The Democrats (and Politico) have a problem. In the wake of Special Counsel Robert Hur's report which did not charge President Joe Biden with improperly storing classified documents, not because he was innocent but because Hur judged him too senile due to age to be sent to trial, there was more urgency than ever among liberals to replace Biden on the 2024 presidential ticket. But how to do it? Politico's senior politics editor, Charlie Mahtesian, and his colleague, Steven Shepard, came up with a highly problematic "Plan B" chock full of wishful thinking on Monday in, "Democrats Might Need a Plan B. Here’s What It Looks Like."
Their concern about Biden's electability in swing states was blatantly evident:
So far, Democrats have vigorously avoided any discussion of a Plan B for their presidential nominee. But special counsel Robert Hur’s report may have forced their hand.
Fairly or not, Hur’s stinging characterization of President Joe Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” and “diminished faculties” has thrust the president’s age and mental fitness into the debate. Coupled with the widespread perception that Biden is too old for another term and the fact that he frequently trails former president Donald Trump in swing state polling matchups, it’s raised serious questions about whether Biden is positioned to lead the party in November — and whether Democrats need a contingency plan.
Strap on your seatbelts because you might fall out of your chairs laughing at the Politico "Plan B":
Because of procedural and political hurdles, it would not be easy to simply swap him out. The likeliest outcome is that Biden stays on the ticket. But it is also possible to envision different scenarios where the party does indeed nominate someone other than Biden at its August convention or even picks an alternative afterward to compete in a historic general election.
Here’s how it would work.
The truth is that a backup strategy can only be deployed if Biden voluntarily steps aside — or is physically unable to stand for nomination. At the moment, despite the anxiety within the party, there’s no dispute: Biden is on a glide path to the Democratic nomination. His longshot rival, Rep. Dean Phillips, has warned for months about the risks of nominating Biden yet has failed to gain traction. The Minnesota Democrat has largely been ostracized from the party for even broaching the sensitive subject.
The big flaw of "Plan B" was assuming that Biden would voluntarily step aside. That assumption failed to consider the role of Jill (DOCTOR Jill) Biden who many suspect wanted to keep Joe in the White House at all costs. They deduced that the problem would be Biden's pride:
Short of incapacitation or a highly unlikely convention floor revolt from delegates already pledged to Biden and loyal to the president, there is only one practical Plan B. And that’s Biden himself agreeing to hand over the baton. He is a proud man whose ego has been shaped by the experience of winning election to the Senate in his 20s and then being denied the presidency several times before finally securing it; convincing him he’s in an increasingly untenable position and needs to stand down won’t come easy.
But wait! There is a "Plan B" hack that just might work according to Politico! Unfortunately, it involved even more wishful thinking for Biden to step down:
But there is a path that enables him to leave with dignity and on his terms. It begins with letting the Democratic primary campaign run its course, ending June 4, the date the last group of states holds its primaries. Biden would finish as the undisputed victor, with far more than the 1,968 pledged delegate votes necessary to claim the nomination.
And then Biden would announce he would not accept the nomination and release his delegates to back a different nominee. He could insist he’s still fit to serve out another term but that he accepts the public’s concerns with a president who would be 86 at the end of a second term. He could remind voters that he has always said he was a bridge to a future generation of Democratic leaders. The economy is on track, he could note, and argue that he defeated Trump once and protected American democracy. He met his duty.
Better not remind voters who allowed the border to turn into an existential crisis for America.
And now Politico, after presenting the wishful thinking scenario of Biden voluntarily declining to run again, crashed up against the problem of the Border Czar known as Vice President Kamala Harris:
The thorniest issue will be Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden’s delegates do not automatically attach to her in his absence. Her poor approval ratings and her performance in the 2020 primaries have not inspired confidence. But the party will be acutely aware of the risks of alienating Black voters.
OOPS! Perhaps it is time to switch to a Plan C?
Politico didn't stop there in their "What If?" visions of a Plan B including this:
Alternatively, what if Biden pushed through the doubts and was nominated at the convention in late August, but was then unable to compete in the November election?
What if Politico did what it was supposed to do by covering politics as it was happening rather than providing advice to the Democrats via "What if?" wishful thinking and Plan B scenarios?
