Even before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, dispirited Democrats appear to have all but conceded the race to him.
In a Saturday call to the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the center-left New Democrat Coalition, Biden was combative, even yelling at one Democratic congressman, Rep. Jason Crow, who told him that public confidence in his leadership was eroding.
"Listen, you know, this is a tough business. There's a lot at stake. Emotions can run high," Crow said of the call, reports Axios. "I think the president heard our message very clearly, and in fact, he promised to come back to us with more information to address our concerns and to answer our questions," he added.
While the momentum to remove Biden may have been interrupted by the assassination attempt, that doesn't mean the attack on Trump has ended the effort. Most overtly political action has been paused not out of respect for the Republican candidate, but because voters are not in the mood for partisan politics.
"We're all just focused on expressing condolences … and keeping our teams safe," said one leading Democrat.
Other Democrats said the country's environment is too "chaotic" and that, at this time, it would "be bad form to make any statements against President Biden."
Most lawmakers who spoke to Axios said it is too early to say whether the cessation in tensions will last until the Democratic National Convention next month.
But the second senior House Democrat offered one reason for why it might: "We've all resigned ourselves to a second Trump presidency."
How widespread is that sentiment? Certainly, the Democrat's public statements have supported the idea that Biden is going to win. But if that were true, why don't the Biden skeptics announce that they've ended their effort to replace the president on the ticket? Why not make it clear that they want Biden to remain the candidate and withdraw their calls for him to step aside?
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted the unnamed Democrat quoted in the Axios story.
If you’re a “senior Democrat” that feels this way, you should absolutely retire and make space for true leadership that refuses to resign themselves to fascism.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 15, 2024
This kind of leadership is functionally useless to the American people. Retire. https://t.co/5oKQeMrOI0
Related: Biden Defends His 'Bullseye' Remark: At Least, 'I Didn't Say Crosshairs'
Eric Levitz, writing on Vox, says that Democrats shouldn't use the Trump assassination attempt as an excuse to back Biden. "The party doesn’t need to accept defeat. It just needs to reject Joe Biden."
The former president’s near-death experience has rendered some Democrats even more pessimistic about Biden’s chances. And yet, Saturday’s tragic events have also led many to give up on persuading him to step aside.
The precise rationale for this surrender varies between lawmakers. Democrats who spoke with the Washington Post’s Robert Costa said, in his summary, “it’s time for the country to stick together, and that means Democrats sticking together as well.”
As Jonathan Chait notes, this argument is incoherent. It is unclear why a shocking act of violence — committed by a young person with no discernible political motive — compels Democrats to change their behavior. If the concern is unifying the nation, it seems counterproductive to line up behind a president with a 38 percent approval rating.
Desperation breeds a lot of craziness and stupidity in politicians. But it also breeds a cold calculus when it comes to their own political survival. Joe Biden has to go because too many Democrats will lose their jobs if he's at the top of the ticket.
Full stop. End of story.
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