Staff Reports
Fasten your seatbelts, folks, because the Biden campaign saga has turned into a full-blown season finale of a political soap opera. The week started with a brief ceasefire in the blue-on-blue skirmish, only to end with President Biden’s allies claiming he’s as immovable as a geriatric oak tree. It’s almost impressive how Democrats morphed this into a spectacle of desperate clinging, oblivious optimism, and a rally-the-troops moment in the shadow of an assassination attempt.
The shocking incident last Saturday, where former President Trump narrowly escaped a sinister plot at his Butler, Pennsylvania rally, sent ripples through both parties. It momentarily hushed the chorus of Democratic voices calling for Biden to step down. In a rare kumbaya moment, Democrats saw it as a cue to unite behind Biden, perhaps mistaking their candidate’s fraught health as a symbol of resilient leadership. Sure, nothing says “I’m fit for a bruising campaign” like a senior citizen action figure who might be more comfortable with a knitting needle than a campaign mic.
Washington Examiner: Biden’s seesaw support: Timeline of the president’s spiraling campaign https://t.co/NniB4FoXsp
— Ian Hansen 🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@IanHansenFeed) July 19, 2024
As Monday rolled around, Biden’s political cheerleaders, including the likes of Chris Coons and Bernie Sanders, scrambled to lecture their colleagues on unity. They conveniently pushed aside the glaring fact that Biden’s poll numbers are in a nosedive, trailing Trump across battleground states. But hey, why let a little thing like electability get in the way when there’s a legacy to be cherished, right?
By Tuesday, House Democrats decided to channel their inner Nostradamus, prophesying doom if Biden leads the ticket. The letter circulating among them warned that a virtual roll call wasn’t necessary anymore, given Ohio’s changed rules. These lawmakers could barely hide their panic about down-ballot races and the significant losses they might face with Biden at the helm. Talk about robbing the cradle for hope—Pelosi’s advising sessions became the political equivalent of a therapy hotline for nervous Democrats eyeing tough races.
When Wednesday hit, Representative Adam Schiff, known for his doomsday facial expressions, added himself to the growing list of Democrats urging Biden to step aside. His grand argument? The stakes are too high, and the goal is singular: defeating Donald Trump. One almost wishes they were this dramatic about, say, inflation or border security. Meanwhile, the Democratic National Convention’s decision to delay a virtual roll call till August offered temporary solace to House Democrats—proof that passing the hot potato works wonders in Democrat circles.
As the saga unfolded, Biden suffered from a bout of COVID-19, which arguably gave him the most convenient campaign slowdown ever. Yet in an interview with BET’s Ed Gordon, Biden assured he would consider bowing out only if medically incapacitated or if divine intervention suggested so. Reports of Biden’s “soul-searching” about his reelection prospects left the airwaves abuzz on Thursday, but his campaign officials were quick to refute any notion of the President having second thoughts. Rep. Jamie Raskin even tossed in some dramatic flair, urging Biden to step down for the greater good—one could picture the violin strings in the background.
So here we are, watching a gripping, albeit predictable, drama unfold. Whether Biden chooses to cling to his fading political star or eventually succumbs to internal pressures is secondary to the fact that Democrats are visibly struggling to coherently champion their chosen leader. Nicely done, Democrats. It looks like 2024 might just hand the GOP another laugh-filled gift that keeps on giving.
