By DUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
McALLEN, Texas |...Weeks of being reminded that he is 81 years old and accused of being perhaps too old to perform the job of president, Democrat Joe Biden finally wilted Sunday afternoon and quit the 2024 presidential race.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," Biden said in a written statement. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to stand down and to focus solely on my duties as President for the rest of my term."
It had been coming loud and hard for days.
Even leaders within his own party were calling for him to resign the campaign and hand over the reins to younger Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris is 59 years old and just a tad under 20 years younger than Republican candidate Donald J. Trump.
The end for Biden came after many years in Congress, beginning with his initial term as U.S. Senator from Delaware in 1972. He became former President Barack Obama's vice president in 2008, served two terms in that capacity until 2016 and then came back to beat Trump in the 2020 election.
But, as we all know, politics can be an equally rewarding and cruel game.
Biden's bad performance in Debate One several weeks ago against Trump, in which he slurred his words and looked horrible, apparently led to this latest decision.
It will be interesting to see if Democrats rally behind Harris, or whether the Democratic National Convention devolves into a candidate free-for-all.
Plus, it, too, will be interesting to see who gets nominated for the vice-president's role in the party ticket.
Joe Biden has been a good Democrat.
I am sure many in his party would have wanted a different ending to his political career...
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Surprisingly serious news for a Sunday afternoon. Perhaps Joe Biden simply wanted to see the week begin without carrying that aging baggage around his neck...
ReplyDeleteIf he's remembered for nothing else, give him credit for this: he helped us throw out the most despicable man who has ever been president.
ReplyDeleteTrump just said Biden was "not fit" to be president. Just what an old 78-year-old fool would say, right?
DeleteThe media pendulum is swinging back. Trump will be the old, stumbling, bumbling man in the race from here to November.
DeleteJoe Biden is and was a decent man, something Trump can never say about himself. Sad day, but we will kick Donald's ass in November!
ReplyDeleteBLUE WAVE!!!
DeleteBut yet the media is still not calling for Trump drop out.
ReplyDeleteEither way, President Biden does receive the utmost respect, credit and gratitude for his service and dedication.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait trump to drop out too
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is, we're all voting for or against Trump. Love him or hate him he's the central figure. Biden served admirably and I'll always be grateful for him, but he's picked up so much baggage over the years. A clean slate puts the spotlight back where it needs to be: For or Against Trump.
ReplyDeleteSo at Trump’s latest rally, he tried out the Laffin’ Kamala monicker on the audience, saying he can tell a lot about a person from their laugh and hers means she’s “crazy.” So, that’s what they’ve got? That and intentionally mispronouncing her name? I personally like her laugh, it’s full of glee and infectious. I’ll take that any day over a man who doesn’t laugh and can’t show emotion besides rage.
ReplyDeleteWow! that's big news. I will be voting for Harris just to watch Trump and MAGA fully lose it when she wins.
ReplyDeleteAnd she will win!!!
Trump is 20 years older!!!
DeleteIt's terrible that the good guy, the one with moral values and honor decides to retire. But the felon guy, cheater frauder, rapist still running for the highest office. What our country has become! Thank you, Mr. President for your service. God bless you and your family!
ReplyDeleteIt bothers me, people trashed Biden until he could negotiate a clear path for Kamala Harris. This will be noted as a great moment of his stewardship over our democracy. I could be wrong, but I think there is a better term than stewardship used to describe Churchill. But Biden will be remembered for withdrawing as a thoughtful leader, who did his best to prevent a floor flight, and insuring a Trump loss.
ReplyDeleteFox News will never understand leadership or honor. They are claiming Biden was pushed out. Never: he was brilliant in how he pushed back until the key donors got behind our future President Kamala Harris. This avoids a floor flight and insures, Trump is done.
ReplyDeleteYou said it.
DeleteWho is going to be her running mate? That's important.
ReplyDeleteIs it a given that Harris will lead the ticket? It could be Demos pick someone else as pres. and keep Harris as veep. I like the prospects of that.
DeleteI'd say Trump just lost it. So long, Cheeto.
DeleteA new candidate can spark renewed interest and enthusiasm among voters, particularly younger demographics and minority groups who might have felt disconnected from Biden’s campaign. This increased engagement will lead to higher voter turnout and a stronger democratic process.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I believe Biden's withdrawal from the race could open the door for a more dynamic and cohesive Democratic campaign.
Trump has lies and nothing else. Plus, he's two decades older than Harris!!!
Trump is under the impression that he is going to be a savior that reshapes the presidency in his image. He is wrong, he is a fool, that is not the job he is applying for. That is your job and if he wins and launches his Project 2025 you WILL fail and there WILL be chaos. You MAGA people need to get off your knees and learn to say no to a narcissist or just vote for Biden and be silent like you normally are. That's what it boils down to.....
