Joe Biden for President in 2024?

For most Republicans, no way! Less than 10 percent think Biden is a good president.

If you ask independents, in most polling, Biden receives about 30 percent support, hardly enough to justify running in 2024.

If you ask Democrats, most will hedge saying they love Joe (83 percent) but…

So, here is the case, both for and against, a Biden run in 2024. The argument against a Biden second term is first, his age.

Even Democrats question whether his age should prohibit a 2024 campaign. Only 31 percent of Democrats think age is not a problem for a Biden run in 2024.

Biden is already the oldest president to ever serve in office. He addresses this issue by asking to be measured by his energy level, not his age.

But age creeps up on all of us, and there is some visual evidence that Biden forgets, as many older Americans do, names and details.

Yet age does not define leaders. Golda Meir led Israel at 76, and Gandhi was politically active in India until his murder at 78.

The argument that Biden has a failed presidency, a Republican claim, is more difficult to support.

First, Biden has accomplished more bipartisan bills into law than anyone would have anticipated, including the CHIPS bill, help for veterans suffering from fire pits, a gun safety bill, and the massive infrastructure bill. Second, the inflation reduction bill has been a major help to Affordable Care Actrecipients, allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, limiting out-of-pocket expenses for seniors, making a major impact supporting the transition to climate change, and cracking down on wealthy tax cheats.

But more is expected from a U.S. president. The president’s political party needs a 2024 candidate that helps other Democrats win elections on his or her coattails. There is no evidence that Biden could provide that help.

In the midterms, most Democratic candidates avoided mentioning Joe Biden at all. Presidents are also expected to be strong and active fundraisers for their part.

Can Joe Biden do that for Democrats?

Most importantly, can Biden win in 2024 if his popularity remains under 50 percent?

These are the reasons Democrats might discourage Biden from seeking a second term, so what would be the case for Biden for president in 2024?

Biden did more than win the presidency. He took over when, for the first time in our history, there was a false challenge to the electoral results.

He became president immediately after an insurrection and he became president with 38 percent of Americans wondering if he won the election fairly.

The shadow of the insurrection has hung over the Biden presidency, and while Biden has left it to the Department of Justice to resolve, the division of Americans caused by the ex-president’s actions remains.

Biden also became president at the center of the worst pandemic in our history and was thrust into the role of getting the new vaccines distributed in America and the poorer nations on the planet.

That task brought with it division over the policies implemented, but his actions saved thousands of lives.

And Biden’s presidency was challenged by Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. His response was to lead the Western nations to unify in helping Ukraine. No one other than Biden could have brought the world together to aid Ukraine.

Joe Biden has led America through some of the greatest challenges since the Civil War and he has done so with a calm and steady hand.

Joe Biden has passed the test of leadership and his steady demeanor and compassionate nature have calmed the nation and restored our trust among other nations.

If Joe Biden wants the nomination in 2024, he has earned the right to serve another term.

Jim Crawford is a retired educator and political enthusiast living here in the Tri-State.