Opinion
Joe Biden wants to be nominated as presidential candidate in the coming days. He will not be able to stifle criticism within his party of his aging. On the contrary: It is a risky maneuver.
Eight years ago, in July 2016, at a nominating convention in Cleveland, one could observe a divided and torn party in which many despaired of the presidential candidate, feared for their careers and spoke of a crushing election defeat.
The party was the Republicans. Their candidate was Donald Trump. We now know how it turned out: Trump became president, even though almost everything was against him. Against all odds, as the Americans like to say. Against all adversities. Trump had simply and outrageously ignored them. He had ignored critics. He had criticized the media. He had insulated himself against reality and good advice.
Joe Biden today resembles Donald Trump.
There is the bitter reality in the country – and there is the reality in the White House, bathed in warm light. Joe Biden seems strangely detached in these days of chaos. He does not consult with his chief of staff, nor with the head of his campaign team. He only trusts a small circle of loyal followers and his family clan, especially his son Hunter and his wife Jill. Together they are dragging the Democrats into an ever greater crisis and are doing everything they can to suppress the smoldering rebellion against his candidacy.
They all believe unwaveringly in Joe Biden’s portrayal as a comeback kid, as a man who always gets his way, even when everyone has written him off.
But in this crisis, there is less and less reason to believe in his comeback. The only thing to look forward to is the miserable polls. The probability of a Trump victory is high. According to a CBS News/YouGov poll, only 28 percent of voters believe that Biden has the mental and cognitive abilities to take on the office of president again.
Joe Biden reacts to the bad numbers with Trump-like attacks on pollsters and the media. He says he wonders whether polls “are as accurate as they used to be.” He declares defiantly: “Recent polls show that we are winning.” Yet almost every national poll published since Biden’s disastrous performance in the TV debate shows that Trump is in the lead or has closed the gap to a tie.
Joe Biden seems to live in a false world
The Democrats are experiencing a paralyzing, dangerous stalemate. On the one hand, Biden and his supporters. On the other, a growing number of Democrats who are simply terrified of losing the election in November if Biden does not resign.
And Biden, who otherwise always cultivated the image of a down-to-earth man from a humble background, comes across as a displaced potentate whose thoughts only revolve around his own power. On Monday evening, a television presenter asked him who he would consult about whether he would stay in the race. Biden replied: “Me.”
I am the party. Some Democrats are already reminded of the fate of the Republicans, who have degenerated into a mere Trump electoral club. The assassination attempt on Donald Trump has somewhat dampened public pressure on Biden to drop out of the race. The leadership of the Democratic National Committee is now seizing the opportunity. They want to confirm Joe Biden as their party’s presidential candidate by the end of the month – in a virtual vote. As if they wanted to simply stifle the debate about his old age.
The Democratic National Committee’s current plan is to train state party leaders over the next week on how to conduct electronic voting in a secure manner. The voting window will likely open on July 29 and close on August 5. If the virtual roll call vote plan goes through, Biden will only have about two weeks left to politically survive his party’s critics.
Joe Biden has time on his side. His critics in the party, however, are running out of time.
His opponents will not remain silent
In a letter of protest, Democratic lawmakers criticize: “It is a terrible idea to suppress debate and prevent any possible change on the Democratic ballot through an unnecessary and unprecedented ‘virtual roll call’ in the coming days. This could undermine the morale and unity of Democrats – from delegates, volunteers, grassroots organizers and donors to ordinary voters – at the worst possible time.”
Anyone who travels through the USA these days and speaks to the Democratic Party base has to agree with the critics. The morale of the campaigners is at rock bottom, and the commitment and enthusiasm of the Democrats, as one can see in the swing state of Wisconsin, for example, is much lower than in the 2020 election campaign.
The most important thing that speaks for Joe Biden is that he is not Donald Trump. He should not squander this advantage.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
