As we edge closer to the 2024 elections, nearly two dozen Democratic members of Congress have publicly called for President Joe Biden to drop out of his reelection campaign, including senate candidate from California and Trump impeachment manager Adam Schiff. This outcry follows what many perceived as a shaky debate performance, but the implications of their actions go far beyond a single debate.
I no longer believe the Joe Biden will survive this. I do not come to that decision lightly, and I am furious about it because the fall of Joe Biden's candidacy has been a manifestation of the Democratic Party. Every day we hear drip, drip, drip. More news, more leaks including from the office of Nancy Pelosi, probably one of the most strategic thinkers in the Democratic Party. Adam Schiff does not go public and call for Joe Biden to drop out without a conversation with Nancy Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi's private conversations are not “leaked”, they are strategically released.
In an astonishing display of disloyalty, these Democrats have effectively undermined our own party's nominee. By vocalizing their doubts and criticisms so publicly, they have contributed to a self-fulfilling prophecy. The very polling dynamics they now use to argue that "Joe Biden cannot win" (which I just wrote about yesterday as not seeing) have been shaped by their own dissent and lack of unified support. If this continues, Joe Biden's campaign cannot survive, and it may already be too late.
If Democrats had true concerns about Joe Biden's ability to serve another four years, the time to air those concerns was before the primaries. Not weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. If those concerns were legitimate, they cannot pretend that they just came to light due to a debate performance. Even if they succeed in getting Joe Biden out of this race, that fact alone will hang around their neck like an anvil in November.
Contrast this with the Republican Party's unwavering loyalty to Donald Trump. Granted, a lot of that comes from fear of him and his minions but regardless, despite his 34 felony convictions and an unprecedented attempt (and intent) to overturn democracy, the GOP has rallied around him. Their unity stands in stark contrast to the fragmented support within our own party. The Republicans, regardless of the moral and legal implications, have shown a level of loyalty that has fortified their candidate's position. Imagine if our party had displayed even a fraction of that unity towards President Biden.
It's infuriating to witness this internal sabotage. The Democratic Party has a leader in Joe Biden, a man who has weathered countless storms and led our nation through some of its most challenging times. His legislative accomplishments will be compared by historians to FDR. Yet, instead of rallying around him, key members have chosen to cast doubt and sow discord, and do so publicly.
We will never know what might have happened had the Democratic Party simply rallied around our nominee after the debate. The internal conflict within our ranks is a significant factor in the current polling landscape. Democrats have created the very situation they claim we are in by slowly manufacturing a steady stream of bad headlines attacking their own leader for weeks on end, and then they have the nerve to use internal polling results after this sabotage to justify their position that he's losing in the polls and therefore should get out of the race. I never knew the standard for the nomination of president of United States what is that you had to be leading in the polls going into your convention. Instead of bolstering our candidate, these public outcries have weakened our stance and played into the hands of our political opponents.
Democrats have been asking Joe Biden how does he plan to win? The party needs to ask itself if they succeed in forcing Joe Biden out, how do they plan to have Kamala Harris win the Pennsylvania suburbs? The path to victory is fraught with challenges, and splintering our support will only make those challenges nearly insurmountable.
This disunity is not just infuriating; it is a strategic blunder that could easily cost us the election. If Democrats lose in the fall, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. The seeds of our potential defeat were sown by our own hands, through a concerted effort to undermine the very leader we should have been supporting. And mark my words, it will take decades to undo the damage that four more years of Trump rule would do to this country.
I have a pretty good idea of what the next couple of days to weeks are going to bring. The writing is so clearly on the wall as to be painting a mural. Make no mistake I will work my ass off for the nominee of the Democratic party, but not because I'm happy with the party.
Joe Biden has served this nation with honor, dignity, and decency. Frankly he is too good for this country, and the way we are treating him now demonstrates that vividly. I'm going to be pretty pissed about that for a while.