Image source, Getty Images
- Author, Sam Cabral
- Role, BBC News, Washington
A growing number of Democrats are calling on Joe Biden to end his presidential re-election campaign and cede his place to a younger candidate.
Concerns about his poor performance in the debates have spread over the past fortnight among politicians, donors and others within the party.
The 81-year-old has defiantly declared he is going “nowhere” and, at the NATO summit on Thursday, offered a lengthy and largely unrelenting rebuttal to his critics.
But the pressure is mounting as he continues to lose ground in the polls to Republican rival Donald Trump.
Who wants Biden gone?
It started five days after the June 27 debate with Lloyd Doggett, A A 15-term congressman from Texas, he said it was time for Mr Biden to “make the painful and difficult decision to step down”.
Mr Doggett, 77, who sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, said he respected “everything that President Biden has accomplished” but that the Democrat had failed to “effectively defend his many accomplishments” on the debate stage.
He has since been joined by other colleagues from the House of Representatives:
- Arizona left winger Raul Grijalva told the New York Times that the campaign was in a “precarious” state and that Mr. Biden must now “assume responsibility” for retaining the White House.
- Seth Moulton Massachusetts Rep. 100, a 2020 presidential candidate, told WBUR he no longer has confidence in Biden’s ability to beat Trump.
- Mike QuigleyAn Illinois congressman involved in planning the Democratic National Convention, made a direct appeal to the president on MSNBC, saying his “legacy is established” but it was time to “let someone else do it.”
- Angie Craiga Minnesota Democrat representing a swing district, expressed concern about Mr Biden’s performance in the debate and his “lack of forceful response” since then, and warned that “there is only a small window left” to choose a replacement.
- Adam Smith The Washington senator, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said Mr Biden could no longer “clearly, clearly and forcefully present his views to the American people”.
- Center-left congresswoman from New Jersey Mikie Sherrill wrote that “the stakes are too high – and the threat too real – to remain silent” because Democrats “cannot allow Trump to return to the White House.”
- Pat Ryanfrom a vulnerable New York state seat, urged Mr Biden “to keep an earlier promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders” and step aside “for the good of our country”.
- Longtime Oregon leftist Count Blumenauerwho is retiring at the end of this term, said he hoped Mr Biden would end his candidacy because the 2024 race was “not just about extending his presidency but about protecting democracy”.
- Hillary Scholtenfrom a Michigan swing district, told the Detroit News: “We simply have too much at stake in this election to sit back and stay silent when we still have time to do something.”
- Another Illinois centrist, Brad Schneiderwhose district will host the party convention next month, said Mr. Biden should “heroically pass the torch to a new generation … to lead us into the future he made possible.”
- Ed Case The Hawaii senator broke ranks with the rest of the state’s congressional delegation and issued a statement saying Biden should not pursue his candidacy. “Tough times and realities demand tough decisions,” he wrote, adding, “my guiding principle is what is the best path forward for our country.”
- Greg Stantonwho represents a district in the key state of Arizona, said he believed it was time for Mr. Biden to drop out of the race “for the sake of American democracy and to continue making progress on our shared priorities.”
- Jim HimesCongressman from Connecticut since 2009, said on X (formerly Twitter) that Democrats need to run the strongest candidate possible to take on Trump and “I don’t think that’s Joe Biden anymore.”
- California Representative Scott Peters The US president also made his position official. “Today, I am calling on President Biden to step down,” he said in a statement. “The stakes are high and we are on a losing path.”
- Another Illinois Congressman Eric Sorensen “I hope President Biden will step down from his presidential campaign,” Biden said in a statement on X. “In 2020, Joe Biden ran for president with the goal of putting country before party. Today, I ask him to do that again,” he added.
It took just under two weeks after the debate for the top Democratic senator to call on Mr. Biden to step down. Pierre Welch, Vermont Gov. John Kerry told the Washington Post: “We need him to put us first, as he has done before. I urge him to do it now.”
Other important figures have also joined this growing chorus:
- Lieutenant Governor of New York Antonio Delgadoa former member of the House of Representatives, said Mr. Biden “can add to his legacy, showing his strength and his grace, by ending his campaign.”
- Former Congressman from Ohio Tim Ryanformer housing secretary Julien Castro and self-help guru Marianne Williamson — all of Mr. Biden’s former primary opponents — have called on him to step down.
- George ClooneyThe Hollywood actor and political fundraiser told The New York Times that Mr. Biden couldn’t beat the times. His article was headlined: “I Like Joe Biden. But We Need a New Candidate.”
What do others say?
Top Democrats, including party leaders in Washington, held their fire and remained undecided on whether Mr. Biden should pursue his 2024 bid.
Nancy PelosiThe former House speaker declined to answer directly when asked whether she wanted him to continue running. She did so on Morning Joe, the president’s favorite news show, on MSNBC.
“I want him to do whatever he decides to do,” she said, adding that “time is running out” for him to make that decision.
His replacement as leader of the Democratic Party in the House, Hakeem Jeffriessaid he was having “frank, full and clear-eyed” conversations with his members and would meet with his leadership team to discuss next steps. But he rejected suggestions that Mr. Biden had become a political liability for House Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has publicly said he is “for Joe” but, according to Axios, is privately signaling to donors that he is ready to replace Mr. Biden.
Many politicians have carefully analyzed his remarks, expressing respect for the president’s accomplishments in office while emphasizing that his poor poll numbers and troubling public appearances raise important questions.
Montana Jon Tester and Ohio Sherrod Brown are two of the senators most vulnerable to reelection. While Mr. Brown has largely dodged questions on the subject, Mr. Tester says Mr. Biden “has to prove” he is up to the task.
Colleagues echoed these concerns. Patty Murray, Washington state Rep. Joe Biden said Biden “must do more to demonstrate that he can campaign hard enough to beat Donald Trump.” Michael Bennet, from Colorado, warned that Mr Trump was on track to win “by a landslide, and take the Senate and the House with him”.
Two prominent members of the House of Representatives, the one from California Adam Schiff and Maryland Jamie Raskinas well as the governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey, have also publicly expressed their doubts since the June 27 debate.
But the president is not without support.
Vice-president Kamala Harris did not hesitate to support his boss, as did potential candidates to replace him, such as Gavin Newsomgovernor of California, and his contemporaries in Michigan and Maryland Gretchen Whitmer And Wes Moore.
The powerful Congressional Black Caucus, which represents about a quarter of House Democrats, reaffirmed its support for Biden this week. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus did the same, though some of its members reportedly disagree.
Congressional figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Corteza New York congresswoman who twice ran for president Bernie SandersAnd John Fetterman, a senator from Pennsylvania.
News Source : www.bbc.com
Gn usa
