On Monday, President Joe Biden held a virtual talk with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), where reactions were quick to point out how united the Democratic Party and such key members supposedly are in supporting the president.
As Punchbowl News' Heather Caygle pointed out, however, it seemed like "a cheerleading session" and that "No one addressed the elephant in the room." Further, the questions "seemed pre-selected."
CBC call with Biden sounds like a big cheerleading session, from readouts I’ve gotten.
— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) July 9, 2024
No one addressed the elephant in the room. Biden gave remarks about what he’s campaigning on for Black Americans and then took a few “safe” questions/comments that seemed pre-selected.
What is the point of such a call, then, if it's going to be "a cheerleading session?" Further, how much stake should one point in the call and the supposed support? An Axios headline from Monday read that "Biden’s base of support emerges in the Black Caucus."
"So far, no Black Congressional Democrat has called on the president to step aside. And there's an immense effort underway to make sure the CBC holds the line, according to two members of the CBC," ABC News noted in a report about the call.
Another detail that's perhaps even more telling is that the CBC is meeting virtually on Tuesday to further discuss where to go from here.
News: Congressional Black Caucus will meet again tonight to discuss yesterday’s virtual call with Biden and where to go from here, per a source familiar.
— Mica Soellner (@MicaSoellnerDC) July 9, 2024
The CBC virtual meeting stands in stark contrast to a meeting that House Democrats held earlier on Tuesday, as Matt covered. The word being thrown around is being even worse than "a funeral."
There's also more and more Democrats who are explicitly coming out against Biden running for reelection, or who are not so comfortable committing to showing support to his bid.
One member who attended today's Dem Caucus meeting tells me, “The morale of the caucus is at historic lows.” When I asked if they’d compare it to a funeral like others have, they said, “That is an insult to funerals.”
— Kadia Goba (@kadiagoba) July 9, 2024
Here's the thing, Jake/Bres/I have talked to a lot of Democrats and do so quite frequently.
— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) July 9, 2024
I haven't talked to one who privately says they think Biden is capable of running and beating Trump at this point.
The debate was just a public airing of the concerns many of them have… https://t.co/6ApJvDqAmF