Dark Brandon vs. Old Joe

James Carville thinks Biden shouldn't run.

(Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

1. Biden 2024

I’m catching up on my favorite longform interview show—Bill Kristol’s Conversations—and just listened to his recent talk with James Carville.¹ I cannot recommend it highly enough. Carville is a rare bird: A political pro who is partisan, but transparent.² He doesn't spin his analysis to make things look good for his side.

You should either watch or listen to the entire interview. He’ll make you smarter.

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The most interesting part of the conversation is about Biden 2024. Carville thinks Biden should not run. He offers a number of reasons in support of this position:

• The Democratic bench is as strong as it has been in his lifetime.

• The 2024 Senate map is challenging enough for Democrats that a Biden collapse could give Republicans both the White House and a filibuster-proof majority.

• Trump is, in his view, unlikely to be the nominee.

But the big one is Biden’s age. (There’s been a hot conversation about this over at The Bulwark subreddit.)

Carville argues that: