Although the primaries begin this Tuesday in New Hampshire, in the United States Democratic Party it is assumed that the president Joe Biden He will seek re-election in the November presidential elections.
Despite the general consensus among progressives about who their candidate should be, there is a discordant note.
Is about Dean Phillips, a congressman and businessman who hopes to receive enough support this Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary to keep his campaign alive.
Phillips, 55 years oldbelieves that Biden is not in a position to govern for four more years.
He argues that, at 81, the president is too old to take on another term, thus reflecting the fear of many Democratic voters ahead of the November elections, in which he will most likely face the Republican again. Donald Trump.
We tell you who Phillips is and analyze what he is looking for by challenging Biden even though his victory is impossible.
A millionaire businessman
Dean Phillips was born in 1969 in Minnesota.
After his biological father died in the Vietnam War when he was only 4 months old, his mother married a wealthy businessman, Eddie Phillips, from whom Dean took his last name.
After a brilliant academic career, he assumed management roles in the family business, the Phillips distillery (later sold to a large business group), where he amassed a personal fortune estimated at tens of millions of dollars.
Phillips has been a congressman from Minnesota since 2019, when he became the first Democrat to win his district after six Republican terms.
And, in October of last year, he officially announced that he aspired to be the progressive candidate for president in the 2024 elections.
Phillips’ candidacy has divided opinions within the Democratic Party: some criticize him for create division and challenge a sitting presidentwhile others see his campaign as an incentive to revitalize the party, in addition to putting on the table the need for more democratic competition in the primaries.
Getty ImagesDespite having little chance, Phillips has promised to take his campaign to the end.
Biden “is unelectable and weak”
In his five years as a congressman, Phillips has aligned himself with his party’s policies and has focused especially on issues such as health care and climate change, which is why he is considered more progressive than the average Democrat.
The deputy has voted in favor of 100% of the initiatives proposed by Biden to date, so his loyalty to the president has not been questioned.
However, it has raised serious doubts about the capacity of the current leader to continue in office for four more years.
“I think President Biden has done a spectacular job for our country. But it’s not about the past. “These are elections about the future,” she told BBC partner CBS in November shortly after presenting his candidacy.
More recently, he hardened his tone, stating that at over 80 years old “it is ultimately impossible to manage, to carry out the office of president of the United States in the way this country needs at this time.”
Last Saturday he also alleged in a campaign speech that the president is “ineligible and weak” and is confident that New Hampshire Democrats will not endorse the president in Tuesday’s primary.
Getty ImagesIf Biden wins, he would end his second term at 86 years old.
“If you listen to voters, people feel that the president is in a stage of life that makes him incompatible with leading the free world. And the same goes for Donald Trump,” Phillips said.
Trump, Biden’s very likely rival, is 77 years old, five years younger than the current president, who would win the November elections He would end his second and last term (2025-29) at the age of 86.
One of the main arguments of the Democratic contender is that Biden’s advanced age is a major cause of concern among voters, which could take away a significant number of votes in the face of an electoral contest that promises to be tight.
In any case, he has assured that if Biden is ultimately preferred as the Democratic candidate for president, he will offer his support.
Concerns over the president’s age
69% of Americans believe that the president is not mentally clear enough to continue in office, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll whose results were revealed last week.
In August 2023, the AP news agency published a more detailed survey in which 77% responded that Biden is too old to govern for another four years.
This opinion was shared not only by 89% of Republican Party supporters, but also by 69% of Democratssomething worrying since this political force will need a significant mobilization of voters to win the November elections.
The idea that Biden is too old to continue governing was the majority in all age groups, although it is young Democrats who are most skeptical.
Only a third of Democrats under 45 want Biden to run for re-election, while the figure reaches 54% among those over that age, according to the survey.
On the other hand, 26% mentioned age when asked the first concept they associate with Biden and another 15% used words like “slow” or “confused.”.
In Trump’s case, approximately half of Americans think he is too old to repeat his term.
Getty ImagesBiden has tried to show that he is fit despite his advanced age.
In the last three and a half years, the president has had several moments of confusion and verbal lapses during public events that have led many to question his fitness as leader of the world’s leading power.
Joe Biden himself has sometimes used humor to try to downplay concerns about his age.
“I have to tell you: it is not easy to turn 60,” he said in a speech at the White House on November 20, his 81st birthday.
BBC
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2024-01-26 17:57:17
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