We’re going to see more Democrats whine, cope, and seethe over the president’s dismal debate against Donald Trump. Some lawmakers still talk about replacing Joe Biden on the ticket; that won’t happen. They’re stuck with him unless someone wants to pull an insane move of challenging Biden on the floor at the Democratic National Convention. Biden has the delegates, however—it’s bloodsports that I’d be eager to watch, but this is tantrum talk. Deep down, Democrats know they’re stuck with a candidate who three-fourths of the nation believes doesn’t have the mental ability to govern anymore.
The Biden campaign has been trying to put out fires among the Democratic Party base and its top donors. It hasn’t been pretty. Arguably, this effort is just as disastrous as Joe Biden’s debate performance last Thursday night. One of the calls with Democratic National Committee members was a trainwreck, where members felt that they were being gaslit by the Biden operation (via Associated Press):
Multiple DNC members on the call described feeling like they were being gaslighted — that they were being asked to ignore the dire nature of the party’s predicament. The call, they said, may have worsened a widespread sense of panic among elected officials, donors and other…
— Steve Peoples (@sppeoples) June 30, 2024
DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison and Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez held a Saturday afternoon call with dozens of committee members across the country, a group of some of the most influential members of the party. They largely ignored Biden’s weak showing Thursday night or the avalanche of criticism that followed.
Multiple committee members on the call, most granted anonymity to talk about the private discussion, described feeling like they were being gaslighted — that they were being asked to ignore the dire nature of the party’s predicament. The call, they said, may have worsened a widespread sense of panic among elected officials, donors and other stakeholders.
Instead, the people said, Harrison offered what they described as a rosy assessment of Biden’s path forward. The chat function was disabled and there were no questions allowed.
“I was hoping for more of a substantive conversation instead of, ‘Hey, let’s go out there and just be cheerleaders,’ without actually addressing a very serious issue that unfolded on American television for millions of people to see,” said Joe Salazar, an elected DNC member from Colorado, who was on the call. “There were a number of things that could have been said in addressing the situation. But we didn’t get that. We were being gaslit.”
In a call with 40 of the top Biden donors, which NBC News described as “tense,” some donors reportedly asked to be refunded:
NEW — Biden's campaign manager held a tense call with top donors today, outlining what would happen to the campaign infrastructure should Biden step aside. (In short, the war chest go to Kamala Harris.)
— Amanda Terkel (@aterkel) July 1, 2024
One participant said some donors even asked for refunds for their…
During a tense call with a group of about 40 of Biden’s top financial backers, Julie Chavez Rodriguez laid out what could and could not be done with the campaign’s infrastructure if the president were to step aside, while emphasizing throughout the call that he had no intention of doing so.
[…]
Sunday’s call was just one of a series of similar conversations that top Biden advisers and campaign leaders have been holding with Democratic officials and donors after the president’s halting debate performance rattled the party elite.
[…]
During the call with donors, Chavez Rodriguez noted that the campaign has raised $33 million since the debate and even received hundreds of new applications from individuals wanting to join the campaign.
[Sen. Chris] Coons [D-DE] also made a “fiery” case for Biden, pointing to his performance during recent international gatherings and his campaign rally in North Carolina on Friday to say there’s no evidence that Thursday’s debate was anything other than a bad night.
One participant said that many on the call were still firmly behind Biden, but that “a lot of the participants are frightened.”
“There were some tough comments from those on the call. Some were upset that they are just hearing campaign talking points,” the participant said, adding that some donors even asked about having their contributions refunded.
If this is any indication, today’s call, which NBC News reported would be held by Jen O'Malley Dillon, the chair of the Biden campaign, is bound to be just as chaotic. No ability to ask questions for some, people wanting their moneyback on others—this is a mess.
