Hillary Clinton says Biden's re-election bid cost Democrats the 2024 election

[pat_k]

56. Yes. But he was a stubborn man too convinced that he could overcome any challenge.

His determination made him a good president.

I think that determination turned into a stubborn bullheaded belief that he could overcome "the age problem," just as he had overcome so many seemingly insurmountable challenges in his personal and political life.

And that was a terrible mistake.

But he was not alone in his belief in himself.

Before he announced I had many, many, many, many heated conversations with my step-father.

My step-father was convinced Biden was absolutely the best candidate and absolutely should run. He didn't think there was anyone else out there as strong. He said I was just being ageist.

I was sending messages to the White House begging him not to run. (Others I knew were "praying" for the same in their own ways. Sending my little pleas into the WH abyss was my "prayer" ).

I was flabbergasted with my step-father's view. Every argument I highlighted the many pluses for this or that great candidate. We had, and have, so many great candidates on our bench. He was worried that Kamala would be "anointed" and wasn't the best. I argued she would have challengers. He always had reasons against this or that person. I would get pissed and end up saying (or yelling) that's what a primary is for!!

As time passed and Biden put off making the decision (compressing time for "the field" to emerge) I became increasingly angry and my step-father increasingly convinced that Biden would, and should run.

It wasn't even a month into Biden's campaign that my step-father told me I was right. He had been watching campaign events and realized Biden was not looking good. The campaign my step-father was seeing was miles away from his image of what a Biden campaign would look like. Age had done what age does and Biden was visibly dimished by it.

But then it was too late. We all had to rally behind him and believe this man could pull it off with our support.

And we all know what happen next.

If he hadn't run, would the party have "anointed" Kamala as next in line? Maybe. Maybe not. Had she been "anointed" would a full campaign season have given her space to separate herself from Biden and build a truly winning campaign? Maybe. Maybe not. If it had been a "field" in the running, would it result in the party coalescing behind a candidate that would go on to win? Maybe. Maybe not

The only thing wrong with Hillary's statement is the unequivocal assertion that the decision cost Democrats the Presidency.

We will never know the path not taken. But I do agree that running was a terrible mistake.

The path not taken may not have led to victory, but at least it was not a path that was doomed from the start.