I don't get it. Frankly, I also regret that I didn't run as the Democratic nominee. On the other hand, I'm hoping to launch a run in 20 years when I reach my 87th birthday.
Regrets, Biden Has Too Few
The President and his closest aides reportedly think he made a mistake in dropping out of the race. That explains a lot.
By The Editorial Board, WSJ
Dec. 29, 2024 5:51 pm ET
The aftermath of an election, especially when it coincides with the end of a Presidency, is typically when partisans finally admit some incriminating truths. That’s happening now as Democrats come to terms with their November defeat.
This doesn’t seem to include President Biden or his advisers, who are spinning the unpopularity of his Presidency and the Democratic defeat as a disconnect between his old-style politics of substance and compromise with the new politics of style and unreality.
That’s the main takeaway of many exit pieces in the press, and it’s something to behold. No regrets about policies that produced inflation or a world in disarray. The problem was mainly a failure to communicate in the new landscape of social-media and celebrity podcasts.
Mr. Biden’s biggest regret seems to be that he dropped out of the race under unfair Democratic pressure. Here’s how a story in the Washington Post puts it:
“Biden and some of his aides still believe he should have stayed in the race, despite the rocky debate performance and low poll numbers that prompted Democrats to pressure him to drop out. Biden and these aides have told people in recent days that he could have defeated Trump, according to people familiar with their comments, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.”
The Post reports that Mr. Biden doesn’t want to say this publicly lest it seem a criticism of Kamala Harris, but wow. This ignores that Mr. Biden was trailing before he dropped out and that Ms. Harris made the race closer. Mr. Biden’s regret should be how he governed, and that he didn’t drop out a year earlier.
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