Is Joe Biden actually going to be the Democratic Party nominee for president in 2024? That’s a question many of us have been batting around for years, trying to figure out how he could possibly handle even a light campaign schedule.
After all, we are talking about a man who can’t give a single speech without providing this very site with numerous clips to work with in opining on his condition. Forgetting names, places, and dates has become commonplace for the president, with the teleprompter becoming his biggest political foe. Then, when he does manage to at least appear sentient, he has a habit of lying about his past and yelling at people.
At 80-years-old, it only gets worse from here. Is Kamala Harris going to end up taking his place? Sen. Ted Cruz doesn’t think so. Instead, there’s another person he thinks could parachute in: Michelle Obama.
“Here’s the scenario that I think is perhaps the most likely and most dangerous,” Cruz said on his “Verdict with Ted Cruz” podcast. “In August of 2024, the Democrat kingmakers jettison Joe Biden and parachute in Michelle Obama.”
Cruz explained that by running Michelle Obama as the party’s candidate, the Democrats could “avoid the problems” of having to choose a candidate among political figures like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
It’s an interesting theory. Barack Obama was obviously beloved by not just the far-left, but independents as well. He’s term-limited, but his wife isn’t, and she’s been above the political fray for much of the last decade. Michelle Obama doesn’t have all the bumps and bruises that have made Harris largely unelectable.
The former first lady would be able to enter the arena as the “adult in the room,” offering a break from the current political ranks, or at least that’s what the narrative would be. After all, why put in an almost-sure loser when you’ve got an almost-sure winner sitting on the sidelines?
Is it that simple for Democrats, though? I’d suggest it’s not. Rather, you can’t talk about political scenarios without taking into account the arrogance of your average politician. Would Harris simply step aside because the Obamas told her to? Would Pete Buttigieg sit on the sidelines while possibly losing another eight years toward his sky-high aspirations? Would Gavin Newsom, who desperately wants to be the president, put a smile on his face and remain in California?
I just don’t see any of that happening. In a vacuum, voters would like to think their party will do the smartest, most effective thing, but that’s not how it works in practice. Instead, you usually have a bunch of self-aggrandizing figures who all believe only they can save the nation, and they will take everyone down with them rather than ensure victory.
Let’s say we get to the DNC convention and Biden decides he won’t accept the nomination. Can you imagine the floor fight if Michelle Obama tries to come in and undercut Kamala Harris? The damage done to the party would be unbelievable, and it would put Democrats in an even worse place in a general election.
Lastly, and this is anecdotal, I’ve long been told that Michelle Obama hated being in the White House. Right now, she lives in a mansion and enjoys all the perks of being a celebrity with none of the negatives of being a politician. Would she really give that up to get in the mud with Donald Trump, who is presumably going to be the Republican nominee? Color me extremely skeptical. I don’t think there’s any white horse coming over the horizon for Democrats. They will have to ride or die with Joe Biden.
