Democrats finally mobilize to make way for Biden

Representative Adam Schiff of California, who is running for a Senate seat in these elections and who was key in the impeachment processes of Donald Trump, said in a television appearance this Sunday that Biden should “take the time to consider to reach an informed decision. There is a lot of concern about the impact on many other close elections if the president does not perform well,” Schiff said.

In fact, in these elections the entire House of Representatives is renewed, 435 seats, and about a third of the Senate, about 34 out of 100 seats. Generally, according to the results of presidential elections, votes for the president usually push others candidates of the same party, so it is not uncommon that in a year in which the White House is renewed, like this year, the winner’s party retains at least one of the two houses.

Biden visited Philadelphia yesterday for a campaign event at a traditionally black church. Pastor J. Lewis Felton told the story of the patriarch Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. In Egypt, in captivity, Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh, predicting that there would be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Thanks to his advice, he was appointed vizier of Egypt and saved many people from that same famine. “Never underestimate Joseph, who shares a name with the patriarch,” the pastor said, looking at Biden. “Those who envy him attack him.”

Tired and confused

In his brief address, Biden said: “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and honestly, I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of America if we stay united.” He was on the official line, just as in the long-awaited interview that aired on Friday night in which he said he had no intention of quitting, which was watched by 8.5 million people. That’s certainly less than the more than 50 million people who watched the debate with Trump in Atlanta late last month, and who saw a confused and tired, hoarse-voiced president.

Pennsylvania, the state the president visited this Sunday, is important to him. Despite living in Delaware, he was born in 1942 in the city of Scranton. In 2016, that state was won by Trump from Hillary Clinton. Four years later, Biden won by only 80,000 votes out of a total of 4.8 million. Senator John Fetterman, a rising Democratic star, very popular among the working classes, who have been an important support for the president, came to meet Biden.

However, others clearly mark the distances. Virginia Senator Mark Warner, who is also chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on which he serves, has begun a round of contacts with other senators to visit the White House to ask Biden for his retirement. This would be an important step. Biden has been a senator for nearly four decades, and he has friendly relations with many senators from both parties. Moreover, there are precedents for these types of visits. In 1974, Republican Senator Barry Goldwater went to the White House to ask Richard Nixon to resign over the Watergate scandal, something he was forced to do.

Vague doubts

Another Democratic senator, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, said in another television interview Sunday that President Biden must do more to address questions about his physical and mental state. “Voters have questions and, personally, I love Joe Biden. I don’t know if Friday night’s interview was enough to answer those questions, and that’s why I think this week is going to be absolutely crucial,” he said. “I think the president needs to do more.”

Five Capitol Hill Democrats, all members of the House of Representatives, have publicly called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. The senators are Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Mike Quigley of Illinois.

For his part, full of irony, former President Donald Trump urged Biden to stay in the 2024 presidential race, while Republicans try to evaluate the impact that the president’s heeding some Democrats’ requests to withdraw will have on the campaign. “Corrupt Joe Biden should ignore his many critics and move forward quickly and strongly with his powerful and comprehensive campaign,” Trump wrote on social media. More than a few Republicans believe that having Biden as a rival will ease Trump’s path back to the White House.

With 120 days left until the election, and just over a month left for the Democratic Party to meet in Congress, a change in the nomination is still possible. More and more Democrats are leaking to the US media that they would prefer to have Vice President Kamala Harris as the headliner, given that she will inherit the electoral machinery that Biden already has in place.