Democrats are stuck in a bit of a pickle with President Joe Biden as their candidate in this fall’s presidential race.
In his first debate with the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, Biden appeared to have a full-on, dementia-riddled breakdown. This, of course, sent the left-wing media and Democrats alike into a full-on panic.
It’s clear that unless something major changes, the 81-year-old Biden is going to lose in November to the man Democrats hate like no other — leading many Democrats to call for the president to drop out of the race.
Biden has rebuffed those demands, insisting there is next to nothing that will persuade him to leave the race.
During an appearance Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi was asked what she thought about the president’s campaign amid the post-debate turmoil.
The former speaker’s insights tell us all we need to know about the current state of affairs in the Democratic Party.
Now, there are many ways Pelosi could have answered the question.
The 84-year-old California congresswoman could have outright denied Biden’s obvious mental decline, as many Democrats have done for years.
She could have skirted the question, as veteran politicians like Pelosi have done with various issues for decades.
Will Biden drop out?
Perhaps the most expected answer would have been for her to say there’s no doubt that Biden is the Democrats’ nominee and he has her full support.
Pelosi did none of the above.
Instead, her answer indicated a “decision” was still on the table for Biden.
“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short,” Pelosi said.
This answer suggested Biden is mulling whether to continue with his campaign, but that’s not at all what he has been saying.
Ever since the disastrous debate with Trump, Biden has been insistent that he won’t be dropping out.
He left no doubt where he stood in a memo to House Democrats on Monday, declaring he is “firmly committed to staying in this race.”
This morning, I sent a letter to my fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill. In it, I shared my thoughts about this moment in our campaign.
It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/ABtAaJrr0n
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 8, 2024
Pelosi surely knows this and yet, curiously enough, still said she was working with others “encouraging” the president to make a decision.
Maybe the decision Biden made was not the one she and others wanted him to make.
Or maybe, as pro-Trump commentator Joey Mannarino put it, the former speaker was signaling to House Democrats that it’s fair game to demand Biden drop out.
This is the kindest wording possible, but Pelosi just drove the bus directly over Joe Biden.
This gives every House Democrat permission to tell him to drop out. pic.twitter.com/Q1rI3hUsXG
— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) July 10, 2024
Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News and NBC News called the quotes “earth shaking” and “hardly an endorsement” of the man running for a second term in the White House.
This statement from Pelosi is earth shaking. Hardly an endorsement of Biden from congress’s most prominent Democrat. https://t.co/e7QOd35CJv
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 10, 2024
This mixed messaging is no doubt the result of the tough situation Pelosi and others have found themselves in.
They believe Biden should step down, but if too many Democrats outright demand it and he refuses, he will be greatly weakened electorally come November.
So we can expect more subtle messaging from Democrats like this suggesting the president has a decision to make.
They’ll continue to flounder like this until either he steps down or it’s too late.
