Editor’s note: This opinion piece was published before President Biden announced he would no longer be seeking the Democratic nomination for president.
The Democratic machine is gearing up in a panic to overwhelm President Joe Biden. What a bunch of rubes.
Biden is driving the Democratic wagon toward an electoral cliff, but this was foreseen a year ago among leading Democrats. Even as they tried to con and bluff the American people to November, they saw Biden’s increasing infirmities. Age happens. It is not a character flaw, but it is a one-way trip.
At the start of the year, Democratic leaders knew Biden was not up to a rigorous political campaign. Respectfully, gently, privately and publicly, some urged him to pass the torch. He refused and then Democrats made their ultimately fatal mistake. They chickened out.
Instead, they put their hopes in lawfare conducted against Donald Trump, but case after case fell apart. And even when Trump suffered minor losses, the political persecution was so obvious that the losses turned into wins. That which does not kill you makes you stronger, right? Trump got stronger.
What more could leading Democrats have done as Biden resisted? As it is now doing, congressional leadership should have privately and then, if necessary, publicly told Joe he had to go.
If he still resisted, the party’s uber leadership starting with former President Barack Obama should have dropped the hammer. They should have firmly urged major Democratic donors to put away their checkbooks.
No Biden campaign money. No Biden campaign. Biden is stubborn, but even he could not resist this message.
The Democratic machine, knowing what needed to be done, pushed gently, faced resistance, then meekly retreated to the shadows.
Biden’s debate performance ended the play. The con was up, the ruse a bust. Yet still, stubborn Joe refused to go.
Maybe had Biden admitted the truth and ended his campaign swiftly, Democrats could have regrouped, rallied to a new flag and competed effectively against the Trump machine. Days were precious, yet still the Democratic machine only rumbled its disquiet.
Scattered voices called for Biden to withdraw, but none that mattered.
Now that it is too late, especially following Trump’s assassination attempt and his reactions thereafter, not to mention a tremendous Republican convention, Democrats are upping the pressure on Biden. Panic, thy name is Schumer, Pelosi and Jeffries. This is nonsense.
Biden will lose to Trump badly. As even AOC acknowledges, if Biden withdraws, his successor will lose even worse. It is too late. They know this, as should any of the names mentioned as alternatives. They would be better off sticking with Biden, taking their lumps and moving on.
And what of the alternatives asked to make the 2024 version of Pickett’s charge? The most obvious justification for accepting the challenge is arrogance. That might lure California Gov. Gavin Newsome or Vice President Kamala Harris.
Or they might pray for a miracle. But given Trump’s millimeter survival of an assassination attempt, it is doubtful any are so religious as to put stock in miracles.
What about the good of the order, believing a credible Biden replacement might help down ballot? Such selflessness is rare among modern Democrats, but you never know.
One rationale justifies the trouble. The Democratic Party is destined for some soul-searching and wilderness time. A Biden alternative would gain invaluable experience in a national campaign plus a big boost in name recognition.
Experience and name recognition would give any 2024 sacrificial lamb a big leg up on future campaigns. But before they get too far down this road, the Democrats will first need to find a cure for timidity, because in the era of Trump-Vance, it will be chains and knives at dusk every time.
J.D. Foster is the former chief economist at the Office of Management and Budget and former chief economist and senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He now resides in relative freedom in the hills of Idaho.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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