You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who could defend Joe Biden's performance during the first presidential debate last month. Those closest to Joe Biden, and even Joe Biden himself, have admitted it was a bad night for him. But, the bigger issue is not so much his performance, but rather the fact that Democrats can no longer deny Joe Biden doesn't have what it takes to continue the campaign, let alone be president. However, for the most part, although Democrats have been trying to keep a united front publicly, cracks are clearly forming.
It's likely not a coincidence that Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), one of Biden's top surrogates and the man largely responsible for saving Biden's campaign in 2020, bailed on his planned appearance on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
Congressman Clyburn's staff informed Face the Nation this afternoon he needed to cancel Sunday's interview. We look forward to hearing from the congressman again soon.
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 5, 2024
Clyburn was certainly going to face some tough questions about Biden's physical and mental health and didn't want to go on record in that format. I suppose you can't blame the man. As one of Biden's "top allies," his refusal to go on the show suggests he didn't feel comfortable being put on the spot on this issue.
Clyburn previously blamed Biden's bad performance on "preparation overload," but it's clear that excuse isn't going to hold water anymore.
However, Clyburn isn't the only Biden surrogate who's become conspicuously absent. Fox News host Shannon Bream mentioned that over the past few days, they've contacted various Biden surrogates, allies, and other Democrats to appear on air and defend Joe Biden—yet none have agreed to do so.
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"Our team has spent days reaching out to dozens of lawmakers and Biden advocates and allies. We've had numerous interactions with the Biden-Harris campaign, but not a single potential guest was either able or willing to join us on today's show to defend the president and his decision to stay on the ticket," Bream announced on "Fox News Sunday." "So we will be having a conversation without that voice, which we have been working around the clock to avoid."
SHANNON BREAM: Our team spent days reaching out to dozens of lawmakers, Biden advocates, and allies, but not a single guest was willing or able to come on to defend Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/qKxBpV0NsL
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 7, 2024
Even Democratic blowhard Adam Schiff urged Biden to consider stepping down during an appearance on NBC News's "Meet The Press" with Kristen Welker.
"He shouldn't be mopping the floor with Donald Trump," he said. "Joe Biden is running against a criminal. It should not be even close. And there's only one reason it's close. And that's the President's age. And what I would what I would say, Kristen, what I would advise the President, is seek out the opinions of people you trust. He's obviously talked to his family about this. And that's important but he should seek out people with some distance and objectivity. He should seek pollsters who are not his own pollsters. He should take a moment to make the best informed judgment. And if the judgment is run, then run hard and beat that S.O.B."
Whoah. The DNC power players have employed Dirty-Tricks Chief Adam Schiff to go after Biden.
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) July 7, 2024
“[Biden] should be mopping the floor w/ Trump. Joe Biden's running against a criminal. It should not be even close & there's only one reason it is & that's the president's age."
Schiff… pic.twitter.com/ubRwk7RBRl
Hardly a ringing endorsement of Biden's ability to stay in the race. He's trying to have it both ways, but it's obvious he knows what's going on and would rather see Biden leave.
