Biden should resign and make Harris the incumbent prior to the general election, here's why

[duckworth969]

Joe has been the greatest Prez in my lifetime. In three and a half short years, he brought us back from the brink and righted our ship. His accomplishments are astounding.

But this morning, I came to the conclusion that Joe should resign prior to the election. I know that sounds dramatic and it is. If you want to know more about that opinion, there’s a link below to my previous thread.

History shows that incumbents very seldom lose elections. Harris being the Prez not only increases her odds to win, but magnifies the size of her landslide and the power of her mandate.

Timing is tricky and will require Harris’ to walk hard and chew mighty big gum prior to the election. But that’s the gig.

Harris hits the ground on solid footing for her swearing in and puts wind in her sails at the start of her administration.

I think it’s time for us to use our own October Surprise on the Repugs. October 1st or thereabouts sounds good. The shorter the distance between October and the general election gives the Saudis and Russkies less time to jack around with gas prices.

Just prior to the election, Joe could again release gas from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve which he’s done before to keep our enemies at bay. Something that’s gone unnoticed by many is that he has broken the back of OPEC.

Joe is a sly old fox. He skillfully outmaneuvers the MAGAS at nearly every turn. But to my mind, he could even do even more for the future of the country he loves this way.

The longer the time frame we have for reforms and the strengthening our institutions will making fending off fascism in the coming decades much easier.

I want Harris to have eight years to do this rather than four.

If it’s one thing we’ve learned about the Federalist Society/Heritage Foundation and their ilk, they play the long game over decades. We need to do the same to keep authoritarians out of power.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219221753

[flying_wahini]

1. Nope, nope, nope.

[ornotna]

2. No

Next!

[DFab420]

3. Absolutely not. This is such a bad idea.

First off of making Mike Johnson, second in line to the presidency.

Secondly, the last thing we need to do a saddle, Kamala Harris, with pressures of running the country while, she should be campaigning

[Lochloosa]

58. He is already 2nd in line. VP Harris is 1st in line.

It's an easy mistake to make.

[Attilatheblond]

62. Thinking he would be FIRST in line if Biden resigned and Harris became POTUS

He would move back down to second in line only after a new VP was nominated, confirmed, sworn in

[Lochloosa]

64. Agree, but she would never get a VP confirmed by the election.

[Attilatheblond]

68. EXACTLY! and that is why it's a HORRIBLE idea

Being unable to get a VP confirmed by election would be one problem, but the GOP would drag their feet to prevent a confirmation before the election would be certified and wouldn't that leave certification up to.....? Speaker Moses Mike? Not sure but it would be a GOP wet dream.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. The idea has been debunked several times. MAGA Mike would be 2nd in line

And don't think these wing nuts won't get ideas.

[Lochloosa]

60. He is already 2nd in line. VP Harris is 1st in line.

It's an easy mistake to make.

[dweller]

5. No

She should get 2 full terms

And Biden can finish his successful 1


✌🏻

[republianmushroom]

6. NO !

[kimbutgar]

7. No I want President Biden to finish out his term and be there beside Kamala when she takes the oath of office.

Running for President and also being president is a lot of work, Give Kamala the time to campaign and kick the convicted felons a$$.

[catbyte]

8. That would hobble Harris as far as campaigning if she has to assume the Presidency, even for only 6 months.

Sorry, but I don't see the upside at this point.

[Think. Again.]

9. Nah, Harris has a bit of campaigning to do right now...

Biden can hold the fort for her for a bit.

[Ocelot II]

10. Absolutely not! She'd have to take on the presidency and her campaign at the same time,

which would make both tasks far more difficult. And then there's the problem of replacing her in the VP position. She could appoint someone, but that person would have to be approved by both houses of Congress, and the GOP in those bodies won't approve anyone, leaving a crucial vacancy until 1/20/25, when she and her running mate could be sworn in together. If something happened to Harris before then, guess who would become president? Mike Johnson, that's who. And who would be responsible for certifying the election if there's no vice president?

