Democrat nominee Joe Biden is struggling to choose a running mate, and it might have something to do with the fact that whoever he chooses is more likely to end up in the oval office than any other vice president in recent history.
A Rasmussen Reports survey released on Monday found that 59 percent of prospective voters believe that Joe Biden will be replaced by his vice president within his first term — making Biden’s VP choice more consequential than most.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted August 6 and 9, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports.
Voters are skeptical
CNN’s Brian Stelter furiously attacked those calling Biden’s mental acuity into question earlier this week, claiming that coverage of Biden’s repeated gaffes and memory lapses is “mind-boggling,” “offensive” and “so hateful.”
It appears that CNN’s own listeners aren’t buying the argument, however, because according to Rasmussen, even 49 percent of Democrats don’t think Biden can make it all the way through his first term.
Additionally, 57 percent of independent voters and 73 percent of Republicans believe Biden will be replaced during his first four years.
Although most voters agree that Biden isn’t likely to be able to serve out his full term, surprisingly, only 45 percent of respondents said that Biden’s choice of a running mate is important to their vote this fall.
Furthermore, 38 percent of voters believe Biden has some form of dementia, but 61 percent of respondents agreed that Biden needs to prioritize addressing the rumors ahead of the election.
Biden in hiding
Despite the high percentage of voters that want answers about Biden’s mental state, Biden’s campaign continues to double down on the strategy of hiding Biden from sight for an indefinite amount of time.
Biden’s campaign has effectively used the COVID-19 crisis and “concerns” about Biden’s risk for contracting the disease as an excuse to keep him from making unscripted media appearances.
Democratic strategist Nathan Ballard told the Washington Examiner that “Biden’s low-profile strategy is a smart one — for now. As Sun Tzu taught us, never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. However, in a month or two, if Trump rebounds, Biden is going to need a higher profile, and he won’t have the luxury of turning down major interview requests.”
Biden’s strategists believe that if Biden just keeps quiet, the mainstream media will do all work attacking Trump and protecting Biden. However, as Ballard warned, Trump appears to be making a comeback in the polls — narrowing Biden’s lead to just three points in several recent polls — and Biden may not be able to hide in his basement much longer.
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