I think it’s best for the country if he stays in the race because he’s the incumbent and the best (according to the polls) person to replace him is already on the ticket. Also, if you think they’re gonna put someone progressive up, I have some bad news. Essentially, take every position Biden has, and you can safely assume his replacement will be at best as good, and probably at least a little bit worse.
It is obvious to anyone that is objectively evaluating the data that Joe Biden has no pathway to victory in this election.
538 puts his chances above Trump’s. The Keys to the White House puts Joe Biden as favored to win (at least, that’s the expected prediction). I have yet to find a single poll that puts Biden below Trump by more than the margin of Error unless that poll shows 18 to 20-somethings largely voting for Trump, which suggests a sampling bias. Donald Trump already lost to Joe Biden, and since then he attempted an insurrection. Pair the previous fact with the data suggesting Trump didn’t get the expected boost from the assassination attempt, and you reach the inevitable conclusion that America probably hates Trump.
Each individual datum I presented defies your conclusion, so I’m given to wonder why you have such confidence that it’s not just unlikely but impossible not only for Biden to win but for a reasonable person to disagree? What outstanding evidence do you have that would allow you to reasonably reach this strongest of all conclusions?
Edit: for those of you having trouble reading, I’m criticizing this person claiming that everyone who disagrees is unreasonable.
538 puts his chances above Trump’s.
And they have an amazing track record in predicting who can beat Trump.
18 to 20-somethings largely voting for Trump, which suggests a sampling bias.
What do you mean by that? That 18-20s don’t largely vote R or that they are being disproportionately represented in the data?
Because for the former, Steve Bannon has been working to corrupt the “gaming” community completely. My YouTube algorithm associates gaming with right wing material so he’s already succeeded in that department. Not that all 18-20s are gamers, but I believe more of them are than older generations.
A. That’s a bald faced lie. 538 shows 50/50ish odds right now because it’s heavily weighted to do so until after the conventions.
B. Polling in Pennsylvania, the only swing state Trump needs to win, is disastrous for Biden.
C. The bullet bump is hitting now. Polling is always delayed, the news stories breathlessly published the day after were nothing but click bait.
None of these models take into account the issue that an 81-year old cannot campaign as effectively as a younger person. It’s very unlikely that Biden can turn the tide in his favour through a great debate performance or speech. The best Campaign he can run is by hiding such that voters do not see how old and fragile he is. That’s not our best bet for beating Trump.
538 is not what it was. Nate Silver left and took the model with him. The current 538 model is new and untested. The old 538 model has Biden at 26%.
because he’s the incumbent
There’s an argument to be made that incumbency could actually be a drag right now. People don’t feel the government is working for them and they blame those currently in power. We saw with Trump that a lot of people will vote for any kind of change, even if it’s objectively worse.
There’s an argument to be made that incumbency could actually be a drag right now.
Alright, make it. People haven’t felt like the government has been working for them since I was old enough to vote, so I very much doubt that by itself is really your reasoning. People tell me that I change my mind surprisingly easily, so go ahead.
Look at the wave of right wing populists winning across Europe. Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, and a bunch of other countries have elected these kind of anti-establishment candidates. Same pattern as “MAGA” conservatives in the US. These people don’t win elections because they’re competent. They aren’t even good campaigners. They get elected because they’re promising to trash the system.
It’s not just that people don’t feel like the government is working for them, it’s that they are looking to authoritarianism to provide solutions.
That ship has sailed. Americans don’t turn out for weakness. Whether it’s a squee while the 70 ton Main Battle Tank you’re riding in takes a jump or showing up to a debate cosplaying “confused old man”.
It’s not rational and political analysts hate it but it’s always been true. Biden had about a week to go on a barnstorm and show us the debate was a fluke and he handled it the exact wrong way. He stayed home and let his campaign staff try to spin things. He needs to step aside now.
