Senior Democrats have concluded two things. First, Joe Biden must step aside in favor of Kamala Harris. Second, Joe Biden will not, so they will attempt to have George Stephanopoulos euthanize Joe Biden's campaign later this week.
In addition to Biden's family and closest friends insisting he stays in the race, Democrats have another problem. Legally, only Biden can control his political war chest. While he could donate it to an outside group, a new candidate would start with no money to pay for their own staff, advertising, travel, or ground game. Likewise, such a campaign could not coordinate with whichever group got Biden's money. The only exception is if Harris is the nominee. Democrats have reluctantly concluded she is the only alternative.
Back in 2009, Politico revealed Stephanopoulos, James Carville, and Paul Begala had regular phone calls about the political news of the day. The three have been friends and compatriots since the Clinton campaign in 1992 and are still regularly in touch.
Since the presidential debate, Carville has been on television repeatedly saying that there is no way Biden can continue and that he needs to get out of the race. Begala has been more measured but has also made clear his views on television. Likewise, internal Democratic polling is so bad that if the election were held tomorrow, Donald Trump would win in a landslide with over 300 electoral college votes and a majority popular vote.
The polling for Biden, conducted by OpenLabs, a highly respected and secretive polling outfit, shows Trump winning every swing state, plus New Hampshire, Virginia, and New Mexico.
That brings me to Stephanopoulos. He has been complicit in covering up President Biden's decline. When confronted by Nikki Haley on television, bringing up Biden's cognitive decline, Stephanopoulos pushed back hard. With it now abundantly evident to everyone, Stephanopoulos has to try to protect his reputation and do an "I can't believe he was like this, and I had no idea" turn.
So, when Stephanopoulos interviews Biden later this week, his job will be to euthanize the Biden campaign. The President likes "Morning Joe" and Stephanopoulos. "Morning Joe" has turned protective. Stephanopoulos must draw blood for the Democrats. His friends have warned Democrats all week about what it will mean if Biden stays in.
If Stephanopoulos can damage Biden through a tough interview, the countdown will be on for the winding down of the Biden campaign.
In the run-up to the interview, Biden White House staffers began to throw one another and the Biden family under the bus. "Last week's debate prompted some around him to express concern that the decline had accelerated lately. Several advisers and current and former administration officials who see Biden regularly but not every day or week said they were stunned by his debate performance because it was the worst they had ever seen him," The New York Times reported.
Democrats want to beat Trump. They have concluded that Biden is too weak to mount an effective campaign against Trump. However, they have also concluded that Biden believes he could take on Trump. They have additionally concluded that the Biden family is a problem and impediment to getting Biden out. Lastly, they have reluctantly realized only Harris, herself a deeply flawed candidate, could take over the Biden campaign's formidable war chest of campaign cash.
Democrats need media friends who are protective of Joe Biden to turn on Biden to wake up the Biden family. They need Stephanopoulos to euthanize the Biden campaign on national television. And don't think Stephanopoulos won't give it the ol' college try. He knows what is at stake, and he wants to stop Trump. To do that, he must stop Biden on Friday. The Democrats hope he will. As for Biden, he still insists he is going nowhere.
James Carville, quoting Richard Nixon's economist, said last week that things that cannot continue will not continue. The problem for Democrats is that Joe Biden should not continue. But with over $100 million in the bank and the most delegates in the Democratic primaries pledged to him, he can even if he should not.
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