Aww, isn’t this cute? Barack Obama is reportedly extremely concerned about Biden's reelection campaign, and is working behind the scenes with Biden’s aides and allies the necessity for the campaign to have the authority to make decisions independently, without the need for approval from the White House.
According to a report from The Washington Post, "Obama grew ‘animated' in discussing the 2024 election and former president Donald Trump’s potential return to power, one of the people said, and has suggested to Biden’s advisers that the campaign needs more top-level decision-makers at its headquarters in Wilmington, Del. — or it must empower the people already in place. Obama has not recommended specific individuals, but he has mentioned David Plouffe, who managed Obama’s 2008 race, as the type of senior strategist needed at the Biden campaign."
Obama also is said to have spoken directly with Joe Biden.
Obama’s conversation with Biden on the subject took place during a private lunch at the White House in recent months, one of the people said, a meeting that has not been previously reported. Biden, who has long used Obama as a sounding board, invited his former boss to lunch, and the two discussed a range of topics including the 2024 election.
During the lunch, Obama noted the success of his reelection campaign structure in 2012, when some of his top presidential aides, including David Axelrod and Jim Messina, left the White House to take charge of the reelection operation in Chicago. That is a sharp contrast from Biden’s approach of leaving his closest aides at the White House even though they are involved in all the key decisions made by the campaign.
Obama also recommended that Biden seek counsel from Obama’s own former campaign aides, which Biden officials say they have done, the people said.
Obama has been even more explicit with people close to Biden, suggesting the campaign needs to move aggressively as Trump appears poised to quickly wrap up the Republican nomination. His concerns about the campaign structure were not tied to a specific moment, but rather his belief that campaigns need to be agile in competitive races, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations.
The Washington Post reported last year that Obama and his former vice president had a private meeting in June. During that meeting, Obama cautioned Biden about President Trump, emphasizing that he is a “more formidable candidate” than Democrats realize.
According to the report, Obama “promised to do all he could to help the president get reelected” and that this promise “was a welcome gesture for the White House at a time when Biden is eager to lock down promises of help from top Democrats.”
Biden aides are somewhat dismissive of Obama's assessment because they are still miffed Obama urged him not to run for president in 2016, and argued that Hillary lost that year despite Obama's aggressive campaigning for her. But they all need to come back to reality and accept the fact that a campaign restructuring won't solve Biden’s problems.
Biden doesn’t have a messaging problem; the mainstream media helps push his messaging repeatedly, between claiming the economy is in great shape and insisting that there’s “no evidence” justifying his impeachment. Biden doesn't have a campaign leadership problem, either. He has a problem with his record. The economy is garbage, and everyone thinks he's too old — including Democrats. That's not exactly a great foundation for asking for another four years.
So, six months after Obama first advised Biden on his reelection, things haven't gotten any better for Biden. And, spoiler alert, it's not likely that anything will change.
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