In February, there was a flurry of discussion about whether Joe Biden’s advancing age and seeming weakness in a matchup with Donald Trump meant that he should step aside. “The Drumbeat for Biden to Step Aside Will Only Grow Louder” ran one headline from that period, from Robert Kuttner in the American Prospect. All it took was Biden giving a passable State of the Union address: Thereafter his poll numbers marginally improved, the optimists on the Democratic side seized the rhetorical initiative, and the “should Biden step aside?” discourse faded into background noise. But it’s also quite consistent; since last fall, both candidates are bouncing around within a very narrow range. ), because voters aren’t paying close attention yet (but don’t they already know both of the candidates quite well?

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Persons: Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Biden, Nate Silver, Ezra Klein, Robert Hur, Robert Kuttner, Kuttner, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, it’s, he’s Organizations: Democratic, Trump, Electoral College Locations: Georgia, Michigan, Arizona , Nevada , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin