By David M. Greenwald
Executive Editor
There was a brief pause after the assassination attempt on President Trump, but, by Wednesday, Democratic pressure resumed on President Biden to drop out of the race.
Adam Schiff—a mainstream and formidable congressional leader as well as the Democratic nominee for the Senate in California—issued the clearest call on Wednesday.
“Joe Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better,” Schiff said in a statement released by his campaign on Tuesday. “But our nation is at a crossroads. A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Schiff explained, “While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch. And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
He added, “There is only one singular goal: defeating Donald Trump. The stakes are just too high.”
Given that Schiff is one of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s closest allies in the house, the decision was read by many top Democrats as the clearest signal yet from Pelosi that she was preparing to increase her public pressure on Biden.
Just a week ago, Democrats reportedly familiar with conversations going on told the media that Pelosi had conveyed to President Biden the political peril the Democratic Party faced if he remained in the race.
Other reporters noted on Wednesday that Senate leader Chuck Schumer had a private conversation with Biden on Saturday that it would be best if Biden bowed out of the race.
ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl posted on X that Schumer’s office wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the conversation, telling him only, “Leader Schumer conveyed the views of his caucus.”
Hakeem Jeffries has expressed a similar view to Biden, according to a source familiar.
A Jeffries spokesman told Karl, “The letter sent by Leader Hakeem Jeffries to his House Democratic colleagues speaks for itself. It was a private conversation that will remain private.”
WH spokesperson Andrew Bates responded: “The President told both leaders he is the nominee of the party, he plans to win, and looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families.”
But the NY Times on Wednesday reported, “The president has given no indication that he is changing his mind about staying in the race,” but he is “said to be more willing to listen to the case for bowing out.”
The flurry of activity comes after a brief pause following the assassination attempt on former President Trump, and signals that the issue is likely not going away and, if anything, gaining steam.
Shifty Schiff, can you really believe anything that comes out of his mouth?
Of what relevance is that observation in this instance?
Speaking of Biden, does he really have Covid or it just a convenient excuse to hide him for the next 5-10 days?
How would we know?
He’s old. He’s frequently in rooms with lots of people. Covid is going around again. So it’s not like they’re saying he caught the ebola virus or something exotic. So it would be irrational to assume some ulterior motive for something so common and likely to occur.
I don’t think it irrational considering all his recent gaffes and poor showings. His handlers may have decided hiding him is the best choice at this time.
Four comments so far, all off topic.
Joe Biden runs circles around Trump in terms of foreign policy command and legislative accomplishments. Unfortunately, Presidential elections aren’t won on policy, competence or even support for democracy and the Constitution — they’re won on the effect of emotional soundbites and video clips on the voters in a handful of states. Trump projects vigor and authority (he should, as he’s an authoritarian by nature), while Biden projects an image of frailty and confusion. Both are too old to be President, but Trump masks his age pretty well, while Biden’s is all too visible.
Trump is a natural showman. His insistence on aggressively addressing the crowd with a determined face, a fist pump and an exhortation to fight after getting part of his ear shot off was masterful. It doesn’t matter if he pissed his pants during the attack (not saying he did, but I read one account that he understandably looked very shaken while exiting the stage in a scrum of Secret Service agents) — he played the role of invincible leader to a T, and the crowd lapped it up.
Biden has never been a strong speaker. Even when he’s not mixing up names or dates or places, he often delivers a word salad. The average listener can suss out his meaning, but it’s kind of like those memes in which words are intentionally swapped out for homophones (anyone remember Little Rat Rotten Hut?) — you know the words are wonky, but you get the gist anyway because your brain makes the necessary corrections. (This in contrast to Trump, who speaks more clearly but lies so often or just makes stuff up that you can’t believe anything he says.)
In my opinion, Biden needs take a victory lap and then step down. It’d be a huge gamble, but as things stand right now I see his chances of winning in November fading fast. Whoever manages to replace him might or might not win, but at least there’d be someone at the top of the ticket who at least sounds like they can do the job.