If Biden 'Must Step Aside,' Why Aren't Democrats Filling the Streets to Demand It?
So far, one journalist noted, "the loudest voices trying to force him out of the race are elites: major media columnists and wealthy donors."
You want the actual answer? Because the Democratic Party has spent the last decade torpedoing non-establishment candidates. They killed off other candidates even running in this primary, and shut down several primaries entirely. Why would we waste our time?
And let’s be honest, let’s say that now the DNC appoints a new candidate, like they legally can do, it’s not going to be an AOC or someone even slightly to the left like Warren. It’s going to be another neoliberal like Buttigeig who will continue to Biden’s legacy of absolute mediocrity and screwing over the American people in the name of “freedom”.
This is 100% correct.
Small thing to add - we’re also in the midst of a devastating heat wave across most of the US at this moment. Taking to the streets isn’t exactly an accessible option right now, but anyone who has been remotely engaged in online discourse should be well aware of voters’ discontent with Biden and the status quo. They certainly won’t be discussing it on MSNBC however.
Your comment illustrates how our broken news system is the reason why four months is an insufficient runway for candidate policy clarity.
How do you consider Buttigieg a neoliberal? He wants to remove financial lobbying and stock trading permissions from Congress, create a nine Justice SCOTUS with three Democrat nominated Justices, three Republican, and three voted in by the previous six, his campaign raised $80M from small donations, and he endorsed the Green New Deal.
Just because he’s not as progressive as AOC or Bernie, doesn’t mean he’s not a big step in the right direction.
Thinking back to 2019 iircc the only Democrat candidate of the ±15 that was more conservative than Biden/Harris was Bloomberg. -I guess you could also argue Gabbard but she opted to go a different direction altogether. Regardless, a lot of Democrat voters seem to be projecting their values onto Biden without evaluating him as he is and always has been. He's never been particularly progressive.
They didn't call him Wall Street Pete and Wine Cave Pete for nothing...
I mean, they packed university campuses across the country and then the riot police went in. What kind of goldfish memory is this?
Gold
They're asking why democrats aren't in the streets though. Democrats were largely against those campus protests since they were perceived as harmful to Biden's reelection chances.
The last time we filled the streets we wanted police reform and didn't get it.
The time before that it was to protest a war that happened anyway.
Not only did we not get police reform, we got a cop as a democratic vice president.
Yes, top cop Kamala. And now they’re threatening to roll with her if Biden has to step down. We’re doomed.
Because that's not a thing and never has been? Find me any large scale protests in the history of the US where they were protesting a candidate prior to an election.
There's not a single liberal or leftist (a few paid shill podcasters notwithstanding) in the whole country saying "Joe Biden's brain is so soupy that Donald Trump would make a better president." We're saying Democrat leadership suppressed the primary to anoint an incumbent who's going to lose. Democracy is on the line, and we're running out of time to put our best foot forward. It'd be one thing if we were getting honest and reasonable arguments in response, but instead we're getting gaslit (Only the elites want Biden to step aside?) and being told "get in line or you're helping Trump somehow. " Meanwhile, Republicans are preparing to sue to keep Biden on the ballot in the event of a switch, because they know who they want to run against.
I hope I'm wrong and I hope he wins, since we're probably stuck with him on the ticket. Given that he's down 12 points from where he was in 2020 against Trump, where the swing states that gave Biden the election were only fractions of a percent in his favor, it's gonna take some kind of miracle. We don't have to be in this seemingly hopeless situation, but Biden's ego and stubbornness seem like they're gonna keep us here.
Historically protests are at the convention when the unpopular candidate is named.
Then the people who named the unpopular candidate blame the protests for the loss
People love to blame the people who make noise to warn about loss.
Cassandra of Greek legend was less cursed cause of a god but because no one wants to hear someone else be right about something they don't want to accept.
I agree with this message, but the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests were in part due to the nomination of Hubert Humphrey.
