trip to Washington, it's time for# Politics Monday with Amy Walter of## The Cook Political Report With Amy# Walter, and Tamara Keith of NPR.

Hello, hello.

TAMARA KEI that and talk about the Democrats, because# we just heard all about the Republicans.

Tam, you were just in New Hampshire.

And Dean# Phillips, with h he's now saying that Joe Biden presents a# threat to democracy?

What's that all about?

TAMARA KEITH: Well, he -- the threat that# he says Joe Biden presents is that Joe Biden## could lose to Donald Trump.

And he says that# Trump is a uniquely dangerous figure history.

So it's a secondary argument, But# -- or two steps removed kind of argument.

Phillips is out there saying that basically Joe# Biden's poll numbers aren't great, which is a## true fact, and that somehow he is the solution.# What he says is that, in polling, Donald Trump## versus a generic Democrat performs better -- the# generic Democrat performs better than Joe Biden.

And Dean Phillips then says, you can# call me generic if you want to.

So## his argument is basically that, in a race# between a ham sandwich and Donald Trump,## a ham sandwich could do quite well, and# he's happy to be the ham sandwich.

But## it's really not clear that that is an argument# that would hold up going beyond New Hampshire.

And the thing with New Hampshire is, Joe Biden is# not on the ballot in New Hampshire.

So on election## night, when the results come in, Dean Phillips,# his whole theory of the case, his plan is that## he will win New Hampshire.

But what is winning# if the incumbent president isn't on the ballot?

So I asked him that.

What do you expect# the headline to be?

He said: "Wow."

GEOFF BENNETT: OK. (LAUGHTER) Well, meantime, President Bi by Democratic officials that we should expect# more of that, that President Biden should not## just target Donald Trump by name, but that# he's also going to point to what he sees## as extremist policies about abortion, for# instance, and what's happening in Texas.

AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: Absolutely.

is in a world of hurt for an incumbent# president going into a presidential year,## opinions about his handling of the# presidency very low, lower than even## I think where Donald Trump was at this point# going into 2020.

Opinions about the economy,## opinions about who do a better job on the economy,# all those are terrible numbers for the incumbent.

He can't afford this to be a race that right# now is about him.

It has to be about the## stake -- what's at stake if Donald Trump# is elected.

At the same time, I was just,## before I got here, was looking through the# new Wall Street Journal poll which asked the## question, were you better off, did you think the# policies of Trump or Biden made you better off?

And, for Trump, by a 12-point margin,## people said they were better off with Trump# policies.

For Biden, it was pe ople feel as if they were -- life was better# when Donald Trump was president for them.

The challenge then for Biden and his campaign is# to make the case, much like Nikki Haley did there,## that actually things weren't that great.# Remember the chaos when he was president,## and, also, they're not going# to be any better, because,## as you point out on the issues like abortion --# that wasn't on t January 6 hadn't happened when people were voting.# It's -- this is going to be the seminal issue in## 2024.

Is it about things that are happening to# people right now that they feel upset about,## which they will blame the president for,# or is it about things that they think will## happen in the future with a Donald Trump that# has already been president and they know abou but he's not in front of their face every moment?

GEOFF BENNETT: Looking ahead to New Hampshire,# Ne w Hampshire's first-in-the-nation# primary, his name isn't on the ba which means that there is this grassroots effort# to mount a write-in campai TAMARA KEITH: Right.

New Hampshire gets snubbed.

Joe Biden isn't on# the ballot.

But there is this write-in campaign,## the write-in Biden campaign.

And it is extremely# grassroots.

I was on a Zoom call with a group -- a## county Democratic Party group that was talking to# one of the organizers of this grassroots effort.

They're there.

They're looking for volunteers to# go stand outside of every single polling place## with a sign that says, write in Biden.

There# are 21 candidates for the Democratic nomination## in New Hampshire because New Hampshire is# quirky and ballot access is pretty easy.

And so they have to not# only convince people, like,## even though the president isn't on the ballot,# you should go through and then also that you should look past all 21# people, find the empty bubbl and then write Joe Biden.

The thing they do have# going for them is that Joe Biden is easy to spell.

(LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNETT: That's true.

TAMARA KEITH: Oh, his campaign is very# much not involved in this.

This is not## their thing.

They are very happy continuing# to keep New Hampshire not in the conversati But these New Hampshire -- and it's like the# establishment, the Democratic establishment## of New Hampshire who feel snubbed.

They are# out there to prove New Hampshire's value,## and they're also out there to try to# prove that Joe Biden does have enthusiasm,## because if he were to lose or not perform# well, then all of the stuff that Amy just## talked about, the narrative, if# you will, would be about weakness.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

AMY WALTER: Yes.

that he's not sure if he'd be running if# Donald Trump wasn't also in this race... AMY WALTER: Yes.

and President Biden decides to# hang up his cleats.

He says, look,## the premise for my campaign isn't what it# used to What would that do to the# Democratic nominating process?

AMY WALTER: That is an excellent# question, because, right now,## so many deadlines have already passed to get# on the ballot in certain states.

And so you're## really -- I guess you could maybe move some of# the filing deadlines, get people on the ballot.

A lot of this depends on, this hypothetical, when# he makes that decision.

Now, at the end of the## day, it's the delegates at the convention.# It's a convention that ultimately nominates## the president and vice president, if that were# to come down to that point.

But I think we're## getting to the place now where, if you are the# Democratic Party, you have this opportunity.

New Hampshire is going to be a test case, the# opportunity to say if you don't really want to## see Biden on the ticket, which voters in polling,# Democratic voters, have been saying they'd like a## different candidate.

Are they going to pick# somebody they don't really know very well,## don't know much about to send a message?

And if# so, will that message be received by Joe Biden?

New Hampshire has been notorious for taking# incumbent presidents and embarrassing them,## George H.W.

Bush being the most# recent with the challenge against## that candidacy from Pat Buchanan,# and, obviously, Lyndon Johnson,## who soon after he almost lost the primary, ended# up announcing he wasn't running for reelection.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, thank you for# indulging that thought experiment.

(LAUGHTER) TAMARA KEITH: Yes, it was Washington tomorrow, but we will have extensive# coverage of that AMY WALTER: Of course.

GEOFF BENNETT: Good to see you both.

AMY WALT