In an unexpected twist, Democratic supporters of President Joe Biden are reportedly considering a dramatic move to bolster his 2024 reelection campaign: replacing Vice President Kamala Harris with former President Barack Obama. As concerns about Biden’s potential loss grow, this ‘Plan C’ is being seen as a potential game-changer that could secure a Democratic victory against GOP candidate Donald Trump.
The push for Obama to join Biden on the ticket comes in the wake of Biden’s lackluster debate performance against Trump, which left many Democrats feeling deflated and desperate for a Hail Mary. Vice President Harris’ lukewarm approval ratings have further fueled the idea of swapping her for the more popular Obama.
According to Radar Online, law professor and legal activist John Banzhaf noted, “A Biden-Obama ticket would have a much better chance of beating Trump. Barack Obama is probably one of the few persons whom a majority of Americans would want and trust as president, so Plan C might be the least objectionable of a number of very unpopular and dubious options now open to Biden and the Democratic Party.”
Banzhaf argued that the 22nd Amendment, which prevents a former two-term president from being elected to the presidency again, does not explicitly bar Obama from being elected as vice president. He remarked, “The 22nd Amendment, which is most frequently cited as a bar to Barack Obama ever serving as president again, doesn’t — according to its carefully crafted and very narrow exclusionary language.”
The amendment states, “No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of the president, or acted as president, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than once.”
The legal expert even suggested that this rule “may bar Obama from ‘being elected’ to the office of president again,” but “it obviously and by its clear language doesn’t prohibit him from being elected as vice president, and subsequently becoming president by succession without ever being elected to the office again.”
As per NBC Washington, despite Biden’s shaky debate performance, Obama has continued to support him publicly. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Obama wrote, “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”
Biden, acknowledging his less-than-stellar debate performance, exclaimed, “I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. And I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down you get back up.”
Democrats are still grappling with their strategy for the 2024 election. A party strategist asserted, “Democrats just committed collective suicide. Biden sounds hoarse, looks tired, and is babbling. He is reaffirming everything voters already perceived. President Biden can’t win. This debate is a nail in the political coffin.”