Who Would You Pick to Replace Biden?

[rjs330]

Doesn't everyone really want a candidate to vote FOR? Both side seem to keep bring out candidates to vote against. I mean I doubt either side will produce a candidate that entice anyone to cross the aisle but don't you wish we could have someone who everyone thinks is a decent candidate even though we wouldn't vote for them cause the other guy is has more of what I like? Rather than "I hate that guy and would vote for a peanut butter sandwich over them".

 

[GoldenBoy89]

But since he was, we'll never know who the Democratic voters would have chosen.

I can only speak for myself but this Democratic voter picked Biden/Harris in the primary. Biden is finishing out his term and handing the nomination over to his running mate whom I also voted for in the 2020 primary elections, who I believe would be much more capable of beating Trump in the election in November. So please tell me, a Democratic voter, why I should see any problem with this?

 

[probinson]

I can only speak for myself but this Democratic voter picked Biden/Harris in the primary. Biden is finishing out his term and handing the nomination over to his running mate whom I also voted for in the 2020 primary elections, who I believe would be much more capable of beating Trump in the election in November. So please tell me, a Democratic voter, why I should see any problem with this?

No, you voted for Biden to be the Democratic candidate for President of the United States.

Look, you can try to spin this however you like, but the bottom line is we will never know who would have won in the primaries if Harris were at the top of that ticket. You say you still would have picked her, but that doesn't mean everyone would have.

 

[probinson]

Heck, AOC had this to say last Friday on her Instagram live:

“If you think that there is consensus among the people who want Joe Biden to leave ... that they will support Vice President Harris, you would be mistaken,” Ocasio-Cortez said.​

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Of course, this morning she's singing a different tune and has already endorsed Kamala like a good, compliant Democrat. It's amazing how quickly everyone falls in line.

 

[durangodawood]

There was a coordinated effort by the power brokers in the Democratic Party to oust Biden. Biden was absolutely forced out.

Senior Biden aides were bracing for former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who’d worked behind the scenes to encourage others in the party toward the kind of collective action that might finally push the president to end his campaign, to go public this week and possibly even disclose Democratic polling clarifying Biden’s dire political straits.​

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“Nancy made clear that they could do this the easy way or the hard way,” said one Democrat familiar with private conversations who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “She gave them three weeks of the easy way. It was about to be the hard way.”​

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https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/21/why-biden-dropped-out-00170106

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Ok. So it was done the "easy way", and he wasnt forced.

If the second option had come to pass then we might be having a different conversation depending on what that looked like. Maybe 25th amdmt. Plenty of Rs were for that too.

My concern for the Ds and democracy is why there was never a meaningful primary in the first place when Biden himself pledged to be a one term president. But pressuring Biden was absolutely the right thing given his obvious decline.

 

[probinson]

Ok. So it was done the "easy way", and he wasnt forced.

This is starting sound like the disingenuous vaccine mandate discussions of a few years ago, where people claimed no one was being "forced" to get vaccinated. You'll just lose your job and be excluded from all of society. But no one's "forcing" you. It's totally your choice.

Biden was given a choice: Leave quietly, or we'll kick you out. Some choice. If you want to play semantics and pretend like the Democratic establishment didn't "force" Biden out that's certainly your prerogative, but the evidence shows otherwise. Biden clearly wanted to continue as the candidate, but the "powers-that-be" forced him out.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

No, you voted for Biden to be the Democratic candidate for President of the United States.

Right and now he’s handing it off to his running mate and Vice President, whom I also voted for. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to tell me who or what I’m voting for. My vote since 2016 has always been against Donald Trump. As long as Trump is one of the names on the ballot, I’ll be voting for the person running against him. Earlier this year that was the president, now it’s the vice president. If the republicans could have offered anything other than [Staff Edit] Trump, I might have considered looking in their direction but alas, all they have is [Staff Edit] Trump to offer. No thank you.

 

[durangodawood]

This is starting sound like the disingenuous vaccine mandate discussions of a few years ago, where people claimed no one was being "forced" to get vaccinated. You'll just lose your job and be excluded from all of society. But no one's "forcing" you. It's totally your choice.

Biden was given a choice: Leave quietly, or we'll kick you out. Some choice. If you want to play semantics and pretend like the Democratic establishment didn't "force" Biden out that's certainly your prerogative, but the evidence shows otherwise. Biden clearly wanted to continue as the candidate, but the "powers-that-be" forced him out.

