Democrats know running Joe Biden again is a big risk.
The party is casting about for a backup plan.
And Michelle Obama dropped one hint about 2024 that made Democrats hearts flutter.
The Obamas have been awfully chatty in recent days about the state of Joe Biden’s campaign and the 2024 election.
Barack Obama and his camp clearly fed a story to the Washington Post that Obama met with Joe Biden and informed Biden his campaign operation wasn’t up to snuff.
Obama also wanted it known that he thought Donald Trump was the favorite to win the election.
And in a move that was surely not a coincidence Michelle Obama doubled down on that message in an interview with host Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast.
The former first lady warned about the dire state of affairs as Biden risked launching World War 3 in the Middle East and Europe.
“What keeps me up are the things that I know: The war in the region, in too many regions. What is AI going to do for us? The environment, you know, are we moving at all fast enough?” Obama stated.
Obama then spoke to the growing concerns among Democrats about plummeting levels of support for Biden among black and young voters thanks to inflation, high interest rates and Biden not coming out stronger for Hamas in their terrorist war against Israel.
“What are we doing about education? Are people going to vote? And, why aren’t people voting? Are we too stuck to our phones? I mean, these are the things that keep me up, because you don’t have control over them, and you wonder, where are people, where are we in this, where are our hearts? What’s going to happen in this next election?” Obama added.
Obama wrapped up by saying she was “terrified” of the next election and by extension Donald Trump’s odds of winning due to key Democrat Party constituencies’ apathy for Biden.
“I am terrified about what could possibly happen. Because our leaders matter. Who we select, who speaks for us, who holds that bully pulpit. It affects us in ways that, sometimes I think people take it for granted. You know, the fact that people think that government — ‘eh, does it really even do anything?’ — And I’m like, oh my God, does government do everything for us, and we cannot take this democracy for granted. And sometimes, I worry that we do. Those are the things that keep me up,” Obama declared.
Democrats know they need a candidate who will fire up base turnout.
And the party base was never more loyal to a candidate than Barack Obama.
Michelle Obama is also the one Democrat who can alleviate the problem of smoothly transitioning away from Joe Biden.
Biden’s running in part due to the knowledge that if he steps aside Kamala Harris is next in line but no one views her as a serious candidate so the party will tear itself to pieces in a contested primary.