[NoRethugFriends]

11. yes. and have no vice president. truly a wonderful idea

[hamsterjill]

12. I want to see Joe complete his term.

Honestly, I’m excited about what he can do now that some constraints of campaigning for a second term may have limited before.

He still has almost six months.

[BamaRefugee]

13. I'm curious if that would be her first term, and the actual election her second?

So she gets no shot at being re-elected?

[Bev54]

24. No it is not, if she took over with less than 2 years left she can run for 2 more terms but

if the PO believes that then again it is contradictive to the argument. There is far more reasons for Biden to remain for the end of his term than there are for him stepping down now.

[edisdead]

29. What does scrotus think about that?

[Bev54]

34. What does SCOTUS think about anything? They are out of control.

But it is pretty clear in the constitution.

[Groundhawg]

84. Presidents can serve up to 10 years.

[FlyingPiggy]

14. ABSOLUTELY NOT.

[Bev54]

15. No and you contradict yourself saying he should step down now but should in Oct

"release gas from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve". How do you propose he do this if he is no longer president? Why would she not have 8 years instead of 4? Your whole premise makes no sense at all.

[stopdiggin]

16. funny thing - the Repubs are calling for the same

So ... Probably not the greatest idea ever .. ?

[Disaffected]

17. I'm wondering about that strategy as well.

One advantage of Biden staying on however is that frees up Harris to do pretty much nothing but campaigning. Newly taking on the presidency as well as campaigning would be a v large work load.

I'm also not sure the incumbency advantage would be all the great given the short time frame to the election.

Also, there would be no VP which would put MAGA Mike next in line.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

18. We elected him to do his job,

and if he resigns before she is inaugurated, he won't have completed the job we elected him to do. That could put a tarnish on the very end of his career of public service.

Besides I think she will win anyway.

[Scrivener7]

19. No.

[Fiendish Thingy]

20. Bad idea

As VP, Harris is unencumbered with the duties of president, and can campaign daily if needed and desired, at a pace Trump could never match.

It’s the ground game that is going to win this race in the swing states, and if the nominee is going full steam ahead, that will inspire the local teams and volunteers as well.

[SunSeeker]

21. No. We need the VP to break Senate ties. A new VP would need House & Senate confirmation.

Mike Johnson would never let a new VP get confirmed in the House, and even if he did, McConnell would make sure that new VP would never get Senate confirmation, just like he did with Merrick Garland.

We cannot lose our Senate majority for the next 6 months. We would not be able to appoint a single federal judge, nor pass any legislation.

Bad idea.

And Harris is part of the current administration as VP. For all intents and purposes, she is the incumbent. She just secured all the pledged delegates unopposed, like an incumbent.

We don't gain anything by Biden resigning. On the contrary, we lose the Senate. No thanks. That's why the Republicans have been calling for Biden to resign. Fuck that.

[Retrograde]

22. Another reason: January 6, 2025

the vice-president is required to certify the electoral votes on that day. If Biden resigns, legally Harris may appoint a new VP, but that has to be ratified by both houses - and Mikey Johnson isn't going to let his caucus vote for anyone but a Trumper.

Besides, I think Biden is capable of handling most of the day-to-day aspects of the presidency as long as he doesn't have the rigors of running a campaign piled on top of that.

[Traildogbob]

61. Bingo

And Johnson can refuse to certify and accept alternate electors as acting VP. He has less integrity than Pence, if that’s possible. Jesus, let’s stop pulling shit out the ass. Let Joe and Kamala’s team do what’s needs to be done to win. They don’t need us farting out idea’s, people being paid big bucks to run this campaign, that know a little sumpin bout things. 😠

[TheKentuckian]

91. This is the big one. She will.need to certify her election.

[Demsrule86]

95. If Gore had won...would have been the same...the votes are already counted...largely ceremonial

[TheKentuckian]

97. It should be but keep in mind what happened last time.

Can't count on largely ceremonial because the fascists will try anything.

