NYT and WaPo report Biden is close to stepping down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will be a huge mess, and the ballots in some states may not be able to be changed. But it needs to happen.

Biden may release his delegates to Harris or he may release them generally to have an open or semi-open conference.

There are no ballots in any state yet so how could it be too late to change them?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:Of equal importance, if not more so, is what will happen with the Biden/Harris campaign funds. They have something like $90 million. My understanding is that only Harris can access it if Biden drops out. If that is true, she is really the only option to replace him.

Republican lawyers have argued that even if Harris' name in on the campaign funds, along with Biden, she would be able to access them only as the VP nominee - that is, if Biden were already the nominee and then dropped out.

There is a workaround, however, if Biden drops out now: the funds revert to the DNC and they can funnel them to whichever candidate they want. Since the DNC is full of Biden stalwarts, I imagine they'll look first at Harris.

That is my current understanding.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be a huge mess, and the ballots in some states may not be able to be changed. But it needs to happen.

Biden may release his delegates to Harris or he may release them generally to have an open or semi-open conference.

I don't believe that ballots are an issue. The Democrats don't have an official candidate yet so what would be on the ballots at this point?

Heritage Foundation has identified potential issues
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/heritage-working-election-legal-challenges-case-biden-pulled-from-dnc-nomination
Heritage points out that many states — including swing states such as Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin — might not allow a replacement on the ballot.

Wisconsin does not allow a candidate's name to be withdrawn from the ballot except due to death. Nevada allows changes to its ballot up until 5:00pm on the fourth Friday of June in the election year — it also allows special consideration for if nominees die or are determined to be mentally unable to proceed.

Georgia would allow Biden to withdraw up to 60 days before the election. If Biden withdraws afterward, his name would remain on the ballot but votes for him would be discarded.

Yeah, I wouldn't bet on the Heritage Foundation being accurate about this. Again, there is no official candidate yet. Who would be on those ballots?

Exactly. It doesn’t make any sense. There’s no “replacement” at this point because no name has even been submitted. That doesn’t happen until after the candidate is nominated by the party at the convention.

[Anonymous]

It’s the right thing to do but it makes me really sad. My father has also had a precipitous decline the past several months so I am seeing what this is like up close and it’s just heartbreaking. If he bows out no, he can finish his term with dignity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Of equal importance, if not more so, is what will happen with the Biden/Harris campaign funds. They have something like $90 million. My understanding is that only Harris can access it if Biden drops out. If that is true, she is really the only option to replace him.

Republican lawyers have argued that even if Harris' name in on the campaign funds, along with Biden, she would be able to access them only as the VP nominee - that is, if Biden were already the nominee and then dropped out.

There is a workaround, however, if Biden drops out now: the funds revert to the DNC and they can funnel them to whichever candidate they want. Since the DNC is full of Biden stalwarts, I imagine they'll look first at Harris.

That is my current understanding.

Clear as mud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good point about this really ought to be the end of Biden’s second term right now. These same party leaders encouraging him to step down told him not to run in 2016. Who has better instincts?

I don’t believe anyone spewing the crap that Biden was pushed aside for Hillary. He didn’t want to run because Beau had just died.

Nooooo. Obama famously told him to step aside and Joe listened. It was terrible advice. Obama was high on his own supply of hubris.

Wasn’t just Obama, it was all these same Ivy Leaguers, with the Clintons also both being in the Ivy club. That has always bothered Joe behind closed doors. He’s never felt accepted. Shit, even Trump and Vance are Ivy Leaguers. You think this is all a coincidence? It’s a cartel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s the right thing to do but it makes me really sad. My father has also had a precipitous decline the past several months so I am seeing what this is like up close and it’s just heartbreaking. If he bows out no, he can finish his term with dignity.

My father's decline was more gradual but he hated to retire from his second career that he loved. However, it was time, when he could no longer do it properly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good point about this really ought to be the end of Biden’s second term right now. These same party leaders encouraging him to step down told him not to run in 2016. Who has better instincts?

I don’t believe anyone spewing the crap that Biden was pushed aside for Hillary. He didn’t want to run because Beau had just died.

Nooooo. Obama famously told him to step aside and Joe listened. It was terrible advice. Obama was high on his own supply of hubris.

Wasn’t just Obama, it was all these same Ivy Leaguers, with the Clintons also both being in the Ivy club. That has always bothered Joe behind closed doors. He’s never felt accepted. Shit, even Trump and Vance are Ivy Leaguers. You think this is all a coincidence? It’s a cartel.

Schiff and Schumer also both Ivy Leaguers. Same for all these TV talking heads and columnists leading the charge.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Of equal importance, if not more so, is what will happen with the Biden/Harris campaign funds. They have something like $90 million. My understanding is that only Harris can access it if Biden drops out. If that is true, she is really the only option to replace him.

Do you really think she can win?

Yes, and fairly easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be a huge mess, and the ballots in some states may not be able to be changed. But it needs to happen.

Biden may release his delegates to Harris or he may release them generally to have an open or semi-open conference.

I don't believe that ballots are an issue. The Democrats don't have an official candidate yet so what would be on the ballots at this point?

Heritage Foundation has identified potential issues
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/heritage-working-election-legal-challenges-case-biden-pulled-from-dnc-nomination
Heritage points out that many states — including swing states such as Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin — might not allow a replacement on the ballot.

Wisconsin does not allow a candidate's name to be withdrawn from the ballot except due to death. Nevada allows changes to its ballot up until 5:00pm on the fourth Friday of June in the election year — it also allows special consideration for if nominees die or are determined to be mentally unable to proceed.

Georgia would allow Biden to withdraw up to 60 days before the election. If Biden withdraws afterward, his name would remain on the ballot but votes for him would be discarded.

Yeah, I wouldn't bet on the Heritage Foundation being accurate about this. Again, there is no official candidate yet. Who would be on those ballots?

Couldn’t the official candidate have to be the one who won the primary in the state, though?

I’ve been leaning towards Biden staying in, just like I was leaning toward him running again, because I knew anything else that followed would be chaos. I watched the debate and was incredibly disappointed, and I blame him for a very bad night, but it will bother me now and forever that the media seems to have made this happen in their quest for a more exciting election.

How would this work? The eventual nominee rarely wins every primary. The ballot has to reflect the official party nominee...which is not decided until after the convention.

[Anonymous]

Standing up a new campaign with less than 100 days to election is tremendously hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Of equal importance, if not more so, is what will happen with the Biden/Harris campaign funds. They have something like $90 million. My understanding is that only Harris can access it if Biden drops out. If that is true, she is really the only option to replace him.

Republican lawyers have argued that even if Harris' name in on the campaign funds, along with Biden, she would be able to access them only as the VP nominee - that is, if Biden were already the nominee and then dropped out.

There is a workaround, however, if Biden drops out now: the funds revert to the DNC and they can funnel them to whichever candidate they want. Since the DNC is full of Biden stalwarts, I imagine they'll look first at Harris.

That is my current understanding.

Clear as mud.

Precisely why the FedSoc controlled SC will have the final say. Don’t you get it yet? You’ve been outmatched.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good point about this really ought to be the end of Biden’s second term right now. These same party leaders encouraging him to step down told him not to run in 2016. Who has better instincts?

I don’t believe anyone spewing the crap that Biden was pushed aside for Hillary. He didn’t want to run because Beau had just died.

Nooooo. Obama famously told him to step aside and Joe listened. It was terrible advice. Obama was high on his own supply of hubris.

As an outside political observer (from Europe), I can tell you that Hillary Clinton is far more intelligent and has a much broader command of issues, domestic and international, than Biden. I understand that for Americans, maybe Biden is more likeable, and doesn't come with Clinton baggage. But Obama was right all along: Biden has never been Presidential material. He's a decent guy. He climbed to the top because people voted against Trump. But I'm sorry. He's not all that. He should be a one-term President. And I hope he and his team aren't bitter about getting only one term - it's a term he should never have had, were it not for the improbable rise of Trump. They should be glad he made it once, instead of angry he didn't make it twice.

Harris, and lots of other Democrats, are far better choices than Biden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ahhh. I think it is the right thing and I am mad they ever said he would go for a second term.

But I feel bad for him.

He will go out with dignity and grace using the truth, medical reasons. His heart will be broken but Joe Biden is a gentleman and loyal to his country a d his political party. He will attend the Convention and will publicly release his delegates to Harris. History has been made and Trump will be running against a woman for the second time and this time he loses to a woman. This will likely kill him

I am so grateful he ran and won in 2020. He really deserves a lot of respect and credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be a huge mess, and the ballots in some states may not be able to be changed. But it needs to happen.

Biden may release his delegates to Harris or he may release them generally to have an open or semi-open conference.

I don't believe that ballots are an issue. The Democrats don't have an official candidate yet so what would be on the ballots at this point?

Heritage Foundation has identified potential issues
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/heritage-working-election-legal-challenges-case-biden-pulled-from-dnc-nomination
Heritage points out that many states — including swing states such as Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin — might not allow a replacement on the ballot.

Wisconsin does not allow a candidate's name to be withdrawn from the ballot except due to death. Nevada allows changes to its ballot up until 5:00pm on the fourth Friday of June in the election year — it also allows special consideration for if nominees die or are determined to be mentally unable to proceed.

Georgia would allow Biden to withdraw up to 60 days before the election. If Biden withdraws afterward, his name would remain on the ballot but votes for him would be discarded.

Yeah, I wouldn't bet on the Heritage Foundation being accurate about this. Again, there is no official candidate yet. Who would be on those ballots?

Couldn’t the official candidate have to be the one who won the primary in the state, though?

I’ve been leaning towards Biden staying in, just like I was leaning toward him running again, because I knew anything else that followed would be chaos. I watched the debate and was incredibly disappointed, and I blame him for a very bad night, but it will bother me now and forever that the media seems to have made this happen in their quest for a more exciting election.

Almost every cycle (except this one) the nominee of the non-incumbent party doesn’t win all the states. Biden only won 42 state primaries in 2020.