In Private, Democrats Panic. For The Biden Campaign, Everything Is Fine
As the 2024 presidential election heat intensifies, there have been intense ripples of discontentment within Democratic ranks as some party members express concerns over President Biden’s readiness for a second term. Despite this, the Biden campaign team maintains its unwavering stance that everything is on course. This mixed reaction stems primarily from what most consider a shaky performance by the President during the first televised debate against former president, Donald Trump.
Disgruntlement Brewing Within Democratic Ranks
The past five days have seen a flurry of private questioning and despair from some elected officials and donors, with a section of them privately contemplating whether their leader should step aside. Notwithstanding this internal turmoil, within President Biden’s inner circle and the campaign team, the sullen debate night is considered a mere “bad night”. In the wake of the incident, the campaign officials and White House made promises of a swift bounce back by Biden in the next rally at North Carolina and heralded their record fundraising on the debate day.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, the campaign chair, attempted to assuage nervous donors that the fundamentals of the race remained unchanged despite the debate debacle. However, such assurances appeared to do little in quelling the growing concerns within the party, with some members accusing the Biden team of gaslighting them.
First Defection And Calls For Change
Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.) became the first Democratic member of Congress to defect publicly, urging Biden to step out of the race. Amidst these developments, a new narrative began to form, with Democrats calling out Biden to consider his fitness for office seriously. Notably, Representative James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) opened the door to a post-Biden election stating on MSNBC that he would support Vice President Harris if Biden decided to step down.
Paradoxically, Biden’s inner circle and campaign team continued to project an image of denial and optimism, arguing that despite his visible aging and slower pace, Biden remained their best shot at defeating Trump in the November polls.
Refusing To Bow Down
Despite the growing internal critiques and complaints, the Biden operation seems determined to press on and dismiss the criticisms as an aberration. Directly or indirectly acknowledging these criticisms would mean subscribing to the whispers within the party and long-held fears by Democratic voters that the 81-year-old president is too old for another term.
Ironically, what critics see as hubris and selfishness, the Biden team repurposes as resilience, reminding anxious allies and donors of Biden’s past come back after losing badly in Iowa and New Hampshire during the Democratic primary in 2020 before going on to win the nomination and defeating Trump.
Building A Defense Against Criticism
Apart from robust internal assurances and reminders of past wins, the Biden team also has a strategy in place to counter his critics. Most of their responses revolve around shifting the focus to former president Trump rather than the sitting president. Despite all these efforts, the strategy of happy talk might seem oblivious to reality, potentially leading to more criticisms.
Longtime Democratic strategist, Hilary Rosen, thinks the Biden operation might have fared better with honesty saying, “You can’t tell people they didn’t see what they saw. Trying to turn this around and blame it on everyone else is not only offensive; it just isn’t going to fly.”
