With less than four months to go until the presidential election on Nov. 5, the Democratic party still finds itself in crisis over President Joe Biden’s candidacy.
After Saturday’s assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, NBC reported, some Democrats are coming to terms with Biden being the party’s nominee.
While Biden’s campaign sought to bolster the president with numerous press appearances after his poor presidential debate performance opposite Trump on June 27, many Democrats expressed apprehension at the president’s ability to continue.
And then the events of Saturday unfolded.
Per NBC, a Democratic strategist involved in multiple campaigns said, “If you’re an advocate for: ‘How do we tell the old man it’s time to go?’ — it’s really hard to have that conversation publicly. This event [the assassination attempt] blocks out the sun right now.”
An ally of the president put it very plainly. “I think it’s over,” saying after Saturday’s tragedy, “You just lose all momentum.”
Some Biden donors expressed the attitude that backing off the president is a short-term approach only.
The Hill reported one donor as saying, “This is not the time. That’s not to say it won’t come back in a few days or next week. But it would be incredibly insensitive to have the debate on Biden right now.”
The nation almost erupted into pandemonium as Trump’s life nearly ended on Saturday while one of his supporters — Corey Comperatore — died while bravely defending his wife and daughter.
Will Democrats replace Biden at the head of the party’s 2024 ticket?
Biden issued an address from the oval office on Sunday in which he spoke about, “lowering the temperature in our politics.”
While that statement in itself could provoke criticism from the right, his address was clearly meant to aid his cause of staying on course as the presumptive nominee.
Democrats pressuring Biden to stand aside now would essentially be saying, “Thanks Joe. We know things are crazy but take a hike.”
It would not promote stability and consistency after Saturday’s events.
Yet, that’s what they must do if they want to maintain any of hope of winning in November. The assassination attempt has made it difficult to get rid of Biden, but not impossible.
The news cycle is short.
No sensible person wants to downplay Saturday’s loss of life or Trump’s nearly coming to an end, but there are still several months between now and November.
The president’s recent COVID diagnosis may shift the narrative back as his health is further called into question. This could be the out Democrats desperately need if they time it right.