[ms liberty]

23. Terrible idea. We would have no VP, a POTUS hampered by being thrust in the job at the last minute

In the middle of a campaign
AND
if something happened to her after she took office and before her swearing in on Jan 20th If she won) we would have President Mike Johnson (R-Christofascism). Why, because they would never get a VP approved and sworn in withn that time period. The RWNJ'S would use procedural maneuvering to stop it.

So, that's a hard no from me.

[Emile]

36. I think Mike Johnson would resign his speakership and

they would vote Trump as speaker. Hard telling where it would go from there.

[edisdead]

25. Hell Fuck NO!

[ImNotGod]

26. No way, wrong, very wrong, Pres Biden is going to kick fascist butt in is last months of service. nt

[Talitha]

27. That's a definite no.

[democrattotheend]

28. I think that is a bad idea for so many reasons

1) Biden is great at governing, just not so much at campaigning. Let him do what he's great at for 6 more months.
2) Most new presidents stumble a lot in their first 100 days, and that's despite having the time to focus on the presidency. Having Kamala adjust to being president while simultaneously campaigning to be president would stretch her way too thin and only amplify the possibility for mistakes.
3) If he resigns it will open even more questions about his health and Republicans accusing her of covering it up.
4) He deserves to finish out his term. That is the least he deserves.
5) Like all incoming presidents, Kamala needs time to prepare for a smooth transition.

[lame54]

40. No. 4 for sure

[True Dough]

30. Have you reconsidered your stance, OP?

There are surely better things to propose.

[Emile]

31. Joe can get a lot accomplished between now and

the end of his term. He is still teaching Kamala how to get things through Congress with a Republican majority.

[LiberalFighter]

32. No. That is not a typical incumbency

It would take too much time from campaigning.

Taking over would require more time to transition.

[haele]

33. Sooo, will she be able to get a VP through Congress in time to certify the election?

That's the rub.
In the past, before Newt Gingrich, I could see Congress giving an auto-accept to a VP replacement, and if something had happened to the Shrub or TFG or their VPs, I could see a Democratic led Congress approving anyone that was the VP replacement, but Mike Johnson is obviously salivating at the chance to be President and remake America into Amerikkka.

Nope. Sorry, I disagree.

Haele

[duckworth969]

35. I adore Biden, he's the best. If you want to know more how truly about I feel about him

…as a man and our Prez, my Prez, you should read my other post linked below.

I didn’t post this lightly at all, not in the least.

[lame54]

37. Don't F with what's working...

Give Joe a complete term

[Raven123]

38. Being POTUS is not just a label. There's a lot of responsibility and TIME involved.

With about 100 days before the election Harris needs to focus on the campaign.

[badhair77]

39. No, just no.

Let Joe run the country while Kamala campaigns. trump will do himself in going after her.

[Peacetrain]

41. I do not even know where to start with this.. so I'll jump to the end

NOOOO

[duckworth969]

42. I get why people think this a bad idea

And many of you are absolutely right and make valid points. That Biden should go out how he wants, and yes, he can do more for our country in the next six months.

But I’m genuinely scared for him as a human being. If I recollect, he’s had COVID twice. I don’t want to see such a good man die with his boots on. I want to him to have time to rest and reflect for the remainder of his days.

[Torchlight]

55. Seems that sentiment would then apply consistently to anyone holding office

who's been ill in the past. Should they all immediately resign? If not, what then is the difference between that and yours?

[lastlib]

43. No, and HELL NO! eom

[Cherrycheeks]

44. Hell to the ...

No!

[Mister Ed]

45. NO!

As it stands now, Biden is free to devote his full attention to running the country, and Harris is free to devote her full attention to campaigning.

To staff and establish a new administration takes a great deal of time and effort. Harris should do that after her victory in November, not during the campaign season.

