Why is it mostly moderates calling for Biden to step aside, whereas the left wing mostly supports him continuing the race?

@SumKindaMunster I’m feeling emotional about the prospect of Trump winning, and that’s why I want Biden to step aside so we can nominate a Democrat who can potentially beat him!

@Theyitis Who would that be?

@LeopoldBloom It could potentially be anyone, Trump is an old, weak, and damaged candidate. What the Democrats have done wrong this time was to mostly protect and insulate Biden from any competition or criticism and to try to avoid risking giving the public a chance to see how feeble he has become; however, this is an election, which is inherently a competition. The public had to see him eventually, especially since he was losing anyway, and now they can’t unsee his frailty.

The remedy then is not a coronation but a contest. Instead of Biden or Democratic elites (I mean politicians like Obama, Schumer, Jeffries, Pelosi, etc.) hand-picking a replacement for Biden, they need to hold mini primaries and an open convention. Let anyone who wants to run give speeches and debate, and may the best candidate win. It will be the best, most interesting show in politics in a generation, and it will deny Trump the spotlight for a spell. Yes, it comes with the risk of airing some nasty divisions within the Democratic coalition, but the emerging candidate will be battle-tested. That’s the risk the Democrats should have taken from the start. The outcome of this process is highly unpredictable, but when you’re losing unpredictable actions give you the best chance to win.

@Theyitis A brokered convention would feed the "Democrats are in disarray" narrative, and whoever was picked would get all the attention, both good and bad, taking away from Trump's felonies and other problems, and the horrific Project 2025 and Agenda 47. We're stuck with Biden, and if he can't win, no one can.

@LeopoldBloom Democrats are in disarray now! And what has all the focus on Trump’s felonies (which are likely about to get expunged anyway thanks to SCOTUS), Project 2025, and Agenda 47 gotten us so far? Trump is a weak candidate, there are more ways than one to beat him. As I said before, yes there are risks that come with switching candidates this late, but we’re pretty certain to lose if we stick with Biden. Taking the right kind of risks with unpredictable outcomes and trying new things, that’s how we improve our chances. We don’t have to be stuck with Biden and we don’t lose anything by swapping him out.

If you’re interested, I really like how this article makes the case: for some reason I can’t find the url, but it’s called “The Democrats Are Making a Terrible Mistake” by Jonathan Chait in New York Magazine.

@Theyitis Biden hasn't lost any support since the debate. Switching now would be based on panic over some unknown, imaginary group of voters who supposedly won't vote for Biden now. Any new candidate will immediately have a microscope turned on them, and won't have the entire primary season to counter the fire hose of lies the Trump campaign will direct at them.

Newsom: ate at French Laundry during COVID
Whitmer: imposed harsh COVID restrictions
Shapiro: Jewish, therefore a Zionist who wants to murder Palestinian kids for fun
Warnock: a radical Black supremacist
Klobuchar: mean to her staff
Buttigieg: married to a man

Did I forget anyone?

The Democrats need to focus on winning a House majority to block Trump if he wins. A Senate majority would also help prevent him from seating more fascist judges like Matthew Kaczmaryk.

@LeopoldBloom Biden has lost support since the debate. At the time of the debate he trailed Trump in the RCP polling average by about one point. He now trails Trump in the RCP polling average by almost three points. Switching now would be an appropriate response to voters’ number one concern, which Democrats have been ignoring up to this point. Polls show that voters are more concerned about Biden’s age than they are about Trump’s felonies. Imagine if the Democratic nominee was young. Suddenly the talk would be of Trump’s cognitive decline and his age and fitness to serve another term.

Sure, any new candidate would come with some baggage because nobody’s perfect, but none of them would carry the overwhelming perception that they’re too physically and mentally feeble to serve for four years. Probably none would carry any baggage deemed worse than Trump’s felonies! Trump is a very weak candidate, but Biden can’t beat him.

Democrats do need to focus also on congressional majorities and Biden would be a drag at the top of the ticket.

@Theyitis I still think it's too late. But if Trump drops out, then so should Biden.