Joe Biden has gone
Joe Biden has been forced to step down as the Democratic presidential candidate in a sign of the deep crisis in the United States.
Biden resigned on Sunday after it became impossible for him to carry on. Democratic Party grandees such as Barack Obama, Senate leader Chuck Schumer and former speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi came out against his candidacy.
Crucially, more and more Democratic donors from Wall Street to Hollywood threatened to cut funding. One Wall Street donor said, “Biden got the message that there’s not another dollar of fundraising.”
Donald Trump’s lead over Biden widened to 5 percent since the assassination attempt last weekend.
Biden failed on his own pro-capitalist terms. When elected in 2020, Biden ran on an anti-populist ticket and promised efficient and technocratic government. He was supposed to be a capable pair of hands for the bosses and the rich.
The Democrats have long championed themselves as managers of the system. But all of Biden’s recent gaffes—such as calling vice president Kamala Harris “vice president Trump”—have undermined this carefully cultivated image.
As Trump has also made a number of slip-ups and gaffes, has appeared confused, and made wild statements such as likening himself to Jesus Christ but not faced a similar level of scrutiny.
It’s unlikely that there’d be serious calls for Biden to stand down on health grounds if he was comfortably ahead of Trump in the polls.
His growing unpopularity reflects deeper issues about the failures of his presidency to help ordinary people. Eric, a socialist activist in New York, said, “There’s a real disconnect between what the Democrats say about the US economy and how people are living.
“People didn’t feel the impact of Bidenomics. If they could suddenly afford houses that they couldn’t before, it would seem like it’s working. But things like housing and healthcare remain huge problems.”
Biden’s presidency has used state intervention in the economy, but it’s been in the the form of tax credits and subsidies to big business.
At the same time government assistance has faded, demand for foodbanks has surged, food insecurity sky-rocketed and homelessness is at a record high. The number of people in the US who have difficulty paying for basic household expenses increased from 32 percent in 2020 to 39 percent in 2024.
Mike, a teacher from Michigan, argued, “The issue of Biden being old wouldn’t be an issue if he had good politics. If there was a clearer sense of the Democrats offering an alternative then we wouldn’t be here.
“Biden was a bad candidate not because of his age, but because he is a pro-corporate candidate.”
Biden’s resignation also points towards the limitations of Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other squad members, who backed Biden till the end.
As Eric argued, “The left’s backing of Biden enables people with right wing explanations to get a hearing. Politics could be polarised around class lines. But Biden worked to prevent that, like when he stopped rail workers from striking.
“The left could have amplified movements on the streets to say these are the issues we are fighting on
“But the left made compromises with the centre and this has fed into disillusionment with left alternatives to Trump.”
But both parties represent different sections of the capitalist class—neither stand for working class people.
Biden’s downfall will see the Democrats fighting among themselves. Kamala Harris, as vice president, will be vying for the Whitehouse but there’s isn’t unity around her. But one thing is for sure, said Mike, “The Democratic establishment will keep any progressives out.”
“We can’t let movements on the left get sucked into focusing entirely on electing a Democratic president.”
While the Democrats hurl mud at each other, there needs to be resistance from below. In 2016, for example, protesters shut down Trump rallies.
We need to see similar action now—and the left needs to build outside of the Democrats fighting for a socialist politics based on struggle.
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