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Does Biden really intend to take it up to Election Day?

Does Biden really intend to take it up to Election Day?

Does President Biden really mean to remain in the race and let the people decide in November?  He emphatically says so.  But I am dubious.

Even if he intends to step down and hand the nomination to Vice President Harris – or intends to resign and hand her the presidency – Biden has to pretend he is going to take his candidacy to November.  Or to mid-September when early voting starts.

If he were to withdraw now, he knows the convention would be chaotic – and who knows who would come out as the standard bearer?  Stepping down after the nomination gives Harris the nomination … or the presidency.

It would have to come very quickly after that August Democratic National Convention because it will be only one month until the start of early voting.  Harris would assume control of the Biden/Harris campaign structure and money.  No one would be able to derail her as the Democrat standard bearer for 2024.

I find it hard to believe he really intends to go all the way.  He knows … Jill knows … his family knows … his closest advisers know … what most everyone in America now knows … that Biden is in the early to mid-stage of serious physical and mental decline – and that it will inevitably get worse over time.  He will not finish a second term.  Jill Biden and the President’s handlers are handling – and will continue to handle more and more the business – until he is totally incapable or has passed on.

Just as President Franklin Roosevelt’s wife and handlers knew he was a dead man walking when he ran and was elected to a fourth term, Team Biden knows their man will not complete a second term.  One way or the other, they are setting Harris up for the presidency.  The only thing that can thwart that plan is for Biden to run and lose.

And there is the rub. 

Prior to the debate, Democrats were already concerned that Biden could lose to President Trump.  Biden was trailing in the polls and losing the battleground states.  But with the odds at 50/50, it was a risk that had to be taken.  Although many Democrats believed that Biden should not have gone for a second term in the first place.  Before the debate, they were stuck with him – and at least he was essentially in a tie with Trump.

Biden’s disastrous performance in the debate changed everything, especially the perception of his chances of beating Trump.  In fact, many Democrat leaders and strategists have expressed their belief that the diminished Biden cannot beat Trump.  A larger number have expressed a similar belief in private or off-the-record conversations.

Compassion for Biden is turning to anger.  While some say Biden is a great person, it is time for him to step down to preserve his legacy and give Democrats a better chance of winning in November.  But …others are upset that Biden and those around him have been lying about his condition from the get-go, and are continuing to lie in order to keep him in the race as a way to protect their powerful positions.

The Democrat race is now all about the future.  Biden’s past accomplishments mean nothing in terms of his ability to perform in the future.  Biden’s ability to stay in the race depends on his avoiding any senior moments in the future.  The calculus depends on what the polls show in the future. Biden’s current situation is very precarious.  Any more bad news will likely tip the scale.

So, which is it?  Biden sincerely intending to take the campaign to November?  Or … is the fix in for Harris to be played out after the convention?  I think the only thing that will keep Biden in the race is bullheadedness by him and Jill.  That is the Democrats’ dilemma.

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

7 Comments

  1. frank stetson

    Is the horse dead yet? Nah, one more beating….. You go on about this even more than MSNBC.

    • Tom

      Frank, Larry does not care about black people even though he says he is not a racist.

      Project 2025 is the same as Trump’s “Agenda 47”. Project 2025 will promote more anti-black racism and will attempt to end by legislation any legal recourse Black Americans have when they suffer “Desperate Impact.” While Larry brags out of one side of his mouth about how fair-minded he is and how he is not a racist and has raised a black youth, out of the other side of his mouth he promotes Trump and in so doing is promoting Project 2025 which will damage Black Americans. Larry is either stupid to this point, or he does not mind the discrimination that Project 2025 will invite. Don’t believe me, listen to this Black Lawyer talk about it, See *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_KjQv1oV74* and this will open your eyes. Spread this guy’s videos where you can. He has a series of videos on this.

      I am beginning to wonder about Larry. Is he becoming cognitively impaired or is what he sometimes says deliberate.
      Example:
      1) Larry claims not to be racist, claims to have raised a Black youth – then makes a chicken and water melon joke, and makes several inferences in the same article that Black People only vote Dem because they are beggars and grifters who just vote Dem because they want more from the government. The real history of why Blacks vote Dem is much different and is a story of suffering cruelty at the hands of white supremacists.
      2) Larry says he is anti abortion and strong pro-Israel yet to be pro-Israel is to be supporting a state that has the most liberal abortion policy. I even posted their abortion policy on line in PBP. He has never answered up to this.
      3) Larry promotes Trump which is by default promoting Agenda 47 which is the same as Project 2025 yet claims to not be racist while knowing that Project 2025 will dramatically escalate racism in the USA and cause Black Americans to suffer.
      4) Larry is pro-women but is also anti-abortion and Project 2025 will invoke a national anti-abortion policy which will be damaging to many women and rip away their right to make a decision that is the best decision for their medical condition. Again, he appears to be a fence straddler.

