The one to beat Trump. Again
Re “If Biden weren’t running? Democrats have a bench,” Opinion, May 22
I understand Jackie Calmes’ point about an 80- year- old President Biden blocking a deep bench of Democrats from running. However, one needs to realize that as Biden himself has said, the choice won’t be him or the Almighty, it’ll be him or the alternative — and that alternative will likely be someone just found liable for sexual assault and who does not believe in democratic norms.
A recent focus group put together by the Washington Post spelled out what this means. It assembled a representative sample of swingstate voters and asked them if they would vote for Biden or former President Trump were the election held today. The results: Nine selected Biden, three selected Trump, and three picked a third- party candidate.
While no one can say that this group is or is not completely representative of the 159 million Americans who voted in 2020, it does show what might happen if the the leading candidate from each party ends up being nominated in 2024.
Donald L. Singer Cardiff, Calif.
How about focusing on Biden’s experience instead of his age?
None of the Democrats Calmes mentions as wanting to seek the presidency has any experience in Congress, whereas Biden had 36 years in the Senate and eight as vice president. He followed a highly inexperienced Trump and has had to repair a great deal of damage.
It was the Trump administration that negotiated with the Taliban, effectively setting the stage for its takeover of Afghanistan.
It was Trump who left Syria to the Russians, who canceled the Iran nuclear agreement, and who threatened to pull the U. S. out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Biden is putting us back on track. Let’s give him credit and time to finish the job. His Cabinet is outstanding. He has been a leader against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked, horrendous war.
Lynne Shapiro Marina del Rey
We should stop the handwringing already. The bench can wait.
A president is as good as the people he or she surrounds themselves with. A smart president chooses smarter aides. With all the fretting about Biden, we should be looking at his aides, not his age. He has chosen well.
In contrast, Biden’s predecessor didn’t want anyone in his administration to outshine him. The media were all too happy to spotlight his every inane pronouncement. He chose feckless and corrupt aides, and he and his minions incited an insurrection to try to stay in power.
Why would a race between Biden and Trump even be close?