Political commentator and Reagan administration alumni Hugh Hewitt thought Biden would bow out around the primaries next year. The race is similar to 1968. Lyndon Johnson barely won his primary so he bowed out. Biden will be the oldest person to be president at age 80. He’ll be 86 at the end of his second term. At the end of Reagan’s term, he was 77. Biden falling again doesn’t look good.
Hewitt can see it
Progressives and liberals don’t want to talk about it. You can’t continue to hide it. Even the New York Times had to admit to a little of it.
The Times ran a piece that said the president is showing his age but he’s still “sharp as a tack”. But a Reuters/Ipsos poll in April showed people really don’t think Biden should do a second term with 73% saying he’s too old.
Hewitt responded to the Times
He spoke with Dana Perino. “This is The New York Times tip-toeing into what is seen as the major story on the Democratic side.” Two out of the four reporters working on that stumbled over the truth: “The president is infirm.”
Perino asked, “We haven’t been in the position before in this late stage in the game. Do you think the Democrats try to make a change or just go for it and see what happens?” Hewitt answered, “I’m reminded of 1968. Lyndon Johnson was going to run for re-election. Johnson went up to New Hampshire. He managed to beat [Sen.] Eugene McCarthy from Minnesota, but he was not able to beat him convincingly and LBJ dropped out.”
Hewitt remembers
Johnson won the March 12, 1968 Democratic primary by six percentage points. That’s bad for an incumbent. Sen. Robert Kennedy from New York jumped in on March 16. History is repeating itself.
Robert Kennedy Jr. is polling well at over 20%. March 31, 1968 Johnson announced from the Oval Office that he would decline the nomination. “I shall seek, and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president.” Hewitt thought Biden would do the same.
“I think you’ll see an exit in the course of the primaries because if I am a [Machiavellian], I don’t want the president dumping out if I’m a Democrat. I don’t want Vice President [Kamala] Harris commanding the field. You do have [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom on the bench and warming up. He’s in the bullpen. Got a couple other Democrats out there.”
