Rich, Charlie, one more note to add: Democrats indeed have a lot of anxiety about nominating Biden this year, but there is, so far, no sign that the anxiety is translating into an impetus to support any other candidate. On paper, Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips is what Democrats say they want — a younger (55-year-old), healthier body and mind, with a record of 100 percent agreement with the Biden administration’s policies and positions.
This past weekend, in a not-particularly-covered Democratic South Carolina primary, Biden crushed Phillips, 96.6 percent to 1.6 percent. Yes, we all knew that the Palmetto State was one of Biden’s strongest in the Democratic primaries, but Phillips couldn’t even keep Biden’s percentage of the vote outside of the range of normal human body temperature.
It’s not that Joe Biden is popular, exactly; it’s just that he’s more popular than any of the other potential Democratic alternatives.