It’s Time for Joe to Go
If President Joe Biden does not withdraw from the race, the odds are that Donald J. Trump will return to the White House. If that happens, Trump will wreak vengeance on his “enemies” and dismantle our democracy.
For the good of our country-- to avoid a fascist dictatorship--Biden must step aside. Yes, an open convention might be messy, but it will also be exciting. Democrats can get fired up by the candidate, rather than trudging sullenly to the polls in November…or just staying home on Election Day.
A Deep Democratic Bench
The Democratic Party can showcase the new generation of leaders and let them duke it out in a series of town halls and debates.
There are several intriguing candidates:
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan)
Gov. Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania)
Gov. Andy Beshear (Kentucky)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (Illinois)
Gov. Gavin Newsom (Calfornia)
Gina Raimundo, Commerce Secretary
Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary
Gov. Wes Moore (Maryland)
And who knows, maybe Vice President Kamala Harris has improved as a candidate since 2020. Biden should not anoint her as his successor, but she certainly has the right to compete for the nomination.
It's The Voters, Stupid, Not the Media
Sadly, Biden is digging in his heels, refusing to recognize reality, but this fight is not over. The President rails against the “elites” and the “media’, sounding eerily like Donald J. Trump. But the American public has been disenchanted with Biden, and his approval ratings have been abysmal, for a long time. This is not a sudden, abrupt development or a rebellion by Beltway insiders.
Last November, we called for President Biden to withdraw from the race It's Time For Joe Biden to Pass The Torch. Eight months ago, one out of every two Democrats thought that Biden was too old to run for re-election. Biden was already trailing Trump in most battleground states, and voters blamed him for inflation. Although Biden did not cause the spike in inflation, that perception had badly damaged his standing with voters.
We thought that Biden should step down because of those factors, even though we still believed that claims about a supposed decline in his abilities were merely right-wing propaganda. In hindsight, we should have taken those allegations more seriously.
For over a year, Americans have told pollsters that they are deeply worried about Biden’s age and his ability to serve for another four years. And their instincts have been right, as Biden’s catastrophic performance during the debate proved. There is every reason to expect that Biden’s capabilities will continue to decline. There is no reason to expect his faculties to improve.
Does Biden Have Parkinson’s Disease?
Two days after the debate, we met a doctor, a neurologist, who told us that as he watched the debacle, he quickly concluded that Biden had Parkinson’s Disease. The doctor said that Biden displayed classic symptoms: a low voice, a shuffling gait, and using his hands to balance himself. The doctor texted several other physicians during the debate, as a reality check, and they responded, “You’re right”!
The doctor added that he was a Democrat—so he had no animosity toward Biden.
We are aware of the dangers of conducting medical diagnoses on a remote basis. However, since that conversation took place, the press has reported that a specialist in Parkinson’s Disease has visited the White House eight times in eight months. That does not seem like a coincidence to us.
A friend with Parkinson’s summed up the situation well, in our opinion. Whether Biden has Parkinson’s or not, he said, the President is clearly showing the effects of old age, and that is not good.
Dodging Questions from Donors
Biden attended a fundraiser on Long Island on the Saturday after the debate. This was a big-ticket group, and the president was under huge pressure to show that the debate was an unfortunate, one-time lapse. However, Biden used a teleprompter to deliver his relatively brief remarks to an audience of 250 people. The president took no questions and promptly left the gathering. So…no impromptu remarks, no back-and-forth with a group of highly motivated and influential backers.
If you were a large donor, would you have been reassured?
Massive Cover-Up by the White House
Biden’s staff has carefully stage-managed the President’s appearances to mask his deteriorating condition, according to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. They have deliberately limited press conferences, of course, and they even declined to have the President attend the Super Bowl. But they have also resorted to tricks, like playing loud music to prevent reporters from asking Biden questions as he walks to a car or helicopter.
Shame on the Biden Administration for misleading us about the president’s mental and physical health. This is critical information for voters to know. Conservative columnists like Ross Douthat have asked whether Biden is fit to serve now. That is an eminently reasonable question.
And the president’s arrogant refusal to undergo a cognitive examination raises a huge red flag.
