Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, warned about a “real possibility” of President Joe Biden suspending his re-election campaign… and he had some wild ideas about the top candidate to replace Biden.
“So, here’s the scenario that I think is most likely and most dangerous,” Cruz said on his podcast Monday. “In August of 2024, the Democrat kingmakers jettison Joe Biden and parachute in Michelle Obama.”
A warning that the former first lady would replace Biden has been floated previously by leading Republicans. Cruz explained his rationale.
On one hand, Cruz acknowledges the possibility of Biden quitting while ahead and, like Lyndon B. Johnson, choosing to remain a one-term president. Cruz also spoke about the risk of the elderly 80-year-old president aging out of the role.
“I believe there is now a real possibility Joe Biden is not the Democrat nominee in 2024, and I think there are two ways this potentially plays out. One way is the pressure ratchets up internally within the Democrat Party significantly enough that Biden ends up backing out. I think there’s some chance of that. He doesn’t want to. But, I’ve got to say, the weird thing about Democrats — their command and control — they are collectivists. And if enough of the power brokers go to Biden and say, ‘Enough, is enough, is enough,’ I think there is some possibility he says, “I’m out. I did what I came to do. I stopped Donald Trump,” Cruz said.
“There’s a second scenario, and this scenario I think is more likely and a heck of a lot more dangerous… We get to August of next year. And number one, Biden’s mental diminishment has gotten even worse and it becomes obvious to anyone that he can’t find his shoes. And Democrats decide, ‘OK, all of this downside is really worrying us.’ Then the convention is the opportunity to parachute someone in. You parachute someone in by having some story that, for health reasons, Biden is not able to continue. How the Democrats execute that exactly, I don’t know.”
Cruz named four obvious contenders for the next Democratic primary, but said he considered Michelle Obama to be more likely than the obvious choices. The Democrats are quickly approaching hard deadlines for their primary, and they may be running out of time for a competitive, four-way primary.
“If that happens [if Biden leaves], I think it’s a free-for-all. I think a bunch of people get in. I think the top four Democrats who get in are Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, and Elizabeth Warren,” Cruz said. “The thing about it is, you’re running out of time. So, I’ll give you some deadlines. Oct. 16 is the filing deadline for major-party candidates in Nevada… So, if this scenario happens, it has to happen fast… Next 60 days.”
Cruz described Michelle Obama as a consensus pick for an election cycle with a sped-up, unusual primary.
“What do they do then? Well, the natural thing to say is that it’ll be one of those top four, and that’s a problem,” Cruz said. “If it’s just the kingmakers saying, “No, we pick you,” whoever doesn’t get picked, everyone else is pissed.”
Enter Michelle Obama.
“Number one, you don’t infuriate African American women, which is a critical part of the consistency that Democrats are relying on to win,” Cruz said. “But number two, you avoid the problem. If you pick from any of the four, the other three are pissed, because to some extent they’re all peers. They’re rivals. They’re jabbing knives at each other. Michelle Obama, because she was first lady, has the ability to kind of parachute in above all four.”
Not to mention, former President Barack Obama remains popular with Democrats, and so does the former first lady.
According to YouGov, the former first lady boasts a favorability rating of 55 percent with the general public… a whopping and 91 percent among Democrats.
“This is the Obamas saving the day. In terms of a solution that unifies Democrats, there ain’t nothing like that,” Cruz said.”I also think Michelle is not all that eager to run, but to parachute in.”
However, Cruz acknowledged some uncertainty.
“Would she do it? I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve met Michelle, but I don’t know her personally in any meaningful way.”
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