Biden’s future in the party is still being debated by Democrats
Biden and the Congressional Black Caucus: Two Years After the Race for the White House, the Republican-Electoral Correspondence Revisited
Rep. Deborah Ross declined to talk about Tuesday’s caucus discussion, but used a political term southerners often use to describe Democrats who vote for any candidate with the party’s label, “I’m from North Carolina. We are yellow dog Democrats and if there was an election we would vote for a yellow dog over a Republican because Donald Trump is who we want.
Biden sent a letter to the Democratic caucus saying that he was committed to being in the race and that the speculation that he might drop out helped Trump.
He called on detractors who think he should not challenge him at the convention and he dismissed the idea of Congressional leaders coming to him asking in an interview with George Stephanopoulos.
President Biden has been doing more outreach to members. The Congressional Black Caucus called him last night. Black voters were critical in propelling Biden to the White House four years ago and remain a critical voting bloc for him this cycle.
Several Democrats who did speak to reporters stressed that Biden was the nominee and the party needs to return to campaigning and making the contrast between Biden’s record and Trump’s agenda.
The statement released by Trahan after the meeting said she shared her concerns with Biden that she was hearing from voters.
The members leaving the meeting barely talked to the reporters waiting outside, with some saying it was good to have a family conversation and others suggesting the discussion was exactly what the party should be doing.
Despite mounting pressure over the weekend from Democrats calling on Biden to step aside from the campaign, the proverbial dam did not break when lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill.
The Democrats in both the House and Senate did not unite behind the push to get the president to pull out of the presidential race. The private worries about what Biden remaining on the top of the ticket means for the prospects of Democrats to flip the House and keep control of the Senate persists.
The internal party heads into its second week after Democratic lawmakers expressed deep concerns about President Bidens ability to campaign aggressively enough to win the election despite a poor debate performance against Donald Trump.
Chuck Schumer has the support of Biden. When pressed on the president’s viability as a candidate, Schumer repeated the same curt answer he’s always given: “I’m with Joe.”
The most vulnerable Democratic running for reelection in a state that Trump won in 2020 pointed to a written statement he issued a day before saying he had concerns about the president. He called Tuesday’s closed door discussion constructive.
The number two Senate Democratic leader, Dick Durbin of Illinois, when asked about Biden remaining on the ticket, said “it still remains to be seen” and said the president is putting together his campaign.
If there is a move to get behind an alternative nominee, the Senate Democrats say this week is the unofficial deadline to debate the best path forward.
House Democrats huddled in a private meeting Tuesday morning at the Democratic National Committee headquarters close to the Capitol for close to two hours. According to members leaving the meeting, the lawmakers were not allowed to leave the building with phones, and the recommendation was not to discuss the conversation with the media. Top leaders left through a back entrance, avoiding reporters.
The Joe Biden Moment I Was With Three Weeks Of The Debate: Why Do We Want to See Them? Why We Believe in Them. When Do We Live in 2020?
California Rep. Lou Correa, who backs Biden, said the “vast, vast majority” of those who spoke up during the private session support Biden as the nominee.
He said that he was surprised by the amount of support Biden had. The people have already chosen their nominee. He said there was concern, but he did not see a lot of people saying he shouldn’t be the guy.
Hank Johnson said there were some differences of opinion but they were all unified in their opposition to Donald Trump.
Was he tired? Yes. A cold? Maybe. Party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we saw. We have decided to ignore all the warning signs that we are terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term. The George Stephanopoulos interview only reinforced what we saw the week before. When we see the president, who we respect, walk off Air Force One or return to a microphone to answer a question, we collectively stop the volume and keep our eyes open.
He cannot win the fight against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe “big F-ing deal” Biden of 2010. The Joe Biden of 2020 was not him. He was the man that everyone witnessed at the debate.
I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As both a president and a vice president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. You can believe in him. Don’t believe in anything he says. He has defeated many of the challenges he has faced in the last four years.
I am a lifelong Democrat, and I have no apologies for that. I am proud of what my party stands for. In support of my chosen candidate, I have helped lead some of the biggest fund-raisers in my party’s history. Barack Obama in 2012. In the year of Clinton. Joe Biden is going to be in 2020. Last month I co-hosted the single largest fund-raiser supporting any Democratic candidate ever, for President Biden’s re-election. I say all of this only to express how much I believe in this process and how profound I think this moment is.
