We’re seeing a lot of agitation from the left as to whether Biden should run for re-election. While most of the complaints about his administration are misguided, as I’ve noted in previous posts, his age and inability to sell the Democratic product to the public make the question a fair one.
Here is my analysis of the situation:
- If Trump runs and is the nominee, Biden definitely should run, because he is the perfect Trump foil; Trump can’t play his favorite card, identity politics, against him. His age is not much of an issue, he is willing to let Trump take center stage and destroy himself, and his candidacy makes January 6 the principal issue in the campaign, which works to the Democrats’ advantage.
- If someone else (presumably DeSantis) is the GOP nominee, he should not run, because the contrast with a much younger candidate who is not tainted by January 6 would not work to his advantage. A race between Biden and DeSantis would revolve around energy, competence, and ideology, not the dangers posed by a counterrevolutionary GOP with a narcissistic, autocratic leader.