Democrats Have a Better Option Than Biden

The Ezra Klein Show

New York Times Opinion

Society & Culture, Government, News

4.6 • 11K Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2024

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Biden is faltering and Democrats have no plan B. There is another path to winning in 2024 — and I think they should take it. But it would require them to embrace an old-fashioned approach to winning a campaign. Mentioned: The Lincoln Miracle by Edward Achorn If you have a question for the AMA, you can call 212-556-7300 and leave a voice message or email [email protected] with the subject line, “2024 AMA." You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs. This audio essay for “The Ezra Klein Show” was fact-checked by Michelle Harris. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld. Our senior editor is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu and Kristin Lin. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From New York Times opinion, this is the Ezra Klein show. My heart breaks a bit for Joe Biden. This is a man who has been running for
0:27.5	president since he was young. He wins the presidency finally, unexpectedly, when he's old.
0:34.6	And that age brought him wisdom.
0:36.8	It brought an openness that hadn't always been there in him.
0:39.9	He's governed as a throwback to a time before I alone can fix it.
0:45.0	A time when presidents were party leaders, coalition builders.
0:49.0	Biden has held together a Democratic party that could easily have splintered. Think back to the 2020 campaign
0:55.2	when he beats Bernie Sanders, when he beats Elizabeth Warren, when his victory was seen
1:00.1	as, was in reality, the moderate wing triumphing over the progressive wing, the establishment
1:05.9	over the insurgents, but instead of making them bend the knee, instead of acting as
1:10.9	Victor, Biden acted as a leader.
1:14.0	He partnered with Bernie Sanders, he built the Unity Task Force as he integrated
1:18.0	Warrens and Sanders ideas and staff into not just his campaign, but his administration.
1:23.7	I had a conversation recently with Pramilla Jaiopold,
1:27.2	the chair of the House Progressive Caucus,
1:29.6	and I asked her why the Democratic Party isn't ruptured the way Republicans have.
1:34.0	And she pointed me back to that moment.
1:36.0	Biden, she said, made this quote, huge attempt to pull the Democratic Party back together
1:42.0	before the 2020 election in a way I've really never seen before."
1:46.0	And it worked.
1:48.0	Democrats had 50 votes in the Senate, 50 votes that stretched from Bernie Sanders on the left all the way to
1:54.7	Joe Mansion on the right. Biden and Chuck Schumer they often cannot lose even one of
	...

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