So will Biden's newfound capacity to speak and act as he sees fit, political consequences be damned. Even that simple recognition will go a long way toward giving people a new reason to consider putting a bit more of their trust in government again. His recognition that America needs a new generation of leaders will resonate with younger voters and give the Democrats a chance to have a nomination contest that is worthwhile. Having to navigate a Republican Congress while seeking re-election will not be pretty.Īll that can change if President Biden announces that he is not running. That stood President Biden in good stead for dealing with the Ukraine crisis, but everything else seems out of sync and getting worse. Of course, they are all creatures of Washington. Their political mishandling of multiple issues has been both shocking and, perhaps more importantly, deeply corrosive of the trust any government needs. The President's team has an unfortunate penchant for insular Washington-based thinking, and it's undermined whatever goodwill was created by defeating Trump. And it allows Biden to legitimately point out that since he isn't seeking another term, decisions he makes going forward will in no way be driven by political gain. It releases candidates from the anchor he represents, tying them to a deeply unpopular president. By doing so, I think Biden could change the political environment almost overnight.Īnnouncing that he won't be running accomplishes two goals. That is, he should announce immediately that he will not seek reelection in 2024.

President Biden can only save the Democrats-and by extension, the country-by promising that this is his final act. He won't do this with more speeches or press conferences or barnstorming the country. There is one figure in American politics who I think could shift this dynamic: President Biden. The party seems to be careening toward a disaster in the midterms. Wade, the basic political environment for the Democratic Party appears largely unchanged. Which means that President Joe Biden must not run again in 2024.Įven as the country navigates the January 6 hearings, the aftermath of the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, and a wave of controversial Supreme Court decisions including the overturning of Roe v. Recent explosive testimony from the January 6 Committee hearings has proven even further what we all already know: Donald Trump must not become president, ever again.

Im begging begging you