More and more Democrats are urging Joe Biden to abandon his re-election campaign and make way for a younger candidate after a series of embarrassing gaffes and disappointing performances, most notably his recent debate performance.
Concerns have grown in recent weeks, with the president facing criticism from politicians, donors, insiders and Telegraph readers.
An exclusive poll by The Telegraph shows that 88 percent of the more than 73,000 voters think Biden should withdraw.
Reader Andrew Ravenscroft is on the side of the majority. “Biden has lost all the mental capacity he had. I wouldn’t trust him to feed the cat and yet he could be POTUS for another four years. It doesn’t matter if he runs again, he should resign now and put his country first, like Harold Wilson did here in the 70s,” he says.
Elizabeth Watts shared a similar sentiment: “I feel really sad and sorry for Joe Biden, but he’s letting his ego get in the way of the best interests of his country.
“He believes he’s the only one who can win in November. Democrats will vote overwhelmingly for whoever their nominee is. Kamala Harris is far from ideal and one poll showed her with higher ratings than Joe Biden. It would be elder abuse to let this man sit for another four years.”
Amid speculation about potential Biden replacements, The Telegraph has conducted a poll asking its readers which Democrat they think Donald Trump could become in the presidential election.
Michelle Obama won with 59 percent of the vote; 23 percent of the nearly 38,000 voters chose “none of the above”; and Gavin Newsom came in second with 6 percent of the vote.
This is according to a Reuters and Ipsos survey, which shows that the 60-year-old former first lady would beat Trump by 10 points. There is no other possible candidate who could beat the former president.
While Mrs. Obama is a strong potential replacement for Mr. Biden for many readers because of her intelligence, values and age, she remains a polarizing figure. Others express concern about her lack of experience.
‘Energy, common sense and honesty’
Reader Irene Tuckett explains why she would like to see Mrs. Obama become president: “I admire her for her intelligence and her values. I’m sure she wouldn’t be able to do it if she didn’t believe it was the right thing to do. She has other worthwhile projects in her life.
She added: “Despite the detractors, the fact is that America desperately needs a viable presidential candidate who is neither a failed old man nor a deluded egomaniac.”
Another anonymous reader describes the positive impact of having Mrs. Obama as president, saying, “She would bring some energy, common sense and honesty to the office.”
In a similar vein, John Anderson believes the former first lady would be “good for the White House” because she would negate the “Trump threat” and unite a divided U.S. “She has a relatively young side and she could heal wounds for a large segment of the American population, black or white.”
However, Huw Jenkins criticizes Mrs. Obama’s theoretical candidacy because it is not “based on her own merits,” but because “her fame is solely due to her husband.”
He continues: “It is as if we had a potential prime minister based on the fact that he is married to a former prime minister. We would find that extraordinary.”
Reader Duncan Maggs highlights why this makes her unfit to hold the office: “While Michelle Obama is undoubtedly an intelligent woman, to my knowledge she has no experience of governing at even a local or state level in the US, so this doesn’t seem a sensible option.”
Others note that Mrs. Obama has consistently rejected calls to enter the political arena. Her reluctance is well documented.
For example, Ann Fox says: “But she has always maintained that she does not want to go into politics. I suppose it is a way for her husband to remain a proxy president!”
‘Not a single talent in sight’
Despite polls showing the former first lady’s support outstrips that of other potential candidates such as Ms. Harris, the convention says all party funds raised are contingent on Mr. Biden’s or his vice president’s presidential campaign. If another candidate is confirmed by the Democratic Party, the $100 million in funds must be returned — unless donors agree to transfer them to the new nominee.
I Millet urges that the nomination be passed on to Ms. Harris to avoid a headache for Democrats: “Unless they are going to disenfranchise the millions of Democratic voters who nominated Biden, they should support Kamala Harris. All the money raised should be returned to the donors and they should start over. Democrats need to play by their own rules or they risk alienating many of their base.”
Most readers are unconvinced of the vice president’s capabilities, including Ronald R, who gives his opinion: “The most likely choice is Kamala Harris. Why? Because she is technically the number two and there would be general outrage among large parts of the Democratic Party if she were to be sidelined.
“The problem is that Kamala Harris is hopeless, unpopular, and has no talent other than producing word salads of meaningless nonsense. What makes up for all that is that she is a black woman. To ditch her for a white man would be seen as heresy in a party that thrives on woke nonsense.”
Kevin Brettle questions whether Ms. Harris has proven herself to be a stateswoman fit for the world stage. He says: “She can’t control a conversation, let alone the most successful, most powerful country in the world. Does she just laugh uncontrollably when she meets Vladimir Putin? Come on America.”
She has also become the subject of ridicule for her motivational slogan, “What can be, unburdened by what has been.”
Yet the slogan resonates with reader Ray Sargent because it embodies a message of resistance in the face of past adversity. He shares, “The ‘unburdened’ statement seems to me to be a simple enough one. It certainly doesn’t mean that what happened in the past should affect what can be done. A feeble way of putting it, yes, but not unintelligible.”
And Ms. Harris taking on the challenge of beating Trump is one that Ron Velten is confident she can handle, given enough time: “VP Harris could easily beat Mr. Trump, if he was given a few months to campaign.”
Mrs. Harris could inevitably become president in absentia. The 25th Amendment provides a mechanism to relieve the president of his duties if he cannot properly perform them.
As Jerry Markham summarizes, “If Biden is forced to resign via the 25th Amendment, Harris is the legal replacement.”