RolStoppable said:
Looks pretty simple to me. All it takes is for Biden to say that he isn't healthy enough anymore, so he is withdrawing from the election. Given what was on TV last night, no sane person would doubt this reasoning. After all, this isn't just about being mentally capable enough to win the election in 2024, but also being trusted to be a competent president through the year 2028. The concerns about elected delegates are overblown anyway. The whole system of primaries is known to be rigged (key term: super delegates), so who would be upset if the procedure isn't followed through for the purpose of a good cause. What's at stake here is if the USA continues to be a democracy. |
I think you really need to read the BBC detailed breakdown because it really is not a simple thing at all. I'll put it here:
Can Joe Biden withdraw?
The party's nominee will officially be chosen at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago from 19-22 August.
The Democrats are planning to nominate Mr Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris virtually before the gathering to comply with a ballot certification deadline in Ohio.
There, a candidate must win support from the majority of "delegates" - party officials who formally choose the nominee. Delegates are assigned to candidates proportionally based on the results of each state's primary election.
This year, Mr Biden won almost 99% of the nearly 4,000 delegates.
According to DNC rules, those delegates are "pledged" to support the incumbent president.
If Mr Biden willingly drops out, it could turn into a free-for-all.
Democrats would be left with an open convention where they would suggest potential nominees and continue voting until one receives the majority of delegate votes.
That could spark a frantic contest among Democrats vying for a shot at the nomination.
Could he be forced out?
If he doesn't want to go, this is where the process gets really tricky.
In the modern political era, a major national party has never tried a hostile takeover of the nomination.
However, DNC regulations do have some loopholes that could, in theory, make it possible to push Mr Biden out.
The rules allow delegates to "in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them", meaning they could look to someone else.
"It could be an incredibly ugly scenario," Ms Wright Rigueur said.
Experts told BBC News they doubt there would be a revolt among party delegates.
But the DNC can alter party rules at any point.
Ms Wright Rigueur pointed to 1968, when President Lyndon B Johnson decided not to run for re-election.
The party shifted from an open convention process, in which delegates could cast ballots for whomever they chose, to a bound process, where a delegate was attached to a candidate based on primary results.
"At any point in time, the rules committee can change the rules surrounding how you select a presidential nominee," she said.
"Nothing is outside of the realm of possibility," she added.
Even if Mr Biden were suddenly to exit the race, conservative groups have vowed to file lawsuits challenging the legality of any replacement Democrat's eligibility for the ballot.
