Biden says he is not dropping out but calls for him to do so are getting louder

 

Joe Biden. Politico/AP.

Joe Biden has said that he is not dropping out of the race despite the fact calls for him to do so are growing larger after a disastrous debate. Politico. During a call with his campaign and DNC staff, Biden said “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can — as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running … no one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win,”. VP Kamala Harris also said that she supported Biden in the call. Harris is the only realistic candidate to replace Biden. Biden has privately admitted that his campaign hangs in the balance and there are now Democratic Lawmakers who say Biden should step down and a lot of chatter about Harris taking over. Biden's staff understand that the next week or so has to go well for Biden, including several campaign events and an interview with ABC. Biden's family is pushing for him to stay in the campaign, with Hunter Biden and Jill Biden being all in. However his sister, Valerie, has raised concerns about Biden's health and legacy. 

My Comment:

The chaos continues at the Biden campaign and we don't seem any closer to figuring out if Biden is going to be replaced or not. Earlier in the day everyone was convinced that Biden was done and that Kamala Harris was about to be the Democratic candidate. But then this afternoon, Biden released the statement that he was not dropping out.

I still say that Biden is more likely to stay in the race than drop out. Hunter and Jill Biden are absolutely not going to give up their gravy train willingly and Biden listens to them. Doing so would also not really help the Democrats because the only realistic candidate is Kamala Harris since she's the only one that can use the Biden campaign's massive war chest. And his statement was pretty unambiguous, either Biden was lying through his teeth or he's staying in the race. 

But it's also clear that the voices calling for Biden to call out are getting more shrill and common. The Democrats are panicking right now and they somehow think that the chaos of a last minute replacement would be a better idea than running Joe Biden. It's unclear what faction of the Democrats will come out on top. It seems as the pro-Biden faction is larger than the anti-Bidens for now, but that could change quickly. 

It does seem like the next week of so will be the deciding factor. Biden has a critical interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News that could be make or break. Indeed, it might come down to what ABC decides is the better plan. If they want Biden to be the candidate they will cover for him. But if they don't they can destroy him. And that's assuming there is anything left to destroy, Biden's decline is obvious and it's no guarantee that the interview will happen on one of Biden's "good" days. 

What would I do if I was in charge? I am not sure. I know that the answer can't be Kamala Harris. She has been a terrible Vice President and one of the only people that consistently poll worse than Joe Biden. Gun to my head if I had to choose between a brain dead Joe Biden and a completely healthy Kamala Harris as president I'd pick Biden every time and it's not even close. Pulling Joe Biden to put Kamala in his place is not a plan, it's absolute desperation. 

But what else can you do if you are the Democrats? Biden's polling has dropped considerably. I wrote yesterday about Biden being behind in every major swing state and some blue states as well. And there are new polls confirming that Biden is behind, including a New York Times one where he is losing 49% to 43%. Running him at this point is basically waving the white flag. 

Regardless, I think that this chaos is absolutely excellent for Trump and the Republicans. No matter who ends up winning this Democrat civil war, they are going to be extremely weakened. Biden was in serious trouble even before the debate, with his platform being unpopular and his results being terrible. Whoever the candidate would have to not only overturn the debate debacle but  they would have to somehow reverse the mood of the country, which is decidedly anti-Democrat at the moment.

It really does seem like the momentum is totally against the Democrats right now. In addition to the Biden question, they have to deal with the body blows the Supreme Court has given them and the fact that their lawfare against Trump has failed miserably. And they have already lost many of their most passionate progressive voters due to the Israel-Hamas war. Biden's debate performance may have simply been the last nail in the coffin for 2024.