In Chicago even.
Honestly. The number of people just on this platform saying "nobody thinks biden should drop, you're wrong, you have no right to be upset with Biden's team, and anyone who says otherwise is a bot" is seriously making me wonder if that narrative itself is the one being pushed by bots to sow discord between us. Who honestly jumps directly to "bot or stupid, no other possible explanation" when they disagree with an opinion so clearly held by a substantial number of people with nuanced opinions.
Anyone paying attention would see that Biden, having won on razor margins in 2020, on promises of being a 1-term president, could not afford to lose ANY ground in democratic turnout. Every feeler they put out is coming back showing we have lost that ground substantially and Biden is utterly unable to campaign to gain it back. Anyone can be not Trump, not everyone can run an energetic campaign on their own merits, and that is overwhelmingly what motivates people to turn out to vote.
It's not a difficult connection to make and the assumption that bots would be the only ones to make an argument to replace Biden, after they ran a "primary" in which they hid Biden away from us and didn't let even anyone remotely viable run, is just such an uninformed and arrogant viewpoint to witness in such droves that I hardly believe it's real.
They don't have or need good arguments, they just need to run out the clock until "It's too late to change" becomes a legitimate argument.
I seriously wonder the same thing. People panicking and the response being to the people panicking
"don't worry no one is panicking cause he's a good pick"
feels like the psyop that helps the Republicans win.
I know it's just willful ignorance because they find this easier and less scary but like.... Are they just Trumpies?
Because there aren't any other viable candidates.
I agree with you, and that's how you know it's just disinformation and dishonesty. Nobody ever has a serious name to replace Biden. You press them for the replacement candidate, and you'll get a ridiculous answer because they don't actually have a plan. They just want to knock Biden down.
Harris is already on the ticket. If she's the reason to vote, good news! Biden can step aside after he beats Trump and hand Harris the big chair. She can then run in 4 years as an incumbent (assuming she does a good job.) If she's not the dream candidate, then why aren't we talking about replacing her on the ticket? You want Whitmer or Newsom or Buttigieg, then put them on as the VP and let them run behind Biden.
You don't get away from Biden's baggage by having him step aaide. His record, his endorsements, his policies, those all come with the package. The only thing you shed is his age. If that's the only reason you're concerned about Biden, then it's not a serious concern.
Exactly. Does anyone think Biden is making it another 4 years? We've voting for president Harris one way or the other
They don’t have an answer or you don’t like the answer? Because they are two different things. I can name a bunch of possibilities. I don’t like many of them, but to say “they don’t have any ideas” is ridiculous. So let’s make a list of people I’ve seen brought up as possible replacements:
Newsom, Klouchar, Warren, Sanders, AOC, Whitmer, Buttigeig, Harris…do I need to go on?
Now here’s what you do: you move the goalposts or you play the no true scotsman game (“no, somebody with a serious chance”). Then you continue the game smugly like nobody has actually given you any names that you’re willing to concede might be a better nominee than Biden.
And maybe you won’t, but this is how this argument has gone every single time I’ve had it. It’s a dismissal technique and I’m only really calling it out is because there are a lot of folks like me that have been saying Biden is a shitty choice for the last 3 years and have been told to sit down and shut up because he’s the president and you have to support him (sound familiar? Trump supporters did the same damn thing). We were told “oh Biden has committed to being a 1 term president, he’s just righting the ship”. We were told we could address it in 2024. And then he decided that nah, he felt like running again. And killed the primaries. And we’re told we have to vote for him again because the other guy is fascist.
It feels very much like Oliver Twist being fed gruel everyday and being told to be thankful for it. And then those same people who told us to sit down and shut up are the ones telling us that we have to vote for it again (because fascism!). This is what happened in 2016, then again in 2020, and now again in 2024. At some point people start to throw you the middle finger and walk away, and that’s what you’re seeing happen.
