Podcast Summary: The Political Scene | The New Yorker
Episode: Joe Biden’s “Very Risky Choice” to Run Again Increases the Scrutiny on Kamala Harris
Date: April 29, 2023
Host & Panel: Jane Mayer (host), Evan Osnos, Susan B. Glasser

Main Theme

This episode analyzes President Joe Biden’s official announcement to seek re-election in 2024, the implications of his age and political strategy, and how his choice to run again intensifies scrutiny on Vice President Kamala Harris. The panel explores concerns among both Democrats and Republicans regarding Biden’s age, Harris’s role and reputation, and the dynamics shaping the Democratic ticket as it prepares to face Donald Trump or whoever emerges from an increasingly radicalized Republican Party.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Biden’s Re-election Launch – Tone and Strategy

• Soft Launch & Return to 2019 Messaging:
  • Biden’s campaign announcement was a low-key video, mirroring his 2019 focus on being in a “battle for the soul of the nation.”

    “It was what we might describe in the restaurant business as a soft launch … not to cause a huge kerfuffle.” — Evan Osnos (03:41)

  • The new theme emphasizes “freedom," a word often associated with right-wing rhetoric.
• Grim National Mood:
  • Compared to Obama’s optimistic 2011 campaign video, Biden’s has a grave, crisis-oriented tone, reflecting today's political atmosphere.

    “All the talk … was about how we've sort of turned this corner in American life. What we saw this week … was this very grave and sort of dire announcement.” — Evan Osnos (05:04)

2. The Precipice of American Democracy

• Context of Crisis:
  • Biden’s announcement video explicitly referenced January 6th, signaling a not-so-theoretical challenge to democracy.

    “We’ve been over the cliff. … It is not a theoretical challenge. We are in the middle of a crisis.” — Susan Glasser (06:05)

  • Legal troubles for Trump promise a campaign full of “unseemly courtroom spectacle.”

3. Biden’s Age & Democratic Anxiety

• Voter Concerns:
  • Despite high approval of his performance, Democrats are anxious about Biden’s age.

    “There is this sense of anxiety around a very specific fact. Which is age.” — Evan Osnos (09:27)

  • Biden’s response to the age question is seen as rambling and unsatisfactory.

    “He rambled on for nearly 700 words.” — Susan Glasser (10:53)

  • Republicans waste no time attacking Biden indirectly via Harris.

    “A vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris, which to them is on its face, intact.” — Susan Glasser (11:37)

4. Kamala Harris’s Role – Political Liability or Asset?

• Struggles & Criticism:
  • Harris’s vice presidency has been dogged by reports of low morale, high staff turnover, and a perception of ineffectiveness—critiques from both outside and inside the White House.

    “Some of these very unflattering accounts, I can say firsthand, are coming from inside the room.” — Susan Glasser (16:42)

  • Numbers show she is “even less popular” than Biden.
• Sexism & Racism Undercurrents:
  • The panel notes Republicans and right-wing media often subject Harris to harsher, racialized, and gendered attacks.

    “She has been just their favorite target, along with maybe a couple other women of color.” — Jane Mayer (19:00)

• Harris’s Challenging Portfolio:
  • Assigned tough issues like immigration and voting rights.

    “Did they give her the dogs of the issues to deal with? … Immigration and voting rights, two really tough things.” — Jane Mayer (19:00)

  • Points of engagement and success are limited, with reproductive rights (post-Roe v. Wade) emerging as a rare winning topic where Harris seems energized.

5. The Realities and Limitations of Vice Presidency

• Historically Awkward Office:
  • The role is a poor launching pad for presidential ambition.

    “The vice presidency is a pretty crappy job. … John Nance Garner … saying, it's a job that's not worth a bucket of warm spit.” — Susan Glasser (20:54)

• Notable Quote:

  “You are the person who's … had the gaze of Nancy Reagan as he looked up at Trump. It's not surprising ... only 2 of the vice presidents have successfully run for President [since 1976].” — Jane Mayer (25:43)

6. 2024 Outlook — Is Harris a Drag on the Ticket?

