 "Democrats, donors uneasy about the road ahead following Joe Biden's debate fiasco")
Washington: President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance has reverberated across the Democratic Party, forcing lawmakers to grapple with a crisis that could upend the presidential election and change the course of American history.
The Democratic president has signaled he has no intention of dropping out of the race against Donald Trump despite the halting and uneven debate delivery that threw a spotlight on questions about Biden’s age and capacity to be president. But as Democrats make the case that the stakes of the election are momentous — challenging no less than the foundations of American democracy itself — they are wrestling with how to approach the 81-year-old who is supposed to be leading the charge for their party.
Here’s how Democrats are handling the aftermath of the debate:
Raising alarm
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat from Texas, on Tuesday became the first sitting Democrat in Congress to call for Biden to withdraw from the race. In a statement, he praised Biden but said he “has the opportunity to encourage a new generation of leaders from whom a nominee can be chosen to unite our country through an open, democratic process.”
“Recognising that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so,” Doggett said.
A number of other congressional Democrats have tip-toed in recent days toward outspoken concern not just over Biden’s performance during the 90-minute debate on Thursday night, but also the level of transparency that Biden’s team has offered about his mental fitness.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., told a local CBS-affiliated television station this week that he was “horrified” by both Biden’s performance and Trump’s falsehoods during the debate.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“People want to make sure that this is a campaign that’s ready to go and win,” Whitehouse said. “That the president and his team are being candid with us about his condition — that this was a real anomaly.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a prominent Democrat from Maryland, said on MSNBC, “There are very honest and serious and rigorous conversations taking place at every level of our party.”
Raskin said Democrats needed Biden at the “very centre” of their campaign to make the argument that the Republican Party is slipping towards authoritarianism under Trump, but also raised the possibility that Biden would not continue as the presidential candidate.
Some are concerned that Biden’s weaknesses could tamp down potential voters’ enthusiasm, creating a ripple effect that hurts Democrats as they try to hold on to a narrow Senate majority and take back control of the House. Down-ballot Democrats are already confident they can outperform Biden in swing races, but if large numbers of voters reject Biden, it could also impact them.
Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., told CNN on Tuesday that he wanted Biden to recognise “how much this impacts not just his race but all the other races coming in November.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, some Democrats are now openly questioning whether Biden should step aside for a new nominee.
“We have to be honest with ourselves that it wasn’t just a horrible night,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D., Ill.) said on CNN on Tuesday. “I won’t go beyond that out of my respect and understanding President Joe Biden, a very proud person who has served us extraordinarily well for 50 years. But it’s his decision. I just want him to appreciate at this time just how much it impacts, not just his race, but all the other races coming in November.”
Several prominent Democratic donors voiced significant anxiety over Biden’s electoral prospects. Three donors specifically lamented that Biden’s increasing vulnerability could jeopardise the party’s ability to retain the Senate and regain control of the House.
Feeling it out
The debate infused a new dynamic into an election contest that had been marked by few surprises. Voters were familiar with both Biden and Trump and had previously decided between the two in 2020.
Still, many House Democrats were caught in a state of uncertainty as they faced a barrage of questions on the Friday morning after the debate. Some chalked it up as little more than a bad night for Biden, but others are watching closely to see how voters react and whether Biden can execute a quick political recovery.
Rep. James Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat who helped Biden win the Democratic nomination in 2020, urged his party last week to “stay the course” and “chill out.”
By Tuesday, Clyburn was still supporting Biden for president, but also told MSNBC that “Biden may decide otherwise.” Clyburn added that he would support Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden withdrew.
Clyburn and others like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., are recommending that Biden prove to the American people that he is ready for another four years in office by going out and taking tough interviews — something he has rarely done in recent years. Biden will sit for an interview with ABC, his first since the debate, later in the week.
Both Clyburn and Pelosi told MSNBC at midday Tuesday that they had not spoken directly with Biden since the debate. But Pelosi still emphasised that the president is on “top of his game, in terms of knowing the issues and what is at stake.”
She called on both Biden and Trump to face tests for their health and mental acuity.
“I think it is a legitimate question to say is this an episode or is this a condition. So when people ask that question, it’s legitimate — of both candidates,” Pelosi said.
Meanwhile, rank-and-file lawmakers are watching to see how voter polls register the impact and whether it spills into down-ballot races. For months, vulnerable House Democrats have been distancing themselves from some of Biden’s policies. That phenomenon could become more pronounced after the debate.
Rep. Jared Golden, a moderate Democrat from Maine, was already looking for ways to convince potential Trump voters to support him.
“While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win,” Golden said in a Bangor Daily News op-ed. “And I’m OK with that.”
With inputs from AP
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