Nearly eight months before the presidential election, the world and country watch what the current Biden administration is doing. This is not a boring news topic but a fundamental topic that can influence future generations. After President Biden’s State of the Union, his approval rating fell to 37.4%, an all-time low. American support is weakening towards him.
On January 20, 2021, Biden became the oldest president in this nation’s history at the age of 78. Despite his age, a new world had just begun. Before COVID-19, the U.S. prospered economically. There had been highs in the stock market, rapid military growth, and solid foreign relations. America was done recovering from the 2008 financial disaster. That all ended when the U.S. became impacted by COVID-19, but then President Donald Trump couldn’t calmly guide the country.
Yes, he got us a vaccine and ventilators needed, but the Trump chaos did not tone down when it needed to. The nation looked for a new voice, a new look, someone who wasn’t in charge when the world went wild, and so Biden was able to win.
Since President Biden’s victory, America has been filled with highs and lows, like any typical administration. The border has spiraled out of control, and no successful proposals for securing it or immigration reforms have passed the House of Representatives. Inflation has been the pain of Biden’s presidency, costing Americans 18% more gasoline and housing prices. There are currently two international conflicts involving nuclear countries and a national debt increase of nearly $8 trillion, bringing the debt to a total of $35 trillion.
On the positive side, Biden has led an economy with record stock market highs in the S&P 500, with returns of 23.9% in 2023. We witnessed a record-low unemployment of 3.5% last May, and the economy grew by 3.3% in 2023. The President also passed infrastructure legislation, which previous administrations have failed to do. As well as strengthen the Affordable Care Act. But somehow, he is still polling below his opponent by 2-3 points. So what does he have to do to win? It only takes four steps to have a guaranteed victory.
Step 1: Change the Vice President
Eye on the Prize: How President Biden Can Ensure a Presidential Victory Part II
When Former President Franklin Roosevelt ran for his third term in office in 1944, he made a monumental change in his administration: changing his Vice President. Around that time, FDR had been ill, fearing he wouldn’t see the end of his 4th term. Henry Wallace, his Vice President then, wasn’t cutting it. Fortunately, FDR’s instincts were right, and the new Vice President, Harry Truman, had to take the reins, ultimately leaving a positive impact by ending the global conflict.
For Biden to confirm his victory, he must similarly switch his ticket, removing Vice President Harris as his running mate.
86% of Americans think Biden is too old. FDR was ill, Biden was too old, and having a solid succession plan was good. The Vice President has an approval rating of only 35.9% and a disapproval rating of 52.7%. Despite her saying, “I’m ready,” she is not.
Kamala Harris was never in an actual governing position. She was California’s Attorney General, then Senator, then Vice President, and neither is an actual governing position like a governor or president would be. But that doesn’t mean she’s a bad vice president, and does that mean she isn’t ready? No — but it adds to the conversation. If Biden’s age is a concern, and the presidency potentially may go to Harris, and she has not shown a stable record as Vice President, the line of succession is not strong. Harris could’ve used the best out of her position as Vice President. If you look at Mike Pence, for example, he was a governor. If Trump were to resign, die, or not fulfill his term, Pence would understand how to navigate the government. When Biden was Vice President, although he wasn’t a governor, he was in the Senate for 37 years, so he has an exception as he, in a way, did understand governing and how Capitol Hill works throughout several presidencies. Biden knew everyone in the Senate; he had an experienced career as a senator. If Obama were to become incapacitated, Biden understood what cards to play and how to get stuff done at a federal level.
Typically, a governing position is more appealing to voters, as they know management how to work different systems, and they have been the commander in chief of their state or even potentially company like Trump or Bloomberg. She made monumental history by becoming the first woman and, above all, the first African American woman Vice President. But instead of leading workforce development or initiatives like Operation Warp Speed or negotiations in the Senate like Vice President Biden or her predecessor did, she hasn’t done anything like any of her predecessors. Even if a Vice President is a governing position, you need to have a solid record with approval of the public, or leading initiative, as Vice President in order to even be somewhat qualified for the Presidency.
All in all, the incumbent Vice President is not ready to become President. As there is an apparent concern about Biden’s age, Americans look to the #2, as if Biden were to die or resign, Kamala Harris would be president. In 4 years, she has yet to show any sign of leadership. Sure, Harris set a record of breaking the number of tie-breakers in the U.S. Senate, but that’s only because the Democrats had a slim majority last Congress, her being the 51st vote in the Senate, meaning it’s not a personal accomplishment; she just got lucky. Not to mention, she is kept away from the public; the only time she is in public is when she jeopardizes international affairs, which is unacceptable. Bringing in a new vice president would mean that the vice president would care what the next four years bring them, as typically, the vice president would succeed the president in becoming its party nominee. Biden would need someone ambitious who wants to be the next president, and that would get the administration on track for extreme success and modernization. As Harris has no real political future, it would make sense to drop her. Who he brings explicitly in is not the concern; a governor and someone young would help him. A governor would have a resume of running a state and being the #1 of an organization, assuming Biden was not to complete his second term, and someone young would ease concerns about Biden’s age.
