I feel sorry for Joe Biden. He wanted to be president for most of his life, for the first time 34 years ago. If his son Beau hadn’t died in 2015, Biden might have entered the Democratic primary then; as vice president, he would have been a favorite and likely beat Donald Trump.
By the time he finally attained the office he longed for, he was well past his prime. Trump had left the country in ruins, institutions had collapsed, much of the population gripped by raging delusions, and millions traumatized by the pandemic. Biden was chosen to bring back a normalcy that now seems to be gone for good.
Many of the crises that drag Biden’s approval ratings down are not his fault. If an inflation rate of 8.6 percent was due to his policies, it is hard to see why the rate is even higher in Britain, at 9.1 percent, or why it is 7.9 percent in Germany. The mulish attachment to the filibuster by Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema makes most legislation impossible. Even if Biden had more activist leanings, there’s not much he can do about the brutal reversal of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court or the increasing pace of massacres that punctuate American life.
Still, I hope he doesn’t run anymore, because he’s too old.
Now I didn’t want Biden to be the Democratic nominee in 2020, partly for ideological reasons, but mostly because he seemed too worn and unfocused. In retrospect, however, given the way Republicans exceeded expectations, Biden may have been the only one of the major candidates who could have beaten Trump; voters showed no appetite for sweeping progressive change.
So I recognize that I could be wrong if I make a similar argument today. But the presidency ages even young men, and Biden is far from young; a country that has as many problems as ours needs a leader powerful enough to inspire confidence.
as a recent New York Times/Siena College A poll shows that 64 percent of Democrats want another presidential candidate by 2024. Those Democrats cite Biden’s age more than any other factor, though job performance lags flat. Their concern is not surprising. Biden has always been prone to gaffes and malapropisms, but there is a painful tension to see him speak now, as if you were watching someone wiggle on a tightrope. (Some of his misuse of language can be explained by the stutter he overcame as a child, but not all.) His staff often seems to keep him out of sight; as The Times reportedhe has participated “in less than half as many press conferences or interviews as recent predecessors.”
Sure, there’s something nice about a president who doesn’t torment the country with his vampire hunger for attention. And by most accounts, Biden is still sharp and busy performing the tasks behind the scenes of his office. But in going so far in the background, he loses the ability to set the public agenda.
You can’t hide a bad economy, but you can draw attention to its bright spots, such as an unemployment rate of 3.6 percent. Americans have overwhelming sympathy for Ukraine, and with a rousing message, some may be willing to accept the pain of high gas prices if the cost to stand up to Vladimir Putin. However, it is not enough for the government to repeat the phrase “Putin’s price hike” to convince them. Like the rest of us, the White House was well aware of the Supreme Court’s intention to overthrow Roe v. Wade, but somehow it wasn’t ready with an immediate executive order and public relations flash.
There is a problem here that goes beyond a shortage of presidential speeches and media appearances, or even Biden himself. We are ruled by a gerontocracy† Biden is 79. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 82. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is 83. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is 71. Often it is not clear whether they understand how broken this country is.
They built their careers in institutions that more or less worked, and they seem to expect to go back to work. They give every impression that they see this moment when the government is pulling the strings and one party is openly plotting against democracy as an interregnum rather than a tipping point. Biden’s Democratic critics come from different places on the political spectrum — some are outraged by his centrism, others are concerned about his listlessness. What connects most of them is desperation for leaders who show urgency and ingenuity.
If there’s one consolation in Biden’s time, it’s that he can step aside without admitting failure. There’s no shame in not running for president when you’re in your eighties. He came out of half-board to save the country from a second Trump term, and we all owe him a lot for that. But now we need someone who can stand up to the still churning forces of Trumpism.
There are plenty of possibilities: If Vice President Kamala Harris’s approval ratings remain Underwater-“The Democrats have a number of charismatic governors and senators to turn to. Biden said during the 2020 campaign that he has a “bridgeto a new generation of Democrats. Soon it will be time to cross it.