Yeah the anonymously reported "evidence".

Either way the D's did the right thing, finally. They did the wrong thing when they foisted a no-choice "primary" on their voters. Biden really did the wrong thing by violating his pledge to stick to one term. Its a mess and they look bad. Hopefully they will still prevail over Trump after its all said and done.

Bigger picture, Ive always thought of parties as fundamentally private associations. The US Constitution provides no rules for their internal operations. They are not the govt, and they can conduct themselves as they see fit, and people are free to join, leave, start their own.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

'Democracy, Democrat style.
16 million voted in the primaries.
243 delegates allotted.
Alas, the party has spoken. Shut up, voters.

 

[BCP1928]

It doesn't really matter who the Democratic voters would pick, because the Democratic Party has decided that they need to circumvent democracy to "save" it. The party will instill whoever they want and completely disregard the wishes of the primary voters.

How do you know the wishes of the primary voters haven't changed in the meantime? In any case, primaries are not constitutional elections and in fact are a relative novelty in American politics. Presidential primaries are private elections and not all states have them. They run in accordance with party rules and do not elect a candidate (there will be no official candidate until one is nominated in convention) they elect delegates to a convention who are pledged to vote for one potential nominee. There is in place a legal and orderly procedure for them to change their vote.
Democracy is alive and well in this case and not being circumvented.

 

[probinson]

Right and now he’s handing it off to his running mate and Vice President, whom I also voted for. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to tell me who or what I’m voting for.

I'm not telling you who you're voting for. I'm telling you that if Biden had not been on the ticket, it's quite likely the primaries would have gone very differently.

My vote since 2016 has always been against Donald Trump.

Ah. So you're not voting for anyone.

As long as Trump is one of the names on the ballot, I’ll be voting for the person running against him.

Of that I have no doubt. Just don't try to convince people that it's because you're concerned about "democracy".

 

[durangodawood]

Ah. So you're not voting for anyone.

 

[probinson]

How do you know the wishes of the primary voters haven't changed in the meantime? '

I'm sorry, is this your first day in the United States? You don't get to "change your mind" after you cast a vote until there is another election.

 

[BCP1928]

I'm sorry, is this your first day in the United States? You don't get to "change your mind" after you cast a vote until there is another election.

You can change your mind at any time. You can even communicate that change to the convention delegates you have elected, who are only loosely bound by party rules (not laws) to vote for the pledged candidate anyway.

 

[durangodawood]

....Of that I have no doubt. Just don't try to convince people that it's because you're concerned about "democracy".

Im a little concerned about democratic operation of a party.

But I dont live in a party. Im not a citizen of a party. I'm a citizen of a country. And when the constitutional order of the country is threatened, then I get a little upset and motivated.

 

[BCP1928]

It's also concerning that there are voters so blatantly ignorant about how the primary system works.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

I'm not telling you who you're voting for.

You did.

I'm telling you that if Biden had not been on the ticket, it's quite likely the primaries would have gone very differently.

Doubtful. Who do you think would have done better than the President, the VP?

Boy, do I have some news for you….

Ah. So you're not voting for anyone.

For any one? No. I’m not ideologically committed to one single person and no one else. That would your side.

Of that I have no doubt. Just don't try to convince people that it's because you're concerned about "democracy".

You’re mixing things up. Trump is my only concern for democracy. There’s other factors for certain that threaten to make this country less democratic but Trump is the only actual personal threat who actively tried canceling the election he lost.

 

[probinson]

Trump is my only concern for democracy.

I know. That became glaringly obvious when there were people on this forum that said they would vote for Biden even if he were dead. In other words, they'd vote for someone even if they had no idea who would actually be in control. Nothing more democratic than having no idea who is pulling the strings!

 

[rambot]

Who do you believe Democratic voters really wanted to vote for?

I find it fascinating how the two parties work.
Republican eatablishment is very beholden to their base...and that gave us Trump. I don't think k that is flattering

The Democrat party gives the impression that the establishment has complete control and you got centrists.

I do like how a party moving to a better candidate is seen by some posters as awful, dishonest, conniving etc even though they've been calling for it for months.

 

[rambot]

I know. That became glaringly obvious when there were people on this forum that said they would vote for Biden even if he were dead. In other words, they'd vote for someone even if they had no idea who would actually be in control. Nothing more democratic than having no idea who is pulling the strings!

Nothing more Democratic than a president with practical immunity.