We all know that Biden already has 99 percent of the pledged delegates at the Democratic National Convention required to vote for him on the first ballot. There is no mechanism by which to remove him as nominee. There is no plausible way to sidestep Kamala Harris, who would be the obvious choice to replace Biden if such a mechanism existed.
There is no
evidence Biden is willing to end his campaign. And it would be nearly
impossible for Democrats to replace him unless he chooses to step aside. The
only way he won’t be the nominee is if he voluntarily withdraws. He won't do
that because he loves being president.
He believes
he deserves to be president. He thinks he should have been president in 1988.
He probably thinks, deep down, that he should have run in 2016 and would have defeated
Donald Trump if he was the nominee instead of Hillary Clinton (and he’s
probably right about that). He views the presidency as the capstone on his
decades-long career in public service.
He is
surrounded by loyal advisers. All but two of his original cabinet appointees
are still serving, and neither of the ones who left departed over policy
disagreements. He has a functioning administration that is executing vast
policy changes nearly every day. And he has raised tons of money and will raise
a ton more before the election comes.
Biden
indicated that he had no plans to do that, telling supporters in Atlanta
shortly after he left the debate stage, “Let’s keep going.” Biden campaign
spokesperson Lauren Hitt was even clearer, saying Friday: “Of course he’s not
dropping out.”
Read more: 2024 Presidential Election Quiz to see who you should vote for Tuesday, November 5, 2024
The vice
president is Biden’s running mate, but that doesn’t mean she can swap in for
him at the top of the ticket by default. Biden also can’t decree that she
replace him should he suddenly decide to leave the race.
Even if Biden opts to abandon his reelection
campaign, Harris would likely join other top Democratic candidates looking to replace
him. But that would probably create a scenario where she and others end up
lobbying individual state delegations at the convention for their support. If
Biden were to abruptly leave the race, conservative groups have suggested they
will file lawsuits around the country, potentially questioning the legality of
the Democratic candidate’s name on the ballot.
Don't forget: The only way Biden won’t be the nominee is if he voluntarily withdraws. He will never do that because he believes that he is putting the country first by running again because what is good for the country is for Joe Biden to be president.