In the shadow of all the pundit political analysis of the presidential campaign, there has been a question as to whether President Biden will be replaced.
The issue arose when polling numbers showed that voters had more confidence in Trump to handle the economy, inflation, immigration, crime, the fentanyl crisis, wars and foreign policy. A majority of voters said they were better off under Trump than Biden.
Initially, Team Biden assured Democrats, donors and the nation that those numbers would turn around in the coming months. They have not – and to some measure they have gotten worse for Biden.
Understandably, as the numbers continue to point to a Trump victory in November, there’s a clamor for Biden to be booted off the top of the ticket. The pressure is mounting for Biden to “do the right thing” and voluntarily step aside – as did President Johnson in 1968, when he faced growing unpopularity.
The pressure for Biden to be replaced may be louder and more demanding except for one thing. Who would replace him? The assumption has been that anyone would be better than Biden. That does not seem to be true, however.
The logical person to take up the flag in normal times would be Vice President Harris. But these are not normal times. According to a FOX News poll, Harris would do worse than Biden – losing to Trump 50 to 45 percent.
In terms of political pragmatism, the most likely Democrat to step up would be California Governor Gavin Newsom. He has been positioning himself for just that possibility. According to the FOX poll, Trump tops Newsom 49 to 45 percent. A Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll shows Trump beating Newsom 45 to 40 percent.
To the extent the polls are accurate, Harris and Newsom fare no batter against Trump than Biden – and in some cases notably worse.
Replacing Biden could be the coup de grace for Democrats. Depending on how it was accomplished, booting Biden could create a hostile reaction among Biden supporters. It could lower Democrat voter enthusiasm. It could also be the sort of panic that arises when a situation seems hopeless.
Democrats also have to consider that Johnson stepped a side for a stronger candidate – but lost the election to former Vice President Richard Nixon.
According to the left-leaning online news service, Politico, Democrats are panicking over what seems to be Biden’s diminishing prospect of returning to the Oval Office in January. It is the kind of desperation panic that comes when a situation seems hopeless.
At this time, it is not possible to make a reasoned prediction as to whether Biden will or will not remain as the Democrat standard bearer – and if not, who will be the replacement. What can be said, however, is that Democrats do not appear to have any good alternatives. So, it seems to be “Go Brandon!”
So, there ‘tis.