Joe Biden at the Presidential Debate/Getty Images
Not the Candidate We Voted For
The President and his advisors want to finesse the debate over his future by emphasizing that he won all the primaries. They claim that Democrats should support him because of his accomplishments and because he (alone?) can beat Donald Trump.
But Joe Biden in his current incarnation is not the candidate we voted for. We supported a president who gave a rousing State of the Union speech and sparred vigorously with Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Republicans that night. That Joe Biden has disappeared.
The President has compiled a remarkable record, but that is irrelevant now. The key questions are:
Can Biden perform his duties for the next four years?
Can Biden beat Donald Trump in November?
The likely answer to both questions is “No.”
Don’t Diss the Polls
The Biden camp has dismissed the president’s grim polls for a long time, but that is political malpractice. Contrary to popular belief, the polls were fairly accurate in 2016 and 2020. Democrats did better than expected in 2022, but that probably reflected the Supreme Court’s decision on abortion and self-sabotage by Republicans. They picked several atrocious, ultra-MAGA candidates who lost their races in jurisdictions that should have been competitive.
The polls showed that Biden was in deep trouble before the debate, and they have gotten much worse since then.
Most Democrats Want Biden to Pull Out of the Race
Now, 75% of American voters think that Biden is too old to run, according to a recent New York Times/Siena poll. That’s up five points since the debate.
Similarly, the WSJ’s latest poll indicates that 80% of American voters consider Biden too old to run for re-election, a rise of seven points since the debate. Trump’s lead over Biden has increased from two points in February to six points on a national basis.
In both polls Trump’s lead over Biden in most battleground states has increased, too, according to the survey, although in some states it remains within the margin of error.
Among Democrats, 75% think Biden is too old and two-thirds want him replaced by another nominee.
After decades of observing the political scene, we offer you this particularly profound insight: if only one-third of a candidate’s “supporters” really want him to run, his chances of winning are not good. That is especially the case when many of Trump’s followers think that God chose him to save America. They will flock to the polls.
But the Biden team still remains in denial.
Spineless Schumer and the Democratic Lemmings
The public clearly wants the President to withdraw, but most Democratic leaders refuse to tell Biden the hard truth. Many Democratic politicians are like lemmings walking toward the cliff…
To their credit, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the former House majority leader, indicated that it is still an open question whether Biden will continue to run, and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) has raised doubts about whether Biden has the “vigor” to beat Trump. That is code, of course, a polite way of asking the president to drop out of the race.
Nine other members of the House have publicly asked Biden to withdraw. They should be commended for their courage.
Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Senate majority leader, continues to insist, “I’m with Joe”. However, on Wednesday Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) said that Biden should withdraw “for the good of the country”, becoming the first senator to say so publicly.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) has said flatly that Trump will beat Biden. However, Bennet has not called for Biden to quit the race, even though that seems like a logical conclusion.
The Democratic Senators are ducking their responsibility to the American people. One insider said that probably 47 out of 50 Senators realize that Trump will probably defeat Biden, according to the New York Times. Naturally, the Senators are reluctant to challenge the president and incur his wrath. But Biden can’t fire them…and they are putting the future of our democracy in peril.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) pointed out the danger, when he publicly asked the President to leave the race:
“The idea that we are going to slow-walk into fascism because we don’t want to hurt somebody that we respect’s feelings—I cannot even begin to tell you how angry that makes me.”
Time for a Grass Roots Revolt
Most Democratic leaders seem paralyzed by fear and cowardice, hiding their heads in the sand. There are few Profiles in Courage among this group.
So here’s where you come in: light a fire under the Democratic leaders. Email your Senators and Representatives, urging them to ask Biden to withdraw. Email Sen. Schumer, Rep. Pelosi and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the House minority leader, even if you do not live in their jurisdictions. These three leaders are the one who should deliver the message to Biden.
Elected officials track emails and phone calls from voters carefully. You can give these politicians the cover they need to start speaking up.
If you are a donor, large or small, tell the Biden campaign that you won’t give them any more money. After all, money talks; make it shout! Follow George Clooney’s example.
If the Democrats keep hiding their hands in the sand, they will hand over the White House to Donald Trump…and they will have only themselves to blame.
The Wall Street Democrat