By As anyone who has followed the news knows, last night was a disaster for the Democrats. The New York Post editorial board put it succinctly: “We just witnessed the end of the Biden presidency.
Millions just witnessed the end of a presidency live on television.
Joe Biden’s performance during the debate was embarrassing.
Whenever CNN put him up on the split screen, he had a thousand-yard stare.
He didn’t look old.
He looked ancient.
He looked empty.”
82 percent of those polled following the debate said that Biden should suspend his campaign.
Liberals have come to agree. David Axelrod, who readers know has been calling for Biden to be a one-termer for over a year now, didn’t mince words following the CNN Debate.
Even David Axelrod, a staunch supporter of Biden’s one-term presidency, couldn’t hide his shock. He said, “I think there was a sense of shock actually, how he came out at the beginning of this debate. How his voice sounded that day, you know, he seemed a little disoriented. He did get stronger as the debate went on. By that time, I think the panic had set in and I think … there are gonna be discussions about whether he should continue.”
The one question remains, however, is how can Democrats dump Biden and who will be the frontrunner to replace him?
Bettors all over the country began running toward one name in particular during the debate last night, writes The Daily Caller.
The betting odds for Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom to be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024 have skyrocketed as President Joe Biden’s debate performance spiraled Thursday night, according to PredictIt.
Data from PredictIt shows that since the debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump started, the Democratic governor has jumped up from an 8/100 price to be the party’s nominee to 27/100. His chance to win the presidency jumped from 5/100 to 19/100.
Additional data from Oddschecker for the winner of 2024’s presidential general election show Newsom with 20-1 odds, while Biden sits at just under 3-1.
Newsom has often been touted as a top candidate to replace Biden as concerns about the president’s age and fitness have mounted in recent months, calling into question whether he would run for reelection. Other names that have been floated are Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, in addition to Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Democrats may want to make sure Newsom avoids debating altogether, though. The last one he participated in could have gone better.
The whole process could run into one major hangup for the California governor, however. According to reports, the only person allowed to use the massive war chest of campaign funds is Vice President Kamala Harris.
Dumping Biden will not be an easy task, writes The Washington Examiner, and opening up the convention could lead to major chaos.
“The primary season has been anything but competitive for the presidential ticket this election cycle. Biden holds 95% of the support of nearly 4,000 delegates who have pledged to vote for the president at the Democratic National Convention. While there is no legal rule requiring them to vote for Biden, more than 50% of them would need to turn on the president to halt him from receiving the nomination.
Reforms to the Democratic National Convention after 2016 have made it so the 700 superdelegates, composed of Democratic lawmakers and dignitaries, are now only allowed to vote if no one wins a majority of pledged delegates on the first ballot. In a contested convention, their votes become crucial.
While the convention isn’t until August, Democrats had planned to nominate Biden virtually before the convention due to concerns about ballot access in Ohio. Biden was at risk of not appearing on ballots in Ohio as the Buckeye State’s deadline for candidates to qualify for ballot access fell before the Democratic National Convention.
If Biden does not step down, it is unlikely mass swaths of Democratic delegates would vote against the man they were sent to Chicago to vote for. Nevertheless, the Democratic National Convention differs from the Republican National Convention in that delegates can switch their vote if done ‘in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.’”
For his part, Biden has said he’s not going anywhere. An adviser told CNN that not only does the president not plan to drop out, but he remains committed to a second debate in September.
[Read More: Calls For Biden Campaign Leaders To Be Fired]
