No One Wants To Push Too Hard But Biden Is Coming Close To Wearing Out His Welcome— The Time Is Nigh

A couple of weeks ago I started hearing from my connections on Capitol Hill that Biden would be dropping out and that only the timing and some details needed to be worked out. I reported exactly that— that that was what I was hearing from my contacts. Immediately someone I had never heard from before attacked me personally. If I had any idea how to block someone I would have blocked them. Now I wonder if they will make a public apology when Biden pulls the plug. Not because they didn’t want to take my world, but just for the Republican-like ignorance or vehemence of the attack. Probably not. 

And I still don’t know when he’s dropping out. Yesterday, NBC News reported the end is close. And I’m sure Biden’s handlers know exactly what they’re trying to accomplish— presumably as seamless a handover to Kamala as possible— and how to effectuate it. All the Democratic centers of power seemed aligned and coordinated already, from Schumer, Pelosi and Jeffries (who said with Biden at the top of the ticket, Congress will be lost), the big campaign donors, Obama (who allowed a leak that Biden has basically no path to victory), the Clintons and now grassroots voters as well. But he still has to do it voluntarily; no one can legally force him. He has the delegates. He has to do it for the sake of the country. And he will.

Late yesterday, 3 top Washington Post reporters wrote that Democratic leaders don’t want to see Biden waver from what he needs to do. But the news they’re reporting is a week old and the die has since been cast. Biden wants to avoid being a lame duck for as long as possible, time now measured more by days or perhaps hours than weeks. “Amid the rush of new reports about growing fissures,” they wrote, “many Democratic leaders have not disputed the reports about their concerns or used their own voices to express support for Biden— a silence that often appears designed to send its own pointed message. Against that backdrop, a round of new polls has been amplifying those doubts. Public and private surveys in recent days have indicated that Biden is losing ground against Trump in nearly every swing state, giving him a narrowing path to victory and raising the prospect of a GOP landslide. Additionally, polls conducted after last month’s debate, in which Biden often stumbled and struggled to complete sentences, have found anywhere between 40 percent and 65 percent of Democrats saying the president should drop out of the race… While at least 23 congressional Democrats have called for Biden’s exit from the 2024 race, many more are privately expressing concerns and hoping that Biden will step aside voluntarily, officials said. Some have resorted to calling first lady Jill Biden, according to a person familiar with the calls, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private entreaties.”

And back to the NBC News report: “‘We’re close to the end,’ a person close to Biden said. That person, who previously doubted Biden would ever step aside, acknowledged that it’s still the president’s decision but joined in the array of Biden allies who say he is nearing a point of no return… One Democratic lawmaker on Wednesday said if Biden didn’t agree to step aside, the cacophony of calls will grow only louder, with more lawmakers expected to urge him to do so. The lawmaker called it a ‘sad moment’ for the party. A sense of reality is beginning to wash over some of the president’s top campaign lieutenants, who have endured streams of phone calls from donors and one-time supporters flagging that they can no longer back Biden. A person who spoke with a senior campaign official said a sense of a new reality has fallen over the campaign. ‘They’re finally realizing: It’s a when, not if,’ the person said. There has been a shift behind the scenes in the president’s openness to stepping aside, according to multiple people close to Biden, despite his aggressive insistence in public appearances and private phone calls with allies that he is not going anywhere.” 

by Chip Proser