You don't get away from Biden's baggage by having him step aaide. His record, his endorsements, his policies, those all come with the package.
That's a good point. The entire Democratic Party has failed the working class (because they were never on our side to begin with). Whose name is on the line on the ballot next to the D is irrelevant; we've already lost.
Theres a whole country of people, how hard is it to find one qualified candidate?!
The oligarchy does not want an effective Democratic candidate
So, so many of us are going to vote for whoever the D is, no matter what. And Biden shit the bed, costing him those dumbass undecideds in the few states that will determine our collective future.
Anyone should be able to beat Trump after four years of lies, a felony, a coup attempt and overturning Roe. It's absurd to think Biden is the only one who can.
Because, as the sitting President, the only person who can make that decision is Biden. It literally does not matter what anyone else says or does.
And Biden has shown complete contempt for public sentiment, not just on this topic but throughout his term.
I want to retire. I am sick of this country being run by workaholics. I want it to be run by people planning on not working themselves into the fucking grave, and expecting the rest of us to do so as well.
57 years is the oldest a candidate should be for a first-term presidency. 61 for a second term. If they still want to play politics, they can take a position in their local HOA.
I got work. Like 6 hours of meetings a day. With what energy would I use to 'go to the streets' to ask an old fuck who definitely can't hear me to please retire. I don't think he will hear me or care.
I'll still vote for him I guess. Better Biden than the career criminal maniac.
*Career criminal maniac child rapist.
It boggles my mind that none of these are disqualifiers.
Because it’s hot outside.
Learned passivity?
It's bloody hot outside
Because in no case where they switched candidates in the process did they win an election.
None. It's certain defeat.
Now, if someone would tell these people trying to nullify the vote to kindly fuck off, that'd be great.
At no point did any rocket reach the moon before 1969.
Something not really being done a lot before doesn't mean you can use it as a statistical basis. Come on there are so many math nerds in here for that.
Because most of the people elevating this narrative are right wing trolls and Russian trolls. Trump and Putin thrive on chaos and doubt. We are weaker as a country when we are fragmented and don't stand firmly against a common evil
Wait a minute that seems like evidence the large majority of Democrats don't feel he 'must step aside!' No, that can't be it...maybe they're just stupid?
Perhaps both
Because it is largely disinformation and people are being paid to write articles on it or claim such behind closed doors but not publicly
Because we don't want to get shot again by the cops the Democrats pretended to defend before saying they were needed to enforce order.
Plus working to death to afford to run air conditioning to not die in the apocalyptic climate change heat waves.
Nah. It's all good 👍. Just find a young candidate next time. Like 30 years old please. If it's another 70 year old white guy, I'm gonna be royally pissed for sure.
Right now I'm just annoyed so I'm not leaving my job just to get shot by the police as they are trained to do.
Minimum age to be president is 35, it would take an amendment to change that, and if we are going to burn the resources to get an amendment passed that's way down the list of things we need to fix.
Ok, once again, sure 35 is fine.
It's a right wing battle cry to inspire division
There isn't any alternative stepping up. Who do we rally behind as the replacement? No one?
Because this isn't about a massive movement. This is about the roughly 100,000 people in battleground states who will decide the election.
Because it's 2024 and people on the fuckin streets are staring at their phones reading all the rage flooding their feeds.
Afraid it might backfire
um because folks like me are fine with him as the rep and I don't see any replacement as being any more viable.
Democrats don't give a fuck who the nominee is. We'll vote for whomever.
I hope this isn't true.
For me it currently is. With Trump as the GOP nominee, basically any Democrat would get my vote.
It's all over the media right now. Colbert and John Stewart have been hitting him pretty hard. Discussions all around the internet are also very strongly leaning towards his dropping out.
I'm sick of old fucks jeopardizing the future of our country. RGB is another fanatistic example.
Political apathy.
Only disinformation campaigns, brought to us by Republicans and Russia are calling for it