House and Senate Democrats held separate meetings behind closed doors on Tuesday as both chambers tried to reach a consensus on what to do about their "old man problem."
After the meetings concluded, lawmakers emerged grim-faced and tight-lipped. To put it bluntly, things did not go well for either Biden supporters or those who think it's past time for a change.
A few members voiced their strong opinions, demonstrating that the rifts in the party are going to make it difficult for Democrats to unite behind whatever strategy they decide to pursue.
“It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Biden-backer Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.). Vargas, a member of the pro-Biden Hispanic Caucus, called the president’s detractors a “circular firing squad.”
There appear to be more Democrats wanting to stick with Biden than want to remove him. But if many more polls like the AARP survey from Wisconsin show how badly the president is losing, even Biden's most enthusiastic supporters on Capitol Hill will have to reevaluate their position.
Wisconsin is one of Biden's "blue wall" Midwestern states. Along with Pennsylvania and Michigan, they constitute "must-have" electoral votes if Biden expects to win re-election. The AARP poll shows Donald Trump defeating Biden by a 50-45 spread. The latest Morning Consult poll has Trump up seven points in Pennsylvania. A loss in either of those states in November would doom Biden's re-election chances.
If the polls keep pointing to a disaster for Biden and if the down-ballot Democratic candidates also show weakness, self-preservation on the Hill will take over, and the president's support among lawmakers will evaporate.
No Democratic member of Congress will fall on their sword for Joe Biden.
As if that poll news wasn't bad enough. the respected Cook Political Report moved six states away from Biden and toward Trump.
The Cook Political Report yesterday moved six states away from Joe Biden and toward Donald Trump: Arizona, Georgia and Nevada have gone from Toss Up to Lean Republican; Minnesota, New Hampshire and Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District have gone from Likely Democratic to Lean Democratic.
This morning, Cook analyst David Wasserman writes that “Biden’s post-debate dip represents the biggest polling shift of the year,” with Trump leading Biden 47%-44% in their new national polling average. “Trump’s current numbers among Black and Latino voters are incompatible with any plausible Democratic victory scenario,” he adds.
You can add New York to the "toss-up" category, according to New York Democrats.
“Elected officials, union leaders, and political consultants are panicking over polls showing a steady erosion of Biden’s support in a state he won by 23 points four years ago,” Politico reports.
But as I wrote yesterday, few Democrats are publicly deserting Biden, and there appears to be strong support among key constituencies like the Black and Hispanic Caucuses.
Biden supporters cowed House Democrats into submission — for the moment. Senate Democrats have been largely silent on the issue of forcing Biden out. As long as their focus remains on defeating Trump, the Biden competency issue will remain relatively dormant.
"I would describe it as a constructive conversation, and we're focused on defeating Trump," Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) said.
Baldwin, who has said her constituents are concerned about Biden, said Tuesday's discussion did not change her perspective.
"It was certainly consensus on this critical point that we need to defeat Donald Trump," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who has thrown his support behind Biden.
Reality check: What Democrats did not say is that they are united behind Biden as the nominee.
Instead, it looks like Democrats remain divided. This, despite a number of them saying this week that they need to come to a consensus sooner rather than later.
The Democrats' strategy at this point appears to be to attack Trump, keep Biden away from the media as much as possible, and cross their fingers that the American people will hate Trump more than they're worried about Biden's degenerating mental state.
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