      So what are we to think about our dear ole Larry son friend? I am at least at the point where I believe Larry does not take inventory of what he says, his positions, and compare them to his self-perception of who he is and what he promotes, and reality. I have concluded that Larry is very conflicted and may be suffering cognitive impairment just as he claims you to be. Yet at the same time, he is very consistent in his position on gays and homosexuality – which leans liberal and makes me wonder just who he really is and if he likes men more than most of us men do.

  2. Joseph S. Bruder

    You could certainly ask the same of Felon Trump. He’s managed yet again to delay things, but currently his sentencing is scheduled for September. Is he going to take it all the way? And if he goes to jail, who is he going to hand it to? Republicans have no idea, and probably Trump hasn’t decided (or figured out a way to monetize) his running mate (i.e. best ass kisser). For all you know, he could pick David Duke, or the leader of the Proud Boys.

    Biden’s debate performance wasn’t exactly disastrous. He had a rocky start. You can blame his cold, his travel schedule, his stutter, the fact that he is fucking PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES and has a busy schedule, or you can blame his age. Maybe he was preoccupied by the upcoming NATO 75th anniversary summit…

    (a great performance, by the way. Biden was at the top of his game on the world stage, while they usually laughed at buffoon felon Trump. Note that at the end of Trump’s term, despite all his bitching about paying their fair shares, there were only 7 countries spending up tp 2% of GDP on their militaries, and now during Biden’s 4 years it’s up to 23. And Europe as a whole is at 2% even if every member isn’t there yet. And the 35 NATO countries are all buying most of their weaponry from US companies. Trump wants to pull out of NATO ( the most successful treaty in the world, ever), and is still claiming he will end the Russian war against Ukraine, which is, frankly, impossible. Even the US leaving NATO isn’t going to get Putin to give up Ukraine. The only other way would be to green-light Putin to nuke Ukraine. Just another of Trump’s dangerous lies).

    …All of those things probably played a role. Yes, he’s in his 80’s, and is a little slow sometimes, but he’s still sharp as a tack. Trump on the other hand, took advantage of the lack of fact checking, and rattled off lies as fast and often as he could. And what was that about “We had H2O” during his presidency”? While that was undoubtedly one of the few true things he said, what the hell is he talking about? Is he worried about his shower pressure or the number of times he has to flush his toilet to get rid of classified documents? Do you folks even listen to what he says anymore?

    Biden had one bad debate, and now all the pundits (including Larry) are in a tizzy. Although I must say, it almost sounded like Larry was about to compliment Biden on his legacy before he pulled away from the brink. The New York Times (and a dozen other billionaire-controlled media) are demanding Biden resign, but there’s no clamoring for Felon Trump to drop out. Republicans are still planning to run a 4-times-indicted, 34-count convicted felon, tax fraud, charity fraud, fake college fraud, business fraud, pageant-voyeur, grab-em-by-the-pussy rapist. Republicans must be so proud.

    • Archie

      I love my favorite felon. He’s better than any of the commiecrats

    • Tom

      Very good points JSB. This Independent agrees. What we level headed people must realize is that much of MAGA cult has been damaged, or at least feel damaged by the system. They view Trump as their retribution and do not care how many felonies he has on his record, or how many people went to jail because of Trump, lost their law licenses, and now have records just like Trump. Many of these MAGA cultists do not care about women’s rights and giggle over Trump digitally raping a woman. Many of these MAGA cultists because they believe Trump’s lies, are liars themselves and do not care how much he lies, commits adultery, etc. because the truth is not in them. It’s all fine with them as long as they can have their perceived retribution. But the truth is, Trump only cares for Trump, not the MAGA cultists. Trump said it when he said at a recent MAGA rally in late June in Las Vegas, ““Because I don’t want anyone going on me, we need every voter. I don’t care about you, I just want your vote. I don’t care,” Trump said.” You can see this at *https://x.com/JoeBiden/status/1800188776074924223* This says it all!!!

      This I have concluded that MAGA cultists do not care about themselves, nor the success of the country, they just care about their retribution. And their minds are as hard as concrete.

  3. Tom

    This article gets a Stop The Spin (STS) rating of STS-4. WARNING: THIS ARTICLE IS A BIG BOLOGNA SANDWICH!!!! Here is why?

