President Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in the first presidential debate of 2024 has sparked serious questions about his candidacy within his own party—even among those who have backed him despite his unconditional support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
The New York Times notably began calling on Biden to step out of the race within hours of the debate, and then published an unprecedented op-ed calling on him to “serve his country” by exiting the election. The paper has continued to publish a string of daily op-eds on the same theme.
But for years, a progressive campaign called Step Aside Joe—previously named Don’t Run Joe—has been calling on Biden to do the same. Norman Solomon, National Director of Roots Action, which leads that campaign, spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about the prospects for a new Democratic nominee.