Members of Congress (and the Lt. Governor) have spoken out loud, and lawmakers like Sen. Michael Bennet have hinted. It’s strong enough to bite. very Handsome movie stars, my style favorites, big names like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and longtime House member Gerry Connolly, are waiting for a patriotic decision (no, not that one, the other one) from the White House. This goes without saying that 67% of American adults (56% of Democrats) want a new candidate, according to a new Post poll.
But let’s take a look at the oldest young person in American politics, the 77-year-old congressman from Vermont. Peter WelchIn a Post Opinion op-ed, he became the only senator to explicitly call for Biden to withdraw.
Welch wrote that battleground states are slipping away and Vermonters are worried Biden won’t win. These people are counting on Democratic governing priorities like the child tax credit and robust Medicare, and Democrats can’t afford to put those programs or their voters at risk.
“We have been asking President Biden for a long time to do so much for so many, which has taken unparalleled selflessness and courage, and we ask him to put us first, as he has always done,” he said.
Jim Geraghty He believes that in order to replace the stubborn Biden, they need to outwit him at the convention, and he advises Democrats to start lobbying for delegates now.
Jim imagines how the fight at the convention might play out, and how an imperfect insurrection could succeed in replacing the candidate: “Even if an insurrection didn’t clearly prevent him from getting the votes he needs for the nomination, a major display of delegate discontent could unsettle him in a way that an attack by a few Democrats couldn’t.”
Or the Democratic Party, The dream of replacing Biden long before the convention even begins? Steven Stromberg, Dana Milbank and Gene Robinson We discuss in the latest Prompt 2024 newsletter.
Jason Wyrick He finds the dramatic shift in attitude toward Biden by politicians, the media and the elites “eerie.” He writes: “The shift in attitude of the knowledge-making institutions on the issue of Biden’s age has been so sudden, so drastic and so herd-and-grossly uniform that it calls into question the very ability of America’s elites to form opinions based on reason rather than fear.”
Megan McArdle She offers her own criticism of the media, writing that the mainstream media’s liberal bias probably prevented them from pursuing the story about Biden’s age as persistently as possible, that the White House kept Biden’s decline a closely guarded secret and that there were not enough reporters pursuing it seriously.
“The result was that Fox News viewers had a better understanding of the state of the president than our viewers did,” she wrote. “This should be a major wake-up call for us all.”
Chaser: Biden is scheduled to address the nation in a solo press conference about two hours after this issue arrives in your inbox. Editorial Committee He says he needs to answer, and he’s capable of answering.
from Ruth Marcus I’ve written in columns about how this is, or was, a distinct possibility. Now it seems increasingly likely that Democrats will be the losers of the White House, the Senate and Congress. and House of Representatives. For Ruth, Without that final firewall, it’s scary to think what a second term for Trump might look like.
Ultimately, this is all down to Biden. Roos reports that he believes many House Democrats believe the president is trying to lead them to a defeat. Such an outcome, he writes, is “the greatest risk to the country.”
Like Bennet, Roos stops short of calling for Biden to step down, but her meaning is as clear as the Colorado senator’s: “It is essential that we maintain a bulwark against total Republican control,” she wrote. It is essential.
Further politics
There’s some good news: David Ignatius He reports that the framework for a ceasefire to end the large-scale fighting in Gaza is finally in place. Peace is “probably not imminent,” he cautions, but this is the closest we’ve come.
David outlined three phases for the plan, with the ultimate goal of rebuilding Gaza over several years, free from either Hamas or Israeli control. Other steps toward regional security could follow, but only once the details of the framework’s final implementation have been finalized.
David is hopeful that, despite exhaustion on both sides, with a bit of luck an agreement can be reached.
The smartest and the fastest
- Jen Rubin To tell It’s time for senators to call for a special prosecutor to investigate Justice Clarence Thomas. Perry Bacon He has bigger ideas about the Supreme Court, writing that Democrats should expand it. and Weaken.
- Rural America is disappearing. Dana Milbank Profile of a small county fighting back.
- Mark Thiessen To win this election, Donald Trump needs to take a cue from George W. Bush, he writes.
It’s goodbye. It’s a haiku. It’s… “goodbye.”
(As long as he makes the right decision)
Have a newsworthy haiku of your own? Please send by e-mailIf you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact us. See you tomorrow!
