In a previous role as an editor, I used to give my writers and other editors one primary piece of advice: Don’t be wrong.
There were a lot of things I encouraged to avoid undermining our credibility with inaccuracy, but one of the most important was never to predict anything. Write about the possibilities, not the certainties.
But, while I have edited Dick Morris in the past, he was never one of “my” writers, so he never got that piece of advice from me. Not that it really matters, as I don’t think he would have heeded it anyway. Pundits have to go out on limbs sometimes if they want people to listen to them — and if no one listens to you, you’re not much of a pundit, are you?
That’s probably why — or, to be honest, likely at least part of why — Morris told Newsmax on Wednesday that he didn’t expect President Joe Biden to actually be on the ballot next November.
Morris appeared on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America” Wednesday, the day after the off-year elections in much of the country, where he was asked about his theory.
Host Rob Finnerty started the questioning with a quote from a Monday piece in the New York Post.
“Morris suggested that the Democratic National Committee may see the writing on the wall and refuse to give Biden delegates, opening the door to other Democrats such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg,” read the clip from the piece by Diana Glebova that the show displayed as they introduced the topic.
Finnerty said that, prior to Election Day, the major political story was how weak Biden looked headed into 2024. However, given the numerous Democratic wins in other races across the country Tuesday, Democrats were trying to “spin” those results into “a huge positive thing” for their 2024 candidates.
But, Morris said, if that’s not what they really believe, there’s a way they could run a more popular candidate next year, even at this late date.
Do you think Biden will make it to the 2024 election?
Yes: 0% (0 Votes)
No: 100% (1 Votes)
“The way they would do it,” Morris said, ” is that Biden would run in all of these primaries, and since he’s largely unopposed, the assumption is that he’d win and have Biden delegates at the [Democratic National] Convention.
“He’d keep them until a few days before the convention,” he said, “and then he would announce he’s not running, release his delegates, and there would be a floor fight for the nomination, but at least there wouldn’t be a long primary battle.”
Morris said that many of the positions held by potential Democratic candidates are so unpopular among the American electorate that the party doesn’t want to see a primary fight that would damage its eventual nominee.
“The reason they’re afraid of that is they don’t want their candidates out there defending reparations for slavery and men participating in women’s sports, all of the stuff that hangs up the Democratic Party.
“So they want to do it quickly, painlessly,” he concluded. “Euthanasia.”
You can watch the clip here:
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The RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Biden currently losing to Republican front-runner former President Donald Trump by about 1.4 percent of the popular vote. He would lose to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley by about twice that margin, according to the outlet.
As for what might happen if Trump, Haley or some other Republican nominee should face off against anyone by Biden — well, I wouldn’t even want to try to predict that.