ReplyDeleteThe message for Ms. Harris will be a simple one, Donald Trump is the oldest nominee for President ever and will enact radical authoritarian policies through is Project 2025 that put our democracy at risk. Stay on message and Harris wins this easy.
ReplyDeleteI view this act as another brave step in a career where he put the nation first and helped us recover from a destructive tyrant. I know not everyone here agrees that he should step down. But I hope we can all agree that history will look favorably on his achievements.
ReplyDeleteNow this makes Trump look like a decaying, senile old man.
ReplyDeleteHe's 78; she's 59.
I like the looks of that disparity.
GO DEMS!!!
Trump responds to Biden withdrawing without an ounce of grace. This disgraceful response shows the Trump when not reading from the teleprompter. Former President Donald Trump reacted to President Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 race by telling NBC News that Biden “is the worst president in the history of the United States by far.”
ReplyDelete“There has never been a president who has done such damage to our country, from energy independence to letting in millions and millions of illegal immigrants,” Trump told NBC News in an interview.
Did we expect any less from this clown?
DeleteRepublicans have been licking their chops ever since the debate, smelling blood in the water. They didn't think there was any way that a sitting president would put his ego aside for the good of his party and his country. Why not? Because they themselves can't conceive of anyone not acting out of maximum selfishness the way they would. On to the election.
ReplyDeleteThank you, President Joe for your service to our country
ReplyDeleteI second that sentiment.
DeleteThe Republican mouthpiece for CNN, just lost it. He is claiming we need to know why the letter is not signed by Biden. He wants to know if the President is still functional. This is desperate.
ReplyDeleteWatch your words, Buddy. President Biden has absolute immunity.
DeleteI believe this is only the second time that a sitting president has decided not to run for reelection.. LBJ was the first....am I correct?
ReplyDeleteNow, instead of running against a man who appears too old to keep his thoughts together, Trump will have to face off against a younger and more vital opponent — at exactly the time the American people have said in a loud, clear voice that they’re tired of the same old men and the same old rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteTrump just lost the election.
DeleteHere we go!!!
ReplyDeleteDemocrats, we have a WINNER!!!
Nicely Done.
Trump just lost the female vote.
ReplyDeleteWould Trump drop JD Vance as Veep and now pick a woman? heh heh
ReplyDeleteIn a nanosecond!
DeleteThere goes the Black vote.
ReplyDeleteFor Biden dropping out would mean to retire. For Trump dropping out would mean to go to jail.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats turn out to be an organized political party, after all. And Biden turns out to be a very different man from Trump — not only in his respect for democratic norms and basic human decency but in his willingness to subsume his personal goals for the greater good. He has an ego, yes, but it is bounded. And he is willing to surrender power rather than tear down the Republic to hold onto it.
ReplyDeleteI like Mayor Pete Buttigieg for her VP because he's so versatile at campaigning, nice/brutal/nice/brutal. Funny.
ReplyDeleteBut he has plenty of time. So, if not him now, then Mark Kelly of AZ. He's more serious & I don't know if he can be funny the way Pete can. But he's an effing astronaut so he neutralizes Trump AND Vance, who are both so immature.
I heard Trump in his golf cart talking about how Kamala Harris could not stand up to strong leaders like Chinese president Xi and Putin. Oh yeah? Like the way Trump stood up to Putin? So much so that everyone thought Putin had kompromat on Trump? You can bet that Kamala Harris will not come back from North Korea saying, “Kim Jong and I are in love!" Trump is a Pansy.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, this really shows that Biden is a true leader who was willing to put his country before himself. We owe a lot to him.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to have a president who isn't clinging to power to avoid accountability.
Blue Team: The Prosecutor
ReplyDeleteRed Team: Convicted Felon
Should be No Contest!!
The tables have turned Donnie
ReplyDeleteDonald Trump is now the oldest presidential candidate in the history of the United States. The mainstream media has immediately pounced on this narrative as a form of twisted karma for Trump's incessant attacks on President Biden's age.
ReplyDeleteHeard about this at the dog park this afternoon. My 2cents: The Republicans spent four years convincing everyone that an elderly man with mental decline should not be President, and now that is going to blow back on Trump bigtime. LOL!
ReplyDeleteAmerica knows this is the time to move on from Donald Trump.
ReplyDeleteAgree.
DeleteAnd now, the wife of Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance, Usha Chilukuri Vance, and the couple's children have become the targets of backlash for their Indian ancestry. Right-wing MAGA does not want her on the ticket. It all begins to fall apart for Donald trump, who, btw, has not defended Vance's wife.
ReplyDeleteI swear I will crawl across broken glass to vote against Trump, and I thank Biden for his service. He is truly a great president.
ReplyDeleteTrump just handed Harris and the Democrats what they need. In one of his off the cuff statements Trump says Biden never had COVID. I watched him walk up the stairs struggling to breach and his jaw down to help him breath. This is simple. Biden needs to release the medical proof he has COVID, and Trump needs to release the medical report he was shot.
ReplyDelete