• Unlikely to Be the Deciding Factor:
  • Despite heavy Republican attack, panel doubts Harris will be decisive for voters.

    “I’m very dubious of that. … It’s hard to imagine that that is decisive.” — Susan Glasser (29:24)

• Biden’s Risky Choice:
  • The larger question is the risk of Biden’s decision to run at 80; if elected, he’d finish his second term at 86.

    “The choice he made this week was a very risky choice.” — Susan Glasser (29:54)

7. Democratic Succession Concerns

• Lack of Next-Gen Stars:
  • The panel laments the failure to cultivate a strong bench of Democratic talent beneath Biden.

    “There has not been a more systematic effort to make sure that a rising generation of stars was given the space and opportunity to lead.” — Evan Osnos (35:53)

8. Shifting Narratives: Freedom and Party Identity

• Reclaiming “Freedom”:

  • Biden’s campaign is attempting to recast “freedom”—long a Republican talking point—as a core Democratic value, with particular appeal to swing voters (e.g., reproductive rights).

    “The gamble that you pointed out of taking the word freedom back from the right wing … is a really interesting sort of move politically.” — Jane Mayer (32:18)

• The Post-2020 Stakes:

  • Trump’s 2024 candidacy—not an aberration, but the product of a radicalized GOP.

    “The Republican Party has become the party of Donald Trump … It wasn't a one off with Donald Trump, that it is actually the transformation … of the Republican Party that now is at issue.” — Susan Glasser (34:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the mood of national politics:

  “We’re sort of on the precipice, it feels like … of something he’s promising to hold off if he possibly can.” — Jane Mayer (05:58)

• On Republican attacks on Harris due to Biden’s age:

  “Nikki Haley … literally went on Fox News … said, well, it's very likely that the president's going to die in the next five years.” — Susan Glasser (15:30)

• On Harris's success as vice president:

  “I'm struggling … to say, what is it that she has done that's successful?” — Susan Glasser (21:30)

• On the inherent drawbacks of the vice presidency:

  “We’re in a country that loves the number one … Being number two. Not so much. You look like a chump.” — Jane Mayer (25:43)

• On the lack of Democratic succession planning:

  “There has to be a really hard study and self scrutiny by the Democratic Party about … making sure that a rising generation of stars was given the space and opportunity to lead and to thrive.” — Evan Osnos (35:53)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Biden’s campaign announcement & tone — 03:41–06:05
• Concerns about Biden’s age and the “referendum on Harris” — 06:05–12:16
• Panel critiques Biden’s staff prep & GOP’s framing — 12:16–13:31
• Discussion shifts to Harris: image, criticism, & staff issues — 14:34–17:13
• Sexism, racism, and Harris’s portfolios — 19:00–20:14
• Vice presidency’s limitations & historical context — 20:54–25:37
• Theoretical impact of Harris on 2024 ticket — 29:24–30:13
• Biden’s motivation and party’s lack of succession — 30:23–32:18, 35:53
• Democrats’ strategy to reclaim “freedom” — 32:18–35:53

Conclusion

The panel concludes that while Biden faces undeniable challenges associated with his age and an unenthusiastic base, he is running largely because the Democratic Party lacks confidence in an alternative, notably including his own vice president. The Republican Party’s attacks, especially focusing on Harris, are likely to be relentless but may not be decisive at the ballot box. Ultimately, the 2024 election—if it pits Biden against Trump—will again be less about traditional campaign issues and more a watershed referendum on American democracy itself, with freedom and the character of the nation at stake.

For listeners: This episode offers a deep, candid look at the vulnerabilities and calculations behind the Biden-Harris ticket—uncharted territory for a historic presidency facing unique existential threats and an intensified political landscape.