Tipsheet

The Four Words Some Dem Senators Reportedly Plan to Say to Biden Soon

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  July 05, 2024 10:30 PM

Joe Biden is the dog in the house on fire, saying, “This is fine.” That’s why so many members of his party are worried about November. Rightly so because the forces that want him gone are many and powerful, but the president seems confident that he can withstand the pressure, even as the fundraising well begins to dry up. Top donors are withholding cash until he drops out. The panic has not subsided following Joe Biden’s atrocious June 27 debate. And now, Democratic Senators are supposedly going to take a page out of A&E’s Intervention and hold one for the leader of their party. It's the four words a lot of Democrats want to say to Biden: "This is an intervention"  (via WaPo):

Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) is attempting to assemble a group of Democratic senators to ask President Biden to exit the presidential race, according to two people with direct knowledge of the effort.

Warner is telling Democratic senators that Biden can no longer remain in the election in the wake of his faltering debate performance, according to the people familiar with private conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely. Warner has told others that he is deeply concerned that Biden is not able to run a campaign that could beat former president Donald Trump. 

[…] 

Biden told reporters he had spoken with at least 20 members of Congress and that they’re all telling him “to stay in the race.” When asked about Warner’s concerns, Biden said he was the “only” one pushing for him to step aside. “No one else is calling on me to do that,” he said. 

[…]

As chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Warner is viewed as a serious voice privately advocating for the president to step aside. He represents a state that Democrats must win in November to maintain their hold on the White House. 

There’s a growing consensus among Senate Democrats that the situation with Biden at the top of the ticket is untenable, and senators are trying to determine the best way to relay that message to an insulated president. Some senators don’t think Biden has people around him who are giving him an accurate picture of the fallout, according to one Democratic senator and a senior Democratic aide. 

Biden remains resolute that he can win despite getting creamed in the post-debate polls. Three-fourths of the country thinks this man is too old, and nothing that happened tonight quieted those concerns. Reporters think he looks 40 percent dead, which was an observation at the recent White House Correspondents Dinner. Biden forgot the names of longtime friends and had to be instructed by Jill on what to say to another donor at a fundraiser. 

The man will have good days and bad days, but one thing is clear: Biden is losing this election right now, and his June 27 debate isn’t vanishing into the ether. He looks old and tired and supposedly is wrapped in a “cocoon” by his aides so tight that he’s lost all independence. 

If you’re a Democrat who has seen more of this man behind the scenes, you probably agree with Warner’s assessment.

Oh, look, now House Democrats want to talk about Joe; I doubt it's about how 'well' he's doing:

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