[ebbie15644]

46. Nope

[krawhitham]

47. NO, but it would be funny to make all of trumps' 47th potus merch useless

[duckworth969]

48. Firestorm on this post but I expected that

But I don’t take the criticism personal.

Not ashamed to say I weeped hard on Sunday for the man and the position he’s in

Again, it would be helpful to get a complete picture of how I feel about Joe if you would read my original post.

[quaint]

57. Maybe you should read the responses and answer our concerns.

Do you have a care about Mike in line and the Secret Service we currentky have?
Do you have a plan to have a VP confirmed to certify the election?
Our president is doing fine, getting well, going to speak tomorrow.

[Jeebo]

49. I think VP Kamala Harris should oversee the certification on Jan. 6.

I want Vice President Kamala Harris to be overseeing the certification of the electoral college votes on January 6, 2025. And, of course, I also hope and believe that she will also be the president-elect at that time. I also want TWO heartbeats in place ahead of Mike Johnson's until then.

-- Ron

[usonian]

50. I have been and will forever be, Biden's number 1 advocate, if not poster, BUT

I respect his decision, and move on, as he requests, to better things for Joe, Kamala, the country and world.
https://democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=19218700

As for putting Moscow Mike in the chain of succession, all I can say is (and Joe seems to agree)

[Botany]

51. No

Really bad idea besides Joe still has lots of work still to do.

[greatauntoftriplets]

52. Nope.

President Biden fell on his sword for the good of the country. He doesn't need to be pushed out without finishing his term.

[elias7]

53. I'm guessing he's way ahead of you and has a thought this option through thoroughly

[Bernardo de La Paz]

54. Harris is as good as incumbent. Erasing that technicality doesn't really make a difference. . . . nt

[Pisces]

56. Absolutely not

[CousinIT]

59. Then Mike Johnson becomes VP and refuses to certify the 2024 election in congress.

As I understand it, leaving the VP slot open means Congress has to vote to fill it. Imagine who MAGA would choose. That person will certify the 2024 election in Congress.

Not good.

[onenote]

65. Johnson would not become VP. Section 2 of the 25th Amendment

"Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress."

I think you'll agree that there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that President Harris would nominate Johnson. And as a practical matter, it is unlikely that a majority of the House would vote to confirm anyone Harris nominated, so the office of VP would remain vacant.

[ColinC]

86. It would remain vacant until January

Alas since we have an election anyways it probably isn’t all that risky of a move.

[ColinC]

83. Why do people keep saying this

He will be next in line to the presidency, NOT vp

[louslobbs]

63. Nah....

We’re good……thanks though!

[Blue Dawn]

66. No.

Republicans would love to see Biden step away from the presidency. Mike Johnson is already calling for him to resign and seems apoplectic that Biden has no plans to vacate the Oval Office.

Screw Mike and the tiny MAGAt horse he rode in on.

Let's not perpetuate this ill-conceived idea further.

[Elessar Zappa]

67. I respect your opinion but I strongly disagree.

One, we won’t have a VP
Two, Kamala is now free to campaign how she wants without the added pressures of being President.
Three, Joe is very good at his job and deserves to finish out his term.

[duckworth969]

69. It's the compassion I have for Joe as a human being

That moved me to start this thread.

He was put in a no-win situation and is stepping out of a job he loves and always wanted. None of us can understand on any level what he’s going through.

Reasonable speculation suggests it took a party elder(s) to point blank tell him if he tried to seek a second term, he was looking down the barrel at a brokered convention. The last two times that happened we got Nixon and Reagan, so chew on that for a moment. Can you imagine the final legacy for Biden being that his decision to run for a second term, and against all odds, losing? I seem to remember similar in 2016. From a hard-nosed perspective and taking the long view, don’t tell me that shit can’t happen.

Nor do we know what’s been happening behind the scenes. Especially concerning this second bout of COVID he contracted.

I wish circumstances were different for him and trust him to do the right thing. I fully expect he will want to finish out his term.

