Although President Biden's age has been the main topic of public discussion about his reelection efforts, the White House has another, more worrying concern:
Whether it's the academic Cornel West [or] a yet-to-be-named standard-bearer for the group "No Labels"..., third-party hopefuls have become the chief internal worry in Biden world, according to more than a half-dozen people who are in regular contact with the White House.
"It’s pretty f---ing concerning," said a person familiar with White House discussions about the matter....
The problem is also twofold for Biden.... On one political flank, he faces a well-funded effort by the No Labels group to attract moderate voters. On the other side, West could cut into his base — with both Black voters and some liberal white voters — even if only a little bit.
The history of Green Party nominees vs. the Democrat is not a happy one. Jill Stein drained critical votes from Hillary Clinton, and the Floridian damage Ralph Nader did to Al Gore still hurts — especially the families who lost loved ones in Iraq, where Gore would have never taken them. Now West is threatening a repeat of the 2016 and 2000 calamities.
Nader, however, is refusing to double down on his folly. He opposes West's Green Party run, since Trump is the only alternative to Biden. (Really, Ralph? You're only 23 years slow on the uptake.)
On a second front, as of mid-August No Labels had won ballot access in North Carolina, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota and Utah. Several of these states could go either way.
No Labels has yet to "nominate" a presidential contender, and it says "it would stand down if there’s no clear path to victory next year." But the group has a nasty habit of claiming clear paths where there aren't any. And there's the danger of Sen. Joe Manchin wanting to stay "relevant," given that his senatorial reelection prospects in West Virginia are bleak.
As for West, he says "We do what we have to do to serve poor and working people!" How electing a George W. or reelecting a Trump serves anyone outside plutocracy's circles is an eternal mystery of ultraprogressivise presidential campaigns.