57. Yes

Reading polls that confirmed the popularity of his ideas and programs, but that he was losing to TFG stills bothers me. Nothing against Harris, but it shows a real shallowness in the minds of our electorate or some odd stuff going on that I cannot understand.

[Think. Again.]

58. It's done.

Don't you love Harris' middle east position?

She's strong on Human rights all around, for both Isrealites and Palestinians, and yet clear about how there is a larger issue at play concerning U.S. relations with Muslim nations in general.

[Clash City Rocker]

60. No, but I was annoyed at the ageism that helped drive it

I was one of those who were initially concerned about whether America would vote for Harris, despite the fact that she was eminently qualified. But that changed quickly when I saw how smart her campaign was going to be.

I just hope this doesn’t diminish America’s appreciation for everything Biden has done for us. He is a great American President.

[usonian]

61. I hate to even comment on Politico clickbait woulda, coulda, shoulda's, but ...

I supported Joe 300% right up to Sunday morning. I quickly realized that the decision was HIS.

The TLDR is this. He gets his programs continued and extended by a young and dynamic leader. He shatters barriers, and gets the magat howler monkeys and doubters in his own party off his back forever.

Success is the best revenge.

When all others are forgotten, and they will be, Joe will stand out not as a goat 🐐, but as the GOAT, greatest of all time. When I watched live as he gave his presidential lapel pin to a freed prisoner, I realized that he stands above all self-serving individuals.



A man of the people, he has lifted others up, including our next President Harris, to new levels of service, success and honor.

[Blue Owl]

62. Supported Joe 100% until his decision to step down

At first I was pretty devastated -- but after seeing the party mobilize to get behind Harris, and the ensuing surge of energy and support that followed along with Tim Walz' selection as her VP, I am pleased as punch at the way things are shaping up!

Let's kick that fat pantload to kingdom come in November and keep our country on the right track that Joe started us back on!

[RexHard]

63. I hated to see Joe go...

Joe Biden is a great man.. hated to see him bow out.. I still think he is the best candidate..

[Cirsium]

65. ridiculous article

Some anonymous staffers, upset that they are being "pushed out" not that Biden is, are the source for that gossip mongering nonsense.

Of course we get the tried and true "Democrats in disarray" canard:

"The lingering tension between Democratic leaders underscores the historic tumult that has gripped their party in the last six weeks — contrasting with the unity Democrats hope to present at their convention next week."

[CTyankee]

66. That moment in the debate where he lost track of his thoughts must have been the deciding point for him.

It just broke my heart and I didn't know what happened to him. I couldn't believe it!

We may never know exactly but that's my guess.

NOW, let's get on with getting Kamala elected the FIRST woman president of the U.S.A!!!

[XanaDUer2]

81. I couldn't believe it

I went to bed thinking Joes got this and will wipe the floor w Trump. Shocked the next day at how it went, esp since he wanted the fucking debate. Angry at the joe-pile-on post debate.

However, I actually feel hopeful Harris will win! The whole thing went seamlessly, and I feel hopeful and joyous. Can still see Julien Castro right after debate denouncing Biden with this I-told-everyone-so expression that disgusted me. Never looking at him the same way again.

But Trumps head is exploding now. Thats priceless

[CTyankee]

117. Well, we didn't know that Harris would be such a smash hit (or at least I didn't know). What a nice surprise!

I have been happier about this campaign in the past few weeks than I have been in a long time. Trump looks like shit, frankly. His act has gotten old very fast and voters are focused on HER.

[33taw]

67. I think he is relieved and is a hero.

[LoisB]

68. Yes, I do. I am really peeved. I will vote for the Democratic ticket but certainly not as enthusiastically as I would

have for Joe.

[Keepthesoulalive]

69. Did Joe say this

If he did not publicly say this, then this is just gossip . How many times do we have to go down this road to nowhere . These assholes want clicks . Let’s not give it to them. Now let’s go kick some republican butt.

[Ocelot II]

71. Fuck the gossip-mongers at Politico. I didn't like the way the situation was handled,

especially the way the media vultures were reporting on it. Ultimately it was the right decision; after the constant reporting about how the debate sucked and Biden was so old, I don't think he could have recovered. The problem was the perception, regardless of what the reality might have been. But I also suspect that Biden really had to hold out long enough to get the Russian prisoner swap agreement nailed down, and that he couldn't tell anyone about it who wasn't involved in the negotiations. So for a couple of weeks he had to deal with the whining media and the politicians who were publicly asking him to step down but he had to hold tight until the prisoner swap deal was done - regardless of what he or anyone else wanted. If he'd made the announcement before the final agreement with Slovenia was in place, just an hour before, the whole deal probably would have fallen apart.

[beaglelover]

72. Hell NO!

[obnoxiousdrunk]

76. No.

One of the best decisions Joe made.

[The_Counsel]

78. It's a "No" from Me, Dawg.... ;-)

Last edited Sat Aug 17, 2024, 03:24 PM - Edit history (1)

If we're being honest, Pres. Biden has definitely lost a step or nine just since 2020. He made the right decision, albeit eventually.

Still not jazzed with how the Democratic leadership went about this, but the outcome is going to be great, methinks...

[Kaleva]

79. No

[Happy Hoosier]

80. I love Joe, and he was treated poorly...

... but ultimately, it ain't about him, and he knows it.

He made a heroic decision for the good of the country, He should be celebrated, and should feel content in that. He is one of 46 people to be President of the United States. That's something to be proud of, considering his impressive list of accomplishments.

[onenote]

82. If the problem with Pelosi is, as stated in the article, I'm with Pelosi.

The article says Biden views Pelosi as “ruthless” and willing to set aside long-term relationships in order to keep her party in power — and, most importantly, to prevent Republican nominee Donald Trump from returning to the White House.

I have no problem with that sort of ruthlessness. We need more of it in order to defeat the repubs.

Now, I have no way of know whether the article is or is not bullshit. But if Biden in fact doesn't still have animosity about the way it played out, I'm not sure why so many DUers do.

[wendyb-NC]

83. No

If he'd stayed in the race, I would be still vote for him. I am so impressed with his decision to end his campaign for the presidency. He made his decision, for the good of the country, not his ego. He did the right thing and it has made all the difference in the world. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, have turned the tables. There is hope and joy.

[iemanja]

84. Why raise this now?

The party is united for a change? Why disrupt that?

[claudette]

89. No

He knew what he was doing was the right thing for his country. Not himself. Except of course that he can now relax!!

[RidinWithHarris]

91. The only thing that bugs me is that it seemed necessary

As much as I love the energy and joy Harris has pumped into the election, smarter voters wouldn't need that.

Simple self-interest and minimal basic human decency should put Biden or Harris or nearly any Democrat grabbed at random off the street double digits over the likes of Trump.

[GoreWon2000]

94. I don't like 14 million dem primary voters being disenfranchised

Those who disenfranchised 14 million dem primary voters in 2024 acted like the Rehnquist 5 when they disenfranchised our entire country in 2000. They should've gone after the pro repug media and held them accountable for calling Biden old despite the cognitively declining orange turd being only 3 years younger. I pray that the Harris/Walz ticket wins in November. I'm a big fan of both of them. However, I think another dangerous disenfranchisement of we the people precedent has been created.

[mvd]

95. More with the mainstream media than us

It was ridiculous how they pounced on the President. I do wish our party hadn't made things so pubic, but in the end it was the right decision.

[lees1975]

97. I'm frustrated by the fact that it looked like big money contributors call the shots in the Democratic party as much as

they do in the GOP. That was more of a disappointment than a frustration.

I do wonder where we would be at this point if Biden had determined a year ago that he wasn't going to run for re-election, because of his age, and opened up a nomination process to choose candidates if we would be at the point where we are now.

I'm finding it difficult to understand how it is in our society and culture that someone like Donald Trump could even get his name considered for public office. How he's managed to be the GOP nominee for three times running is an inexplicable defect and flaw in American political culture that should be telling us we may have already fallen into an abyss of social dysfunction beyond redemption.

[Skittles]

98. NO

we would have been in constant fear of his next misstep

THE RIGHT DECISION WAS MADE

[kansasobama]

99. I think Joe deserved 4 more years but

I was also afraid he won't be able to run a campaign effectively. I was hoping people won't be stupid. They are and they won't vote based on efficiency. Joe will not be able to showcase his strengths. Age is an unfortunate event.

[emulatorloo]

100. I think DU should stop believing anything Politico says. It is a trashy tabloid.

The “National Enquirer” of the beltway. Rumor and innuendo. Garbage,

[proud patriot]

101. Nope

I think Joe saved the day .

[brewens]

102. Joe is smelling like a rose. Take the win and retire. You earned it. n/t

[Sky Jewels]

103. I feel nothing but relief.

We were headed towards a white male supremacist Christofascist authoritarian Trump dictatorship and the end of democracy. Now we're on a train track that takes us to a much better place.

