Inside Biden's historic decision to drop out of the 2024 race

[Dulcinea]

(NBC News) Surrounded by a handful of trusted advisers and first lady Jill Biden at his vacation home on the Delaware coast Saturday evening, President Joe Biden reflected on a political career that spanned more than half a century and began to conclude that it would reach its end earlier than planned, according to people familiar with his decision.

Isolated, frustrated and angry, he felt betrayed by allies who turned on him in his hour of need.

“He’s really pissed off,” said a person in touch with Biden’s inner circle.

Mad as he was — and still is — Biden came grudgingly to accept that he could not sustain his campaign with poll numbers slipping, donors fleeing and party luminaries pushing him to exit. He may have been slower than other Democratic insiders to make that calculation, but he fully understood it by Saturday night.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/inside-bidens-historic-decision-drop-043734545.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&segment_id=DY_VTO&ncid=crm_19908-1202929-20240722-0&bt_user_id=AWqU7%2FAy7L1GqfwAES%2FM%2FQjdK0HhsW%2BmuJ5JlAGGMWj%2BmuLTon1fvxl66MeUDSKE&bt_ts=1721648077640

[sop]

1. That's exactly how I thought it would go down: Joe was forced out against his will.

[Deek1935]

2. Yup! A sick and disgusting political hitjob based on nonsense polls, conjecture, rich donors, and SHIT media.

He saw the massive disunity in the party, the damage it was causing, and knew they just wouldn't let up. So he stepped back to try to get the party to unite quickly and get the focus back on The Orange Rapist. He, and all of us, have every right to be thoroughly sickened and disgusted and very angry about how this went down. It was SHIT, and of course he could, and most likely WOULD have beaten The Orange Rapist.

But now we must UNITE RIGHT NOW behind Harris.

[Bengus81]

3. IMO I think this push to get him out started way,way before the debate

I think this started by the same crowd (much smaller at the time) maybe last November/December. But...Biden's ass kicking,out of the park speech at the SOTU blew their plans away. How could they want him OUT when that just happened and people were talking his speech up right and left. So...they had to wait and wait for a opportunity and they got one handed in their laps when the debate happened.

I hope to SHIT they know what they've done and how to somehow make it right to beat Fat HITLER in November. Like the line from the movie Crimson Tide, they've created one HELL of a MESS.

[LT Barclay]

6. They knew. They weren't going to risk Biden unleashed. But they may have put themselves in a bigger bind.

I remember reading about Harris' parents. Radical Berkleyites if I remember correctly. She seems sharp enough to outmaneauver them at every step.
The biggest obstacle to me is the remnants of rascism and misogyny that still plague this country along with a media that is hung up on which candidate is worth drinking a beer with rather than position on issues.

[Lanius]

4. I also don't put much stock in polls, as they've been mostly wrong since 2016.

I think Joe Biden could have won again. It would have been close, but he would have come out on top again IMO.

This shows that the big-money donors have too much power in American politics. They can scuttle a presidential campaign by threatening to withhold money from not only that candidate but down the ballot, as well. That's a huge concern. Even if Biden stepping down is a good decision in the long run, that's still very troubling IMO.

[IbogaProject]

5. I hope we finally make this our issue

It will take time to get enough Senators and a trifecta to get meaningful campaign finance reform going, but that is among the top needs.

[Skittles]

8. seems like it was the correct decision

yup

[Skittles]

7. exactly what I figured

yeah he ultimately did the right thing, but only when cornered about the facts

[Bucky]

9. I keep quoting Gene Hackman from "The Replacements"

“Winners always want the ball when the game is on the line.”

Of course Biden was reluctant to walk away from a job he'd been uniquely successful at. Especially when democracy itself was on the line.