More high-profile Democrats are calling for Joe Biden to step down – and, while reports seem to conflict, he might well be considering it. Naturally, of course, rumors of his plan to bow out combined with the already increasing number of former allies now advising he quit has had a compounding effect. Like a snowball rolling faster down a mountain and growing as it goes, each new Democrat who defects from Camp Biden seems to lead to another. Is the president still all in, as some suggest, or does he have one foot out the door already? Either way, his decision creates chaos for the party.
Biden Betrayed
House Democrats Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, and Jim Costa, all of California, as well as Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and even former President Barack Obama, now reportedly believe it’s time for Biden to step down. There are nearly two dozen members of Congress, in fact, who have called for the president to end his campaign or, at least, indicated they think he should.
Between all the lawmakers, party officials, donors, and even left-wing celebrities leaving him behind, Biden finds himself more alone in his quest for a second term each day.
According to a couple of unnamed sources “familiar with his thinking,” Biden feels personally hurt and betrayed by his party’s growing abandonment. NBC reached out to the Biden campaign on Thursday, July 18, and they were directed to the remarks campaign manager Quentin Fulks had made earlier in the day: “He is not wavering on anything. Our campaign is moving forward,” he declared. “There are no plans being made to replace President Biden on the ballot and President Biden is cognizant this is a margin of error race.”
Will He Stay or Will He Go Now?
This does not sound like a man with one foot out the door – and as of Tuesday, July 16, there seemed to be a plan in the works to get delegates together on a digital roll call to confirm Biden as the nominee before the convention. At the time, those Democrats claimed it was to prevent any ballot access issues in Ohio, but with a state law guaranteeing the president’s name will appear before voters come Election Day, one must wonder at the true motives.
Yet other reports suggest he is indeed on the way out. Multiple news outlets throughout the day Thursday quoted aides and others allegedly in the know as saying Mr. Biden has become “more receptive” to stepping down and that he’s now “willing to listen,” with some going so far as to suggest the president may end his campaign this weekend.
Now the discussion seems to be on who Harris’ running mate will be, as she seems to be the presumed replacement. Newsmax commentator Mark Halperin, on the other hand, went out on a limb to suggest she might not be.
“According to multiple Democratic sources, this is happening all of a sudden,” Halperin said. “Everyone said it would happened gradually and then all at once. And that’s what’s happening. According to my sources, President Biden has agreed to step down as the Democratic nominee. It will happen as early as this weekend.”
“A speech has been drafted for him,” Halperin continued. “He will continue on as president. He also will not, I’m told, endorse Vice President [Kamala] Harris as his successor. They’re hoping that he will endorse an open process in which the convention will be open to Vice President Harris and a few other candidates in Chicago to pick the Democratic nominee for president.”
So far, only Halperin has dropped such specific details. However, if Biden really does bow out without passing the torch to Harris, she could still end up the presidential nominee – but only if she comes out on top at what will then be an open convention from August 19-22. And assuming she doesn’t get the nod, that likely means pandemonium as the party tries to find a presidential and vice-presidential nominee (Harris, after all, seems unlikely to serve under another after being passed up herself).
Whoever ends up on the ticket – with or without Harris – it will be too late to change the ballots in more than a dozen states by the end of the convention on August 22. Failing to appear on 14 ballots would make it even more difficult for the last-minute replacement team than it already will be, simply for lack of campaign time and exposure to voters. Democrats then will be left with only two options for winning those states: new legislation in 14 states, at more or less the same time, or a miraculous number of write-in votes.
