Joe Biden is “too elderly” and should “step aside”, writes Mark Leibovich (New York Times Magazine chief national correspondent).
Leibovich, who wrote Thursday for The Atlantic, said that he had spoken to 10 administration officials and unofficial advisors, and they spent time with the president during those deranged, divided days. “How does he feel? ‘”
Insiders are “predisposed to like the president” and it’s a “recurring motif” that Biden “just feels old.”
You might think Leibovich was a conservative. He also stated that it felt impolite to point out this — disrespectful and ageist and taboo given gross Republican smears about Biden as a doddering, demented old puppet.
I don’t know how gross these “smears” are, but even Leibovich feels the need to remind readers that Biden would have enjoyed his 15th year as a retirement guest if he had worked as a commercial airline pilot or an air-traffic controller.
Similar sentiments: “There is nothing better than the U.S. presidency for speeding the aging process.”
Leibovich’s openness to The Atlantic about his thoughts this week is more significant than it may seem at first glance.
Jeff Blehar, National Review’s editor, put it this way:
Biden is too old.
Leibovich is, for better and worse, one of those wired in journos who can act semi-officially as Establishment Washington’s voice. The Atlantic is a magazine that every person who’s anybody wants to read.
Leibovich’s column, in other words, is not Henry II asking, “Will anyone rid me of this turbulent Priest?”
It’s still close politically. Although the Establishment cannot get rid of Biden right now, they want voters to know that he’s done.
Why would Biden announce that his candidacy is not for now, when he will be running in the midterm elections?
Let me give you a hint. It has nothing to do Biden’s 80th birthday.
It all has to do with Biden’s approval rating which is half his age.
The outcome of a midterm elections is determined by more than one factor. President Barack Obama’s approval rating currently stands at 39.9%, according to RealClearPolitics. On average, 54.4% disapprove of Biden’s performance.
Quinnipiac presented the most severe figures, 35%/56% for a 21 point hole. The Economist’s most brutal figures are 44/51, a 7-point deficit.
Donald Trump was slightly more in control of his finances before the 2018 midterms, when the Democrats retook the House.
The Red Wave will drown many Democrats this fall in unprecedented numbers. They’re going down tied to an albatross named Joe Biden.
Perhaps, just maybe, if Biden had not yet announced his lame duck status before the election, he might not be as prominent in midterm voters’ minds.
Let’s just call Leibovich’s column what it is: A plea for the Democrat establishment’s surrender to a stubborn old man who charts them on a path to disaster.
