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Associated Press - Joe Biden Ends 2024 Campaign for President (apnews.com)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

22 comments fedilink hide all child comments

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.

The decision comes after escalating pressure from Biden’s Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 debate, in which the 81-year-old president trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to call out the former president’s many falsehoods. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump, and encouraged his party to united behind her.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Personally, I'm glad to see it. Biden's obvious cognitive decline has been very public for the last several years, and as we all saw with the debate, was impossible to hide when his appearance couldn't be stage managed.

He endorses Kamala. It would be an interesting turn of events if she were to be elected, but looking at her tough-on-crime record against nonviolent drug users and truants, I get the sense it would draw more comparisons to Kyrsten Sinema than Eleanor Roosevelt.

It'll be interesting to see where things go from here.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

While I'm sure you know this and are just stressing this to showcase the rhetorics opponents could use, it's important to note that she was "tough-on-crime" in a time when the popular policy was to prosecute martyrs to the death. Yes, she was tough, but also relatively very reformist. She even wrote a whole book about that.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Actually I don't, so I appreciate that reply. I just remember reading a ton of articles and material on how heavy handed she was as a DA and it made me wish Biden's running mate were someone less authoritarian and more progressive.

Is there actually policy on her part or a voting record to back it up, or is it more of a rhetorical position? (Genuinely interested here, not trying to be argumentative.)

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I'm very much anti-cop, and don't like a lot of her crime policies, because she was tough on crime, but she did have a big focus on programs to reduce recidivism, especially among minors.

In 2005, then San Francisco District Attorney Harris created a reentry initiative called Back on Track, which aimed to reduce recidivism among certain low-level, non-violent drug offenders. Over a two-year period, the program reduced recidivism among its graduates to less than 10 percent.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 months ago (1 children)

A DA will be a nice foil to the convicted felon.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

Could be. They can't do much worse than Biden as far as campaigning goes.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Can we also say that it is obvious and TOTALLY REASONABLE cognitive decline for a stressful job being held by an octogenarian.

Trump, who’s not far behind, has never been all there, gets no such comparisons.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You won't get any disagreement from me on that point, but unfortunately, neither you nor I are billionaires, so we have no power over the decision of rich people to pull a real-life Weekend at Bernie's routine.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

Let's not forget that Bernie was a wealthy, criminal businessman from Manhattan in that movie.