Staff Reports
The drama within the Democratic Party continues to unfold, and no one seems to be holding the popcorn more tightly than President Joe Biden, who has taken up a position in the front row of this political theater. According to reports, Biden is still nursing a grudge against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among others, feeling they helped shove him off the Democratic ticket like an unwelcome party crasher. Apparently, even the leader of the free world finds it hard to shake off bad blood within his party.
Biden is said to have confided in his closest aides about reconciling with the choice to withdraw from the presidential race. Yet, he clearly hasn’t forgotten who, in his eyes, set this whole messy situation in motion. This isn’t the first time unnamed sources have illuminated Biden’s feelings; they can often be counted on to share insights that certainly don’t scream “personal bias.” Pause for a moment to reflect on the kind of trust one must place in sources that refuse to put their names on the line.
Do you think Joe Biden is bitter about the way Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats forced him out of the race? pic.twitter.com/RHf0mwK6yl
— helen henning (@helenckh) August 14, 2024
While Biden’s recent interview on CBS might have been intended to put a friendly spin on things, it only hinted at the deeper grudges bubbling below the surface. In a strikingly nuanced depiction of political betrayal, he named Pelosi as one of the key figures who, in his estimation, prompted his exit from the race against former President Donald Trump. Biden believes that several Democratic colleagues felt he would be a liability, particularly with the tight polling numbers, revealing once again that intra-party politics can be more treacherous than navigating a maze blindfolded.
Pelosi, that seasoned political veteran, seemingly flicked the switch to de-escalate Biden’s run when she publicly pondered his candidacy following some truly underwhelming debate performances against Trump. This act of signaling brought forth a wave of discussions across the Capitol, implying that whether or not Biden was fit for the race had become a topic of serious concern within his party. The message was clear: support for Biden was hanging by a thread.
The situation grew even more entertaining with whispers of Nancy playing both sides, telling Biden’s camp that they could either bow out gently or face the consequences—her language implied it might get messy if they didn’t heed her warning. Rumors circulated that Pelosi could very well have dropped the bombshell of Trump’s potential victory over Biden or maybe even hinted at invoking the 25th Amendment as a serious threat to ensure her preferred outcome. Few things could be more amusing than the idea of a president squaring off against a virtual army of his party, each member secretly wishing for his exit.
As for Biden’s relationship with Barack Obama, it appears there’s similar tension brewing. Instead of being straightforward, Obama chose to keep his support for Biden vague, letting the chatter around Biden’s candidacy escalate without any real intervention. A sense of passive-aggression seems to flow like budget deficits through the party, leaving Biden to waterboard memes about friendship while the cameras roll and the Democrats prepare for their convention spectacle, complete with a farewell party for a president who looks less like an old friend and more like the jilted lover.
Nothing screams unity quite like a civil war, and there’s no doubt that as the Democratic convention approaches, the grand send-off will be laced with tension, awkward nods, and perhaps some heartfelt, albeit forced, hugs. All this politicking might feel like a stage where the actors are too entrenched in their roles ever to acknowledge the elephant in the room—a party increasingly fractured around decisions that should have been teamwork but instead resemble a tantrum from toddlers left unsupervised in a candy store.
