SDS Statement on Drop-out Joe Biden

On Sunday, July 21st, 2024 President Biden announced he will no longer be running for re-election. While the national news pundits and politicians will continue to insist Biden stepped down due to his age, that is far from the full story. The reality is that over the last nine months a nationwide movement to end US aid to Israel put Biden in a situation where he could not afford a single mistake. Biden's horrible public appearances since debate night have been the final straw, but the mountain of pressure built by the people over the last nine months is what pushed him out.

Biden, like Lyndon B. Johnson before him, has been forced to step down by a popular uprising against US armed and funded genocide. Approval ratings on LBJ's handling of the Vietnam War were at a historic low of 26% when he stepped down in 1968. Approval ratings on Biden's handling of the genocide in Palestine dropped to 27% this March, and they are only going down. Just like in 1968, the Democratic Party now has no intention of replacing Biden with a popular candidate who will end the genocide of the Palestinian people.

Kamala Harris, who Biden endorsed on Sunday, has a long record of supporting police crimes as a prosecutor and has stood behind Biden as he has fueled the murder of what is now estimated to be 186,000 Palestinians.

Whoever receives the Democratic nomination, Students for a Democratic Society will be marching on the DNC on August 19th to demand:

Money for Jobs, School, Healthcare, Housing, and Environment, Not for War!
Immigrant Rights and Legalization for All!
Defend LGBTQIA+ & Reproductive Rights!
Defend the right to unionize and strike!
Stop police crimes! Community control of the police now!
Justice, Peace, and Equality!