Joe Biden’s re-run points to a broken American political system

There’s about 48 million registered Democrats in the US. And the best – out of all those millions – that they can offer for president in 2024 is … Joe Biden? Something has gone wrong, writes James Morrow.

• Biden mocked for re-election bid

At this moment, the population of the United States is somewhere north of 330 million.

Of that number, about 48 million of them are registered as Democrats.

And the best – out of all those millions – that they can offer for president in 2024 is … Joe Biden?

Because either way, the fact that this guy is not only going to be the Democrats’ nominee but formally enter the race with a very good chance of winning means one of two things.

Either Joe Biden, for all his stutters and stumbles, is the canniest politician in American history.

US President Joe Biden announced his bid "to finish the job" with re-election in 2024. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)

Or the American political system and large parts of the media ecosystem that cover it is terribly broken.

How else to explain the fact that Democrat boffins have decided to give him another go, despite an NBC News poll showing that 70 per cent of Americans would rather he stood aside, and that another poll shows that by a spread of 21 points, a majority think the country is on the wrong track?

Joe Biden doesn’t plan on going anywhere. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

Or the fact that there is not more outrage about a growing list of scandals, which include but are surely not limited to everything from millions of dollars flowing from Chinese companies to Biden family members to whistleblower claims that tax charges against First Son Hunter Biden have been stymied by Attorney-General Merrick Garland?

Or the fact that at 80-years-old – and he is not a young, vigorous, youthful 80 either – Biden routinely trips walking UP the stairs to Air Force One and can’t get through the simplest of speeches without revealing what many observers believe are at least the early stages of cognitive decline.

To take just one example: The other day, the president attempted to spell out the world “eight” for dramatic effect.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump are shaping up for a rematch in 2024. (Photo by JIM WATSON and MANDEL NGAN / AFP)

“E-I-G-H,” he said, before trailing off and moving on.

Talk to many Democrats and they admit that it is a depressing possibility.

Almost no one expects that, if he wins another term, Biden makes it through in office to 2028, which raises the spectre of Kamala Harris taking over.

But there are also few alternatives.

California governor Gavin Newsom is a favourite of many Democrats, but the downtowns of once great Californian cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco have transformed under his watch into apocalyptic hellscapes.

The biggest thing Democrats, then, are counting on is Donald Trump who is now the favourite to win the Republican nomination.

Here the biggest problem for the right is Trump’s scorched earth move against popular Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

Trump is an absolute favourite to win the nomination, so much so that there is speculation DeSantis will bow out this time and make his run in 2028 (he is still just 44 years old, he has time).

If you thought 2020 was wild, just wait for the rematch.