Joe Biden, the current US president, faces a relentless backlash from growing numbers within his own party as speculation mounts over his 2024 presidential candidacy. The 81-year-old, whose performance in office has been marred by blunders and controversies, recently held a single-handed press brief, his first since the June 27 debate. During the event, he repeatedly shook off any notion of stepping away from the nomination, claiming, ‘I think I’m the most qualified person to run for president. I beat Trump once, and I’ll beat him again.’ One can only wonder about the level of self-delusion required for such confidence in light of his recent disagreements with Trump.
In the aftermath of his faltering onstage presence during a debate against Donald Trump, Biden’s reelection campaign seems to be sinking deeper into troubles. Trump, the previously consecrated GOP nominee, has been extraordinarily critical of Biden, bombarding him with numerous attacks and false claims during their charged 90-minute duet. It would appear that these antics have struck a chord with voters, as Trump now holds the lead in polls across several key battleground states.
The Democrat’s party is consumed by an internal conflagration as doubts grow around Biden’s age, mental acuity, and viability for a victorious campaign with the election looming in less than 120 days. The spotlight in the press conference fell on a controversial topic currently gripping the Democratic party: whether Biden’s refusal to pull out could be attributed to doubts about Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to secure a win over Trump in 2024.
Biden brushed off the suggestions, praising his vice president for her prosecutorial record in California, and seemed to be under the illusion that she was ready to take over from day one. He attempted to use her stance on reproductive rights and other issues as evidence of her readiness. However, one can’t help but notice the irony of this considering Harris herself has surpassed Biden in more than a few polles – would not Harris be the more appealing choice over Biden, despite his self-proclamations of being the ‘most qualified’?
During the press conference, the audience was stunned when Biden mistakenly referred to Harris as ‘Vice President Trump’, a gaffe which he failed to correct. This incident echoed a previous incident wherein he referred to the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, as ‘President Putin’. Such mistakes are fueling concerns among liberal supporters about his deteriorating condition, and provides plenty of fodder for conservative critics who have long painted Biden as weak.
The worry about Biden’s cognitive ability isn’t baseless either. A recent survey showed that among likely Black voters in swing states, 70% of those who watched the presidential debate showed more support for Biden but among those who did not watch the debate, 58% were less likely to support Biden vs. 42% more likely. As such, Biden’s on-stage blunders seem to be fanning the flames of skepticism within his potential voter base.
Interestingly, Biden rebuked the ‘elites’ within his own party for questioning his ability, which seemed to halt some of the campaign’s fissures from further spreading. However, new fractures have appeared that are casting long shadows on his candidacy: these include reservations from his ‘celebrity’ friends, congressional allies and a majority of Democratic voters according to a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll.
During the conference, Biden vainly attempted to divert attention towards allegedly decreasing inflation, the historical unemployment rate, efforts to secure the US-Mexico border and concerns about a conservative plan named ‘Project 2025’. Yet, many are left baffled as to how a president who mistakes his own Vice President for a political foe can provide credible leadership in any aspect of governance.
There was a marked contrast in the 2024 election regarding NATO and America’s global role between the two men. Trump has voiced intentions to dismantle the U.S.-European military alliance, aligning more with the Republican party’s MAGA-driven isolationist approach. Biden started his news conference by blasting Trump’s refusal to commit to a crucial NATO provision which states that an attack on one member constitutes an attack on all.
Biden stated, quite bizarrely implying that U.S. allies are likely petrified of Trump’s possible victorious return. He nebulously claimed, ‘(Trump) seems to have an affinity to people who are authoritarian’. Yet all talk of Trump’s supposed ‘affinity’ for authoritarianism seems moot when one considers Biden’s apparent reluctance to make way for fresh leadership within his own party.
As the end of the press conference neared, Biden was reminded of his previous campaign pledge to serve as a bridge to a younger generation of Democrats. The oldest president in a quarter-millennium of U.S. history tackled this reminded by reiterating the importance of the situation he inherited. Biden leaned heavily on his administration’s legislative accomplishments, attributing them to his tenure in the Senate.
His unblinking resolve to ‘finish this job,’ due to ‘so much at stake’, rings hollow considering his frequent missteps and the widening cracks in his party’s confidence in his leadership. Whether this performance can do anything to silence the restive nerves within the Democratic party remains to be seen. The subsequent statements calling for Biden’s departure from the race by Reps. Jim Himes, D-Conn., and Scott Peters, D-Calif., don’t bode well for the president.
While Himes, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, complimented Biden as a ‘remarkable leader’ with unmatched public service, the 8-term congressman nevertheless hopes for Biden to step down from the campaign. The contradiction in the two parts of his statement militates against itself, putting the Democrats’ confidence crisis in Biden’s candidacy into sharper relief.
In the final analysis, Biden is staring down the barrel of a gun, metaphorically speaking, as his own party members question his ability to deliver a viable 2024 Presidential run. A mixture of misplaced self-confidence and damaging public gaffes has painted Biden into a corner. To many onlookers, Biden’s so-called fighting spirit appears more like a last-ditch effort by a leader hesitant to pass on the baton.
Add to this instability the potential turmoil that would arise if Harris were to take over the nomination; the Democratic party could be thrown into a period of uncertainty and potential conflict. As it stands, Biden’s insistence on pursuing a 2024 candidacy could have far-reaching implications, not only for the Democratic party but for the entire country’s political landscape.
For an incumbent president with a multitude of political warfare under his belt, Joe Biden’s situation appears precarious at best. As the clamors within his party grow louder, one begs to question if the leader will listen, or if he will continue to push forward, perhaps to the detriment of his party and, more importantly, the future wellbeing of the nation.
Biden’s Deluded Confidence Triggers Internal Backlash appeared first on Real News Now.
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