'An unpopular president and a popular party'

Joe Biden speaks at an event hosted by the Democratic National Committee

Biden is "a weaker candidate" than a "younger Democrat would be."

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images))

published 13 November 2023

'The Democratic Party should strongly consider embracing another candidate'

Perry Bacon Jr. in The Washington Post

President Biden "could win an election next year if anti-Trumpism voters mobilize as they did in 2018, 2020, 2022 and this year, particularly if Trump himself is the GOP nominee," says Perry Bacon Jr. in The Washington Post. But Biden's low poll numbers and age make him a drag on an otherwise popular Democratic Party that's winning elections. He is "a weaker candidate" than a "younger Democrat would be." The party needs to shop around.

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With a government shutdown days away, "it's time to stop insisting on perfection," says Quin Hillyer in the Washington Times. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has proposed extending "current levels of funding" until Jan. 19 for some departments, including Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, and until Feb. 2 for others. Smart move. "If Congress can find agreement on a third" of federal discretionary spending, "why not at least get that third done," then work on the rest?

"America should be celebrating an economy that has outperformed" expectations and international competition, says Betsey Stevenson at Bloomberg. Consumer spending is "way up," as incomes rise faster than inflation. But Americans are as angry about the economy as they get during recessions. That anger has mixed with "real pain" from inflation and partisan rancor to create a "toxic stew." We're heading into the holidays "overflowing not with joy but with resentment," like "a dysfunctional family."

Donald Trump is stooping to "straight-up Nazi talk" now, says Michael Tomasky in The New Republic. The former president has twice used the word "vermin" to refer to political enemies. That's "a smear" Nazis used when talking about their genocide plans. Trump isn't referring to Jews, and he's not going to throw "anybody in a gas chamber." But he's telling us "in broad daylight" that the Constitution won't protect his enemies if wins in 2024.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.