Tipsheet

There Is Some Serious Blood in the Water Regarding Kicking Biden Off the Ticket

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  July 03, 2024 12:45 AM

 My word. 

I stand corrected 

I thought there was no way for Joe Biden to be replaced on the ticket. It’s too late in the calendar. Biden has the pledged delegates required, and the Democrats seemed poised to make it official in a virtual roll call vote as early as mid-July. Then, Joe Biden got run over by a tank driven by Donald Trump in the first debate, sparking a meltdown among Democrats indeed not seen since 2016—and it might be worse. 

Yet, as we’ve entered the early morning hours here, it seems clear there is a concerted and aggressive push to get Joe Biden to step down. The Camp David weekend chat with his family of psychopaths—Jill, the power clinger, and Hunter, the money-grubber—did little to dissuade a significant core of the Democratic Party from backing off their pressure campaign to force Biden off the ticket. Hunter is the godfather of poor decision-making, and Jill is Lady Macbeth—I get how little their talk with Joe reassured the party brass and donor base.

The blood is in the water, and to add more heavyweight names to join the ‘leave now Joe’ camp, former President Barack Obama is weighing in again, reportedly telling allies that Joe’s path to 270 has been severely degraded due to last week’s disastrous debate (via WaPo): 

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Former president Barack Obama has privately told allies who have reached out to him that President Biden’s already-tough path to reelection grew more challenging after his shaky debate performance on Thursday — a harsher assessment of the presidential race than his public comments, according to several people familiar with his remarks. 

[…] 

Obama has long harbored worries about his party defeating Donald Trump in November, repeatedly warning Biden in recent months about how challenging it will be to win reelection. Just before the debate, Obama conveyed to allies his concerns about the state of the race. 

[…] 

But for months, Obama has shared with Biden and friends his deep concerns about Trump’s political strengths and the real possibility he is reelected in November. In December, during a private lunch at the White House, Obama discussed the need for Biden to empower his campaign apparatus, suggesting he install a more senior level decision-maker at the Wilmington headquarters. The next month, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon and Mike Donilon left the White House to serve as campaign chair and chief strategist, respectively. 

Last June, Obama outlined Trump’s political strengths during a private lunch with Biden, telling him that Trump benefited from an intensely loyal following, a Trump-friendly conservative media ecosystem and a deeply polarized country. 

Don’t let the peppering of support fool you: as a loyal Democrat and colleague, Obama must do this, per tradition. But it’s clear he’s on board with a change. 

The same goes for Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), who arguably saved Biden’s 2020 campaign by shoring up support in his state’s primary that cycle. He outright said he’d back Kamala Harris should Biden step aside. 

Obama never wanted his VP to be president, and last Thursday night appears to be the straw that broke the camel’s back for most. There are down-ballot races that must also be considered—Biden is now radioactive regarding his approval rating and how many think he’s too old to run. There isn’t a single battleground state where he’s now beating Trump, and the bleeding has leeched into states that weren’t on the map not long ago: Maine and New Hampshire are leaning toward Trump. 

CNN’s Jamie Gangel said that 'Biden replacement theory' is no longer some Democratic Party coping/venting exercise—“the dam is breaking.” 

“I think it's fair to say the dam is breaking, she said to CNN’s Anderson Cooper last night. “Top Democratic Party leaders, this includes former and present administration officials, as well as major party donors, are now saying out loud what we've been hearing privately for days.” 

She made the same point with Jake Tapper. Meanwhile, Democratic Party strategists, like James Carville, have barked that Biden needs to go ASAP:

Has it been decided already? Will Biden get the boot this week? It’s a bit odd that for a man who is supposedly mentally sharp, agile, and gunning for a fight, he’s not fighting like hell for his political life, slapping down those within the party to assert his leadership and command of the situation. It seems Biden hasn’t talked to anyone in congressional leadership. It all points to maybe he knows he can’t do this anymore. 

Further chaos could reign down on the Democratic Party this week; if it does, it will be exceptionally messy. It’s been days since his drubbing on CNN by Trump. It’s all anyone can think about concerning Biden and executive function. Is he capable? Based on reports last night and throughout the weekend, only Hunter and Jill seem to think so.

I wouldn't be surprised if a reshuffle occurs this week. Katie will have more on that later this morning. 

***

Whoever it is, the names you've heard still get beat by Trump in the polls.

Also, this sounds like chaos: the proposed plan should Biden get the boot, which is to open it up to everyone, have a speed-dating-like primary, have some debates between now and August, and let the final decision come on the convention floor.