[Tree Lady]

104. No I feel compassion for him with his tough decision

he has always been the kindest most caring leader we could have and I want to return that love back to him.

I know what its like to get older and not be at your same level as you were, its hard to face.

I had to fall a few times before I realized my balance was off and started taking senior bones and balance class a year ago and haven't fallen since.

He did the right thing, what needed to be done and we love him all the more for it.

[democrattotheend]

106. No, although I wish the pressure had been more behind the scenes

I just hope he's at peace with the decision.

[ecstatic]

108. No. For the sake of unity, I'll leave it at that. nt

[BlueTsunami2018]

109. Joe Biden is a good man and an excellent President.

In a sane world, he’d very easily win re-election. Especially considering the lunatic he was running against.

But we’re not in a sane world and his chances weren’t great for whatever reason.

That’s where my frustrations lay. He should have been cruising to victory but this country is too stupid to understand the fantastic job he’s done.

I’m exited about Harris/Walz though and the new enthusiasm and energy they’ve injected into the race.

Our chances are now better. We should win this.

But that stupidity is still rampant out there. It’s still a coin flip as I see it.

[calguy]

110. I supported Biden right to the end

I still support him today. He knows more than I do, so when decided to step aside, I supported that decision, and pivoted to Kamala when he endorsed her.
I think Joe would have won, but Kamala will win big, possibly win in such a landslide that the MAGA will be buried under the weight of its own bullshit.

[Glamrock]

111. No. Not even a little.

I watched the debate. It was clear at that moment that it was a losing campaign. I love uncle Joe. He was my choice before Obama. I’ve wanted him to be my president for a long time. And he didn’t disappoint. I’m so proud to have voted for him and so proud of the job he’s done. But we are facing an existential crisis that must be defeated. It didn’t look like Joe would be able to make a strong case against this clown on the campaign trail. He did the right thing and now look where we are.

[LizBeth]

112. No. Further having come to learn how far behind he was, and likely to not win,

my son and I were talking about how happy with where you are now and son said he is angry Biden did not own up to the issue sooner. So. I personally feel it played out well, and thrilled Biden gets the credit but no, I think he should have never been running second term.

[pansypoo53219]

114. i am sad the teevee gnewz made it necessary. they'd whine forever + a day + aid trump winning.

on the other hand. trump is gonna lose to a BLACK woman.

[Celerity]

115. He absolutely made the right decision. We very likely would have lost.

Most people in my non DU life went from almost universal dismay in re Trump winning to now having far, far more hope.

It's night and day.

[Takket]

116. Absolutely not

[dalton99a]

118. Nope.

[betsuni]

120. I was tremendously relieved that he could do his actual job without being forced to go around the

country on a traveling circus tour and wear himself out.

[kentuck]

121. Joe was an "emergency" president in 2020

Many never expected him to run for a second term.

He saved our democracy and did a great job.

But, it was time for someone else to inspire the Democrats.

[mucholderthandirt]

122. Not at all.

When I first heard about all the Dems calling for him to step down, I was pissed. They were hinting that they had someone who would absolutely beat Trump, but it wasn't Kamala Harris.

Then Joe handed it all over to her, and the magic began to happen. It was like we stepped out into the sun after living under clouds for so long. Joe Biden must have been thinking about this for a while. I think he realized no one was going to give him a chance, that he was being pushed at by too many people who would lie about him, ignore his accomplishments, and thus get Trump in again.

So, he sacrificed his own ambitions for the better of the country, and the party. He was so smart, and so brave, and we owe him everything. Everything. For picking Harris for VP. For showing her how to get Dem policies to work. How to be her true self and bloom (because I think it was always in her, she just needed a little help, a little belief, to show it). For being a good man who wants to help others rather than enrich himself.

[FlyingPiggy]

124. Oh, please. Some sources are ALWAYS grasping for democratic discord.

[RandySF]

126. It is what it is.

I'm just keeping my eye on the task ahead of us.

[RockRaven]

127. It's an indeterminate state at the moment: Harris wins, it was the right decision;

TCF wins, it was the wrong decision.

That's just how historical events are judged, whether that be sensical or nonsensical to do so.

[CentralMass]

128. Yes because Joe has admitted he was frustrated about being pushed out of the race by Nancy Pelosi and others.

This "unity" was clearly a tightly coordinated effort by the party leadership

Only time will tell if we can win in November with the new team and we will never know if we could have won if Joe stayed in.