And I admit it’s entirely possible I’m transferring my anguish for him. But I’m not sure I can separate that out.

So why not take a no-win situation and flip on its head for a final blow against our enemies?

I leave you with this thought; “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”

We need to think and plan for life after Bidens’ work.

[ibegurpard]

72. Are you actually reading the replies?

NO ONE has an issue with what you just said.
If Biden resigns and Harris becomes president there will be no VP and an extremely hostile Republican House that will NOT vote to confirm Harris's replacement. Which leaves no VP to counter what Republicans have planned at election certification time.
Stop it.

[honest.abe]

77. Sorry I replied to wrong post, but I agree with you.

[Torchlight]

76. I'm still confused as to what objective benefit arises from Biden resigning immediately.

You have been very vague on that point, yet it seems central to your premise, if not your entire premise.

[Iggo]

99. lol...stop. You're killing me.

[ZonkerHarris]

70. thread trashed

[Demsrule86]

71. No

[Hekate]

73. Absolutely not

[elocs]

74. No, and the reason why has been explained for those paying attention. Evidently you weren't.

[Happy Hoosier]

75. Nopeity nope nope.

1) Joe deserves the dignity of finishing his term.
2) The Presidency is a tough job at the best of times. It's terrificly harder to have the job suddenly thust upon you AND you have to stand up a major national campaign, AND you have to actually get out and campaign!!

In short, Joe can and should complete his term, and leave Kamal free to build her campaign and campaign like hell.

[Vinca]

78. I don't think that's a good idea at all. #1 - it would reinforce the meme about Biden and he doesn't

deserve that. #2 - we've got the best of both worlds with a President who is still acting positively for the American people and a Vice President who can devote more of her time to campaigning. With only a little over a hundred days to go, we need to give her time and space and if she had to spend it in the Oval Office it wouldn't make sense at this point.

[honest.abe]

79. That's a very bad idea for a number of reasons and simply wont happen.

Things are going great now. Lets keep it going!

[CentralMass]

80. No.

[lizardkingjr]

81. Hard pass

As long as Joe Biden is POTUS, Kamala Harris can concentrate nearly 100% on campaigning for POTUS.

[ColinC]

82. Perhaps AFTER he brokers a ceasefire

Perhaps.

[meadowlander]

85. Incumbency is a disadvantage this year. Incumbents are being thrown out all over the globe.

People are pissed about inflation, the Covid responses and Gaza. Kamala doesn't gain anything by being an incumbent and the perception of being responsible for those things coming back into play. She benefits from being a fresh new face that finally broke the stalemate we've been in since 2021 really.

Also, a big factor in the "incumbent advantage" is name recognition and I just don't think that applies here. She has a reasonably high profile as VP. And Trump is going to lose because people hate Trump. All Kamala has to do is show up and be normal.

[FloridaBlues]

87. Pres Biden has stepped down per his own party nudge.

It’s an insult to ask him to leave office now. Let him complete his term.

[R0ckyRac00n]

88. Uh.....

NO

[NNadir]

89. Good idea. Make a crazed Christian Taliban freak next in line for the Presidency.

Our President is just fine where he is. I look forward to him turning the reins over to VP Harris in January, not before.

[wnylib]

90. Say what?

[redstatebluegirl]

92. ABSOLUTELY NOT!

[Demsrule86]

93. No

[xmas74]

94. She has a campaign to run.

The best thing for her is for him to stay in office during the election.

[Rstrstx]

96. If he turned over some big projects to her that could give her some experience but..

..let Biden stay at the helm because we will be needing a VP, especially for the counting of the votes.

If Maga Mike were serious about Biden needing to step aside he should be 100% willing to say he would approve an interim VP pick and has enough Republican votes to do it. Betchya he would change his mind real fast.

[Iggo]

98. The first 100 days of a presidency and the last 100 days of a presidential campaign shouldn't be the same 100 days.