Biden is leaving –

On September 25, 1987, the Soviet newspaper Izvestia came out with the headline “J. Biden was taken out of the game.” At that time, the relatively young senator from Delaware tried to fight for the nomination, but “major forces, namely the White House” decided otherwise. 37 years later, Biden himself is in the White House, but, as then, there were those who were larger and more influential.

Just a day ago, Biden had no plans to go anywhere. His headquarters threatened to continue the campaign, but after lunch on Sunday, everything changed dramatically. The sidelined Biden spoke about his decision announced in a one-page letter in which he promised to complete his term, and shortly thereafter published tweet supporting Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.

What happened in these 24 hours that so radically changed both Biden’s own opinion and the entire pre-election scenario?

It seems that those who have been standing behind the scenes all this time and pulling the strings (Obama, the Clintons, Pelosi and company) have finally decided to stage a palace coup and, in true mafia style, have formulated an offer that the head of the White House could not refuse.

Hunter’s laptop, which contains binges, corruption, and Ukraine, is the tip of the iceberg. Biden’s closets have accumulated many skeletons over the decades.

It is possible that the final argument in convincing Biden was the prospect of using for the first time in history the shameful and humiliating 25th Amendment to the US Constitution, which allows the president to be forcibly removed from his office.

That would have destroyed the last crumbs he still considers his legacy. And so Biden agreed to step aside. That’s why they promised him that he would serve out the rest of his term.

Will he last? For example, House Speaker Mike Johnson called the feeble Biden to resign immediately. The same thing was demanded the day before (if Biden withdraws) by US Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance. However, it is not a fact that Biden’s continued stay in power (until January 20, 2025) is so unfavorable for the Republicans. Especially since his successor is more or less a match.

It was not for nothing that Trump called his rival, who dropped out of the race, “the worst president in US history.” statedthat it will be easier for him to defeat Vice President Harris. According to the polls, she is a complete clone of her boss. However, the Democrats really don’t have anyone better. Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton are too exotic options. The relatively young governors of Michigan and California (Whitmer and Newsom) hardly want to be thrown under the “tank named Trump.” America doesn’t really know the rest.

Biden’s endorsement (or “endorsement” on the advice of “friends”) of Harris’s candidacy may mean that Democrats have essentially resigned themselves to losing the White House in November 2024 and will focus on creating a counterweight to Trump in Congress early in his presidency.

In recent weeks, it was the frightened senators and congressmen who were urging the US president to quickly drop out of the race. He was dragging them down.

From now on, much depends on the delegates to the Democratic convention in August and the quality of party discipline in the Democratic Party. Incidentally, there are always problems with it. There is a lot of bargaining ahead, intrigue, and maybe even a riot. Harris is far from an ideal candidate. She was chosen at one time on racial grounds. And the formula of “former prosecutor versus active criminal”, which some American liberals insist on, was itself nullified after the assassination attempt on Trump. He is a victim of a crime.

And how can one shake off the feeling of déjà vu? The previous US president to voluntarily drop out of the race for a second term was Lyndon Johnson. In 1968, Johnson, whose popularity had plummeted due to the Vietnam War, supported the nomination of his vice president, Hubert Humphrey. The Democratic convention where it all happened was held in Chicago. Ironically, the 2024 Democratic convention will also be held there. Humphrey lost that election to Richard Nixon in a landslide. Such are the grim parallels for Democrats.

The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the editors.