Prof. ST Hsieh
Director, US-China Energy Industry Forum
626-376-7460
February 20, 2024
If we hold the basic principle that in a real democracy, the power rests on voters, then each of us has to do the right thing and vote with our true consciousness. Of course, we also have to trust our government system is not perfect. The primary rules etc. are not in our constitution or carved in stone, they should be modified if they need to be. The point is that Biden can be replaced anytime before he is voted to be the President of the US again. Same is true for Trump.
We also should have the courage to press Biden and Trump that their rematch is not welcome. It is not personal, but the nation needs some young leaders right now. We should demand that Biden, as well as Trump, face the public scrutiny in person rather than at the campaign events organized by the candidates.
We should demand that every Presidential candidate, instead of lecturing the voters with a monolog full of false promises, the candidate should answer specific questions from the voters in real time.
Instead of voicing our opinions via anonymous public opinion polls and/or publish news articles as commentary, voters should directly approach the candidates by phone, by email, mail etc. and tell them to quit right now. At the same time, voters should recommend and support viable candidates to compete asap.
Poll: Nearly 70 percent of voters say Biden is too old to serve again
Olivia Alafriz, POLITICO
Wed, February 21, 2024 at 12:27 PM PST
President Joe Biden narrowly leads former president Donald Trump even though an overwhelming majority of voters are worried about his age, a new Quinnipiac University poll showed.
The poll, conducted from Feb. 15 to Feb. 19, found that 49 percent of registered voters support Biden and 45 percent back Trump in a hypothetical general election matchup.
However, 67 percent of voters said the 81-year-old president is too old to effectively serve another term — compared with 57 percent who said the same of Trump, who is 77. Only 34 percent said Biden had the mental fitness to serve a second term, while 48 percent believed Trump is mentally fit.
Opinion: A Biden-Trump rematch is not inevitable. We need a leader like George Washington
John Woolley
Mon, February 19, 2024 at 8:00 AM PST
Deseret News Opinion
As a longtime conservative and Republican, I love Presidents Day. Every year, it reminds us of our great leaders and their characteristics that defined our nation.
George Washington, more than any other president, shaped our national character. Though by no means perfect, Washington’s character and actions helped establish the most stable and prosperous nation in history, and they still reverberate in our national psyche.
First, Washington was a unifier. He dedicated his life to unifying a diverse people into a single nation, first as the commander in chief during the Revolution and later as the first president.
Second, more than any other founder, Washington put his country ahead of his own interests. During the Revolutionary War, General Washington refused pay and accepted only expenses paid. As president, he funded much of his governmental duties himself. He sacrificed his privacy and security for decades, leaving retirement multiple times to further the cause of America.
Finally, Washington believed that the people, not himself, were the ones who held power. After the Revolutionary War, he easily could have assumed control of the nation as a military dictator or even a king. Instead, Washington gave his sword and authority back to the Continental Congress, the people’s elected representatives. As president, despite knowing he could easily win reelection for a third term, Washington left the presidency voluntarily.
This is not a purely Republican problem. Both sides cling desperately to power rather than yielding it early and honorably. Despite their age and questionable fitness for office, both our current and former presidents see themselves as the only saviors for what ails the nation.
In 2024, we need leaders like George Washington: leaders who cherish fundamental American democratic values rather than partisan power. Leaders without a savior complex who put America before themselves. America deserves better than our current and former presidents. A Biden-Trump election is not inevitable. There are other and better candidates.
John Woolley is an entrepreneur in the health care space where public policy and innovative solutions intersect.
Could Biden or Trump be replaced as candidates as election nears? What experts say
Brendan Rascius, The Hill
Mon, February 19, 2024 at 7:45 AM PST
While the early primary results suggest the country is hurtling toward a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, many Americans believe alternative candidates could be swapped in.
Nearly half of U.S. adults, 48%, believe it’s somewhat or very likely that Biden will be replaced as the Democratic nominee — potentially due to his age and mental fitness, according to a Feb. 15 poll from Monmouth University.
But, short of being defeated in the primaries, how could Biden or Trump be swapped out?
There are a few scenarios through which new candidates could be named, though they are unlikely and without much precedent, elections experts told McClatchy News.
Joe Biden
Though he suffers from record-low approval ratings, Joe Biden has an enormous lead over his challengers and the full backing of the DNC, meaning he is unlikely to be forced to step aside.
That leaves the possibility of him voluntarily choosing to drop out of the race — which could happen at one of two points, Wesley Leckrone, a political science professor at Widener University, told McClatchy News in an email.
First, he could announce he is not seeking re-election before the primaries are over, which would throw the nominating contest into chaos.
“If Biden were to announce that he was dropping out today it would be difficult, if not impossible, for other Democrats to get their names on the ballots in upcoming primary states due to filing deadlines,” Leckrone said.
Newly announced candidates could launch write-in campaigns, but it’s unlikely any of them — at this stage in the election cycle — would garner a majority of the delegates necessary to win the party nomination, he said.
“The result would be a full-on open convention with the delegates picking a nominee, potentially over multiple rounds of ballots,” Kriner said.
The second possibility is that Biden could announce he is stepping aside after receiving the party nomination, he said. At that point, the party would have to make a determination on a new candidate.
These possibilities, though, are “extremely unlikely,” David Barker, professor and director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, told McClatchy News in an email.
“That said, I don’t know what his health is really like,” Barker said. “It may be worse than we know.”
Former President Donald Trump
Donald Trump, the overwhelming favorite to win the GOP nomination, is also unlikely to abdicate his position voluntarily, Leckrone said.
“The RNC rules state that the nominee can be replaced due to ‘death, declination, or otherwise,’” Leckrone said. “Given Trump’s stranglehold on positions of power within the GOP power structure it seems like a particularly long shot for him to be replaced for ‘declination.’”
However, the criminal proceedings against him could prove to be his Achilles’ heel, Barker said.
Should Trump be convicted in court, he could lose a large share of his support, a January Morning Consult/Bloomberg poll found.
“I think if he were to get convicted of one of these big crimes he’s charged with before the convention, then the GOP would probably move to choose someone else,” Barker said.
However, Trump — who has been charged with 91 felony counts in four criminal cases — has moved to delay his trials until after the election.
This means that, barring unforeseen circumstances — and despite polls showing widespread disapproval of a Biden-Trump rematch — the pair will likely fend off their challengers and face off once again in November.
‘Time that maybe he step down’: Americans grade Biden after Charlamagne brands him an ‘uninspiring candidate’
Megan Myers, Fox News
Tue, February 20, 2024 at 4:58 PM PST·