Even Obama has doubts about Joe Biden. Will the president finally listen to reason? | Opinion
Is this the beginning of the end of Joe Biden’s campaign for reelection?
Consider what’s happened over the past few days:
The president tested positive for COVID, forcing him to cancel campaign appearances and reinforcing the image of him is a frail old man — not a good look, especially compared to the triumphant photo of Donald Trump, a defiant fist raised, immediately after a failed assassination attempt.
California Congressman Adam Schiff, who is all but certain to win a Senate seat in November, called on Biden to withdraw, saying he has “very serious concerns” about his ability to beat Trump. He also warned that with Biden on the ticket, Democrats could lose both the Senate and the House.
Other top Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, privately delivered more or less the same message, according to reporting by The New York Times, Politico, CNN and other news outlets.
And now — in what is likely the biggest vote of no confidence, the Washington Post reports that former President Barack Obama has confided to allies that he believes the president’s “path to victory has greatly diminished.”
Biden has still been insisting that he will remain in the race.
“Look, 14 million people voted for me to be the nominee in the Democratic Party, OK? I listen to them,” he told NBC’s Lester Holt during a Monday interview.
But there are signs that the 81-year-old Biden is listening.
In an interview with Ed Gordon on Black Entertainment Television (BET), he conceded that he would step down if his doctor advised him to do so.
“If I has some medical condition that emerged. If ... doctors came to me, said you got this problem, that problem,” Biden said in response Gordon’s question about what might lead him reevaluate his candidacy.
But he later noted that doctors have told him no such thing.
“It’s not the case,” he said, and went on to point out that he is only three years older than Trump, “and I think I’m in a little better physical shape than he is.”
In Biden’s defense, he has been an extraordinarily effective president in many ways. He saw the nation through a pandemic, battled inflation, invested in infrastructure, advanced an agenda to wean us off fossil fuels, lowered the price of prescription drugs, strengthened NATO and supported Ukraine in opposing Russian imperialism.
His loyal supporters say that matters far more than his age or his ability to perform in front of an audience.
That’s true.
But the American public should not have to hold their breath every time Biden steps up to a microphone or walks up or down a flight of stairs, fearing that he might not be able to find his words or negotiate steps without stumbling.
That may sound unfair or ageist, but it is the reality.
Biden’s efforts to appear in charge — he’s talking about fixing the Supreme Court by imposing term limits and has announced a plan for nationwide cap on rent increases, among other ambitious proposals — will not erase doubts about his fitness to serve another four years.
Democrats need a candidate who will excite voters — not one who stokes anxiety.
The fact that the Republican Party is surging right now only makes matters worse.
Since the assassination attempt, Trump’s supporters are more devoted to him than ever, with some calling his survival a miracle anointed by God.
Exposing Trump’s lies — as Biden has urged the media to do — is not going to turn things around.
Many of Trump’s supporters couldn’t care less about his lies, his felony convictions, his sexual misconduct, his cruelties. They revel in his outrageous conduct.
Then some voters are either ambivalent or dislike both Trump and Biden — but in the end, decide to back the candidate who appears to be the stronger of the two. And right now that’s Donald Trump.
Because who wouldn’t have misgivings about voting for a shaky candidate who no longer has the solid backing even of his party? (A recent AP-NORC poll showed that 65% of Democrats believe Biden should step aside.)
The Democratic Party has made a mess of things and its best shot now is to convince Biden to step aside.
It won’t be easy, but it’s the best way forward.
This story was originally published July 17, 2024 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Even Obama has doubts about Joe Biden. Will the president finally listen to reason? | Opinion."
