Even the mainstream media has begun to question Joe Biden’s suitability for office.
There is still strong support for President Obama among top Democrats. At least in front of cameras. Now, the top Democrats are watching Biden’s polling numbers in their state and they are starting to voice their concerns.
Mayor Van Johnson, of Savannah, Ga. said: “I am extremely concerned.” President Biden is an outstanding man. He’s certainly a president with many accomplishments. “But that doesn’t translate to Southeast Georgia.”
Johnson believes that Biden’s campaign has been a bit bland in its assurances that voters won’t see the race anymore as a referendum about Biden once they realize that it will be between Donald Trump and him.
Johnson doesn’t buy that argument.
He called the argument of choice “a passive strategy”, and said that the gap in enthusiasm between the two parties was overwhelmingly in favor of the Republicans.
He said, “I see no passion, excitement, or anything.” It could be too little too late.
The Biden campaign, for some reason, has not felt the need to form state organizations. Last week, he hired top staffers for three states that were considered battlegrounds. However, state party officials expressed concern because Biden is trailing behind congressional candidates who are attracting more support.
It should have been the other way round. A president who is forced to follow the lead of a lower-ballot candidate will likely lose.
New York Times:
They fear that Biden’s campaign has been slow to build a strong organization, especially in those states that will likely determine the outcome of the presidential election next year. The Democrats point out that Mr. Biden is far behind the Democratic candidates for Congress and struggles with key groups, such as Black and Latino Americans.
In Arizona, Democratic Polling found that Mr. Biden lost Hispanic Voters to former President Donald J. Trump, in Maricopa County. This county includes Phoenix and represents over 60 percent of the voters in Arizona. In Michigan, Mr. Biden is 15 percentage points below Gov. Snyder’s approval rating. He has lost support among Black and Arab American voters. In Georgia, officials claim that the economic message of Biden hasn’t been received by voters. This is partly because they have seen how Gov. Brian Kemp, who is a Republican from Georgia, has taken credit for many new projects.
This is a situation that has never been seen before. Several Democratic candidates are waiting to make an announcement. They are raising money in secret and have shadow campaigns.
They don’t even dare to acknowledge that they are running a campaign. It is the last thing that any of these candidates, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris, need to be accused of undermining an incumbent president by their Democratic colleagues.
Only Rep. Dean Phillips who has announced he is running for President doesn’t seem to care if he undercuts Biden.
Wall Street Journal:
Joe Biden wants voters to allow him to play nuclear football up until he is 86 years old, an obvious political vulnerability. Many Democrats are afraid that if they acknowledge this publicly, it will help Donald Trump. It could also damage their 2024 candidate. Rep. Dean Phillips is not afraid to weaken Mr. Biden. The Minnesota Democrat believes that Biden will lose. I don’t think Biden can beat Trump under any circumstances.
This is the truth. Biden’s biggest enemies are his closest advisers, who can see Phillips’ impending defeat just as clearly but tell Biden things will change once XYZ happens. It is hard to refuse a seat at a table and tell your boss the truth.
It’s for this reason that it won’t happen in the way you think. It will be necessary for a group of top Democrats to go up to Biden and present him with the hard, cold numbers that predict his defeat. No sentimentality. No regrets. They are all professionals. Biden is no exception. He can make a convincing case that he would be a disaster for the Democratic Party if he were to run in November.
When could this happen? Joe Biden has no chance of losing either a caucus or a primaries. Any attempt to make Biden face the reality of his situation and withdraw from the race will be independent of the political process.
It would be better for the party if Biden retired, and Kamala Harris became president. This could prevent other candidates from running and unite the entire party behind Kamala Harris.
I’d think that some scenario, involving Biden quitting and Harris stepping up to the plate would occur before Super Tuesday in March.