    1) Biden is not pretending! Trump has always been the pretender! Remember when he pretended about who would pay for the border wall? Or when he pretended who would win the trade war with China, he said it would be easy! Remember when Trump pretended he won the 2020 election? Or when he pretended he did not digitally fondle E. Jean Carroll? Or do you remember when he submitted pretend electors? Or when he pretended Pence could stop the electoral counting process?

    2) Biden is sticking fast to democratic principles – 14M Dems voted for him in the Dem primary. He got most electorate votes. He is respecting the process by not stepping down – unlike Trump who will throw anything under the bus if he sees an advantage for himself. If Biden were to step down, its a big gift for the GOP because they will say, “See, Dems do not believe in democracy – they can’t even support democracy in their own party!”

    3) IF Biden cannot complete his term, Harris will complete the Biden agenda. She has no agenda of her own. I do not particularly like her, but I like her more than I like the chaos, narcissism, criminality, grifting, Project 2025 authoritarianism that Trump will bring to the WH.

    4) Most in America also know Trump is a malignant narcissist who has only himself in mind. They know he is a convicted felon as well as a convicted rapist and tax cheat. They know he hid damaging information about himself from the 2016 electorate. We know lots about Trump including that he has Frontal Temporal Lobe dementia that will become worse than Biden’s aging decline in the next four years.

    5) Americans also have studied U.S. History and know that FDR, as crippled and sick as he was, led the U.S.A to victory over facism (what Trump wants with Project 2025) in WWII. Biden is much healthier now than FDR was in his last term. Latest national poll shows Biden ahead of Trump 50% to 48%.

    6) Before the debate, it was DC Dem elites and donors were concerned. The general electorate is behind Trump. Dems have wounded themselves. The way to heal the wound is two fold” 1) Let Trump campaign and use his mouth / and of course Heritage Foundation will be there; 2) Remind the electorate of the chaos under Trump, how many people needlessly died by Covid because of Trump’s narcissism and belief that he did not want this damaging his legacy. Remind of the Jan 2021 insurrection. Remind people of a soon to be national abortion ban. Remind them of all the autocratic horrible ideas in the Project 2025 document.

    The question: Do the people want chaos, facism, and loss of freedom under Trump; or, do they want democracy and freedom under Biden. Yes Biden will raise taxes on the rich, but that is to balance the budget. Trump plans a massive tax cut to the rich again, and bill it like before to the national debt.

    7) Larry is correct. Before the debate, many Dems did not want Joe to run because of his age. And they did not like the debate perforance. But listen again to the Dem electorate, Independents, and minorities, the street guys and gals who work hard, and they say they will take an aging Biden or even a dead Biden before they will vote for Trump. LOL

    8) LArry says, “A larger number have expressed a similar belief in private or off-the-record conversations.” Well how would LArry know this if it was in private and off the record. Some have expressed the thoughts Larry writes about, but they all seem to be united that Trump is the end of Democracy and this Republic as we know it. Many freedoms will be gone. They have also expressed this in private!

    9) It is not Dems, it is Larry and the MAGA minions that have been accusing Biden of lying about his condition from the get-go, and are continuing to lie in order to keep him in the race. This was a GOP hatched poison pill.

    10) Larry says, “Biden’s past accomplishments mean nothing in terms of his ability to perform in the future.” WOW IS THIS A LIE!!! Hey Larry, all Trump does is brag about his administration and how good it supposedly was. If your statement is true of Biden, THEN, it must also be true of Trump. And now Trump has Project 2025 which he denies knowing anything about yet half of his administration is on the Heritage BOD. And to be clear, PROJECT 2025 = AGENDA 47. Biden got more legislation passed with a hostile MAGA infested Congress than Trump ever got passed.

    11) Trump has had many senior moments, remember calling Pelosi, Haley? Remember the times Trump could not complete a sentence? I picked an MSNBC clip to remind the reader because Larry likes MSNBC, see * ” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkHShhTSMeA” * Remember recently in AZ, Trump’s teleprompter did not work and he could not say shit!!!

    12) “Larry says, “Biden’s past accomplishments mean nothing in terms of his ability to perform in the future. Biden’s ability to stay in the race depends on his avoiding any senior moments in the future. ” FUNNY THING IS, THE SAME APPLIES TO TRUMP. EXPECT DEMS TO START SHOWING THIS TO THE PUBLIC. TRUMPS GAFFS ARE MANY, AND HE SHITS IN HIS PANTS!

    So, there ‘tis. All the things Larry would not tell you but this Independent will tell you so that your thinking is balanced!

    • Tom

      Note: Paragraph 6 miss typo says, “The general electorate is behind Trump. “. This should read “The general electorate is NOT behind Trump.