The presence of President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee had some of the party in tears on Tuesday, according to a new report.
House Democrats representing swing states — the kinds of politicians whose professional futures are hinging on November’s election — gathered Tuesday to review prospects that Biden could be removed from the ticket in the wake of his disastrous performance in a June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump.
“There were actual tears from people, and not for Biden,” one source told Axios.
The swing-state lawmakers met before a general meeting of House Democrats, Axios reported.
Before House Democrats’ big caucus meeting on Tuesday morning, there was a meeting of swing-district members – one of the last firm pockets of opposition to keeping Biden on the ticket.
There were “actual tears,” one member who was present told @Axios https://t.co/ffvlCaZvqD
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) July 9, 2024
The meetings came after Biden issued a bellicose letter Monday to Democrats returning to the Capitol after the July Fourth recess — a letter that appears to have put a stop, for the moment, to rumblings in the party to get a new nominee before November.
“He clearly did a preemptive effort to try to discourage any questions … with his letter,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas told Axios.
Deep-red Texas is not a swing state, but on July 2, Doggett became one of the first Democrats to publicly demand Biden’s ouster.
Will Biden remain the Democratic nominee until November?
In a statement, Doggett had compared Biden to Democratic President Lyndon Johnson, who bowed out of the race in 1968.
Considering that Democrats lost the presidential race that year to Republican nominee Richard Nixon, that could be a lesson the party isn’t interested in repeating.
“Whether or not I have concerns is besides the point. He is going to be our nominee, and we all have to support him,” Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York said after the general House Democratic meeting, according to Axios.
As one of the most outspoken opponents of Trump in the House and a manager of the first Democratic impeachment effort against him, Nadler’s partisan loyalties are unquestionable. The fact that even he is admitting “concerns” about Biden’s candidacy is noteworthy.
And the general meeting was far from unified behind Biden, according to numerous news reports.
“Democrats who tried to argue that Biden should step down from the ticket included Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who later told reporters he is concerned about Biden ‘dragging the ticket down.’ All three have already publicly called on Biden to drop out of the race,” Politico reported.
“Still, most of the voices at the meeting were in support of the president. But the internal divide was on full display — and many more are still harboring private doubts,” it said.
That “internal divide” appears covered for the moment by Biden’s show of strength with that Monday letter. According to Axios, the president also made an effort Monday night to shore up his support among members of the Congressional Black Caucus — a key part of his power base.
Both initiatives appear to have won the day — at least in the current controversy. As one lawmaker told Axios, “They’ve outflanked us.”
“Most of our caucus is still with him … meaning he’ll stay in,” a House Democrat told the outlet. “Which sucks for our country.”
Another lawmaker told Axios that anti-Biden Democrats were “folding all over the place” and “becoming resigned to Biden holding all the cards here, and us having no real say in the matter.”
“As someone who wanted the reckoning and is really disappointed that it’s over, trust me: It’s over,” the lawmaker said.
