Anxious Democrats voiced their opinions of President Biden to the Washington Post about their increasing concerns over his viability and age heading into the 2024 election. One Ohio Democrat was blunt, saying death is imminent for octogenarians like the president.
“He is in a period of his life where passing and death is imminent,” said Sharon Sweda, leader of the Democratic Party in Lorain County, Ohio.
Sweda told the newspaper she “often” hears Democratic voters worry about the president’s health.
“We are all on a ticking clock. But when you’re at his age or at Trump’s age, that clock is ticking a little faster, and that’s a concern for voters,” admitted Sweda.
Another Democrat lawmaker feared the possibility of the president securing the nomination and then dropping out of the race because of health problems. If he won re-election, Biden would be 86 by the end of his second term.
“The worst-case scenario is we get past the nominating process with President Biden as the nominee, and then he’s no longer able to continue on as the nominee,” said the lawmaker in the report. “That’s the nightmare scenario for Democrats.”
However, other Democrats pushed aside these concerns and pointed out that former President Trump is only three years younger.
Recent polling shows the two party’s frontrunners are in a virtual tie with voters in a possible 2024 matchup.
President Biden’s critics and supporters within the Democrat Party suggest that the president could take the lead in the race if he can “overcome a persistent and growing feeling in the electorate that his advanced age is his defining characteristic.”
But Democrats continue to raise concerns about President Biden’s age to the media.
James Carville, longtime Democratic strategist, sounded the alarm over Biden’s viability becoming a real liability for the Dems if he is the presumed nominee. “The voters don’t want this, and that’s in poll after poll after poll,” said Carville to the New York Times Monday. Worrying that the fears could decrease voter turnout, he admitted, “You can’t look at what you look at and not feel some apprehension here.”
Democrat Representative Dean Phillips from Minnesota told NBC News that he believes “there are other candidates who have a better chance and don’t have the actuarial risk that the president has.”
Washington Post columnist advised Biden and Harris to drop out of the race
David Ignatius, a Washington Post columnist, advised President Biden and Vice President Harris to withdraw from the race in a column last week.
“It’s painful to say that, given my admiration for much of what they have accomplished. But if he and Harris campaign together in 2024, I think Biden risks undoing his greatest achievement — which was stopping Trump,” wrote Ignatius.
Polling shows an increasing divide between party leaders and Democratic voters in supporting the incumbent president running for re-election. A CNN poll found two-thirds of Democratic voters want an alternative to be the candidate for the party.
Only one-quarter of Americans polled felt President Biden had the strength and stamina to serve effectively as president.
When asked by reporters about the polls, the White House pointed out the president’s accomplishments and experience in office.
“I can speak to that — a president who has wisdom. I can speak to a president who has experience,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, to Fox News’ Peter Doocy during a recent press briefing. “I can speak to a president who has done historic — has taken historic action and has delivered in historic pieces of legislation. And that’s important.”
