I know certain of your advisers and speechwriters have compared you with Franklin Roosevelt in your aspirations and accomplishments. I understand your life expectancy at age 80 is 7.0 years. If I calculate correctly, you would be 86 at the end of your second term. You would be cutting it a little close. If things don’t work out, you can also be the first president to die in office of natural causes since FDR, which would put an exclamation point on the FDR-Biden thing. Think of it as the upside of the downside.
However, FDR had the good graces to substitute Harry Truman for Henry Wallace as his vice presidential running mate before running for his fourth term. You may want to spend some time looking for a Trumanesque figure in your party to be your 2024 running mate before you make your final decision. If worst comes to worst as you scour the landscape for a sane Democrat, you can use the Jack Benny Line: “I’m thinking it over.”
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.