Obama tells allies Biden needs to seriously consider his viability - The Washington Post
By: Tyler Pager and Michael Scherer (Washington Post)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The former president, hugely influential in the party, has told associates that Biden's path to victory has significantly shrunk.
Former president Barack Obama has told allies in recent days that President Biden's path to victory has greatly diminished and he thinks the president needs to seriously consider the viability of his candidacy, according to multiple people briefed on his thinking.
Obama has spoken with Biden only once since the debate, and he has been clear in his conversations with others that the future of Biden's candidacy is a decision for the president to make. He has emphasized that his concern is protecting Biden and his legacy, and has pushed back against the idea that he alone can influence Biden's decision-making process.
Behind the scenes, Obama has been deeply engaged in conversations about the future of Biden's campaign, taking calls from many anxious Democrats, including former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and has shared his views about the president's challenges, according to people with knowledge of the calls, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
A spokesperson for Obama declined to comment.
Obama sees his role as a sounding board and counselor to his former vice president, telling allies that he feels protective of Biden. In these conversations, Obama has said he thinks Biden has been a great president and wants to protect his accomplishments, which could be in jeopardy if Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress next year.
In some conversations, Obama, who has long looked to data for political insights, has told people he is concerned that the polls are moving away from Biden, that former president Donald Trump's electoral path is expanding and that donors are abandoning the president.
Publicly, Biden and his campaign advisers have remained defiant, saying the president will not drop out of the race. On Wednesday, Biden cut short a campaign swing in Las Vegas because he tested positive for the coronavirus. He returned to Rehoboth Beach, Del., where he has a vacation home, to quarantine.
Principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said Thursday morning that Biden's campaign was moving ahead."He is not wavering on anything," Fulks said. "The president has made his decision. I don't want to be rude, but I don't know how many more times we can answer that."
Obama's concerns come against the backdrop of a widening anxiety gripping the Democratic Party about Biden's prospects and their potential impact on other candidates. Democratic donors, activists and elected officials are increasingly turning to a small group of veteran elected leaders to help guide them out of the crisis created by Biden's bungled June 27 debate performance.
Congress's top Democrats, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), have both spoken directly with Biden in the past week, warning about the widely held concerns that his candidacy could hurt the chances for Democratic control of either legislative body next year.
Pelosi has taken an even more active role behind the scenes, resisting efforts by Biden to end the debate about his continued candidacy, according to people familiar with her efforts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Obama, perhaps the party's most revered figure, has tried to keep a lower profile, hoping to draw on his longtime friendship with Biden, his former running mate and vice president. But Obama's role as the leader of the party from 2008 to 2016 has made him a sounding board for concerns across the party.
Former Obama advisers who continue to comment publicly on politics, from his counselor David Axelrod to a group of more junior aides who now run the Crooked Media podcast company, are among the most vocal Democrats arguing that Biden may no longer have a path to victory.
Democrats have watched national polls shift away from Biden since the debate, and they now show the president trailing in the northern battleground states. Strategists are bracing for the possibility that Trump gets another boost out of his nominating convention, as he did in 2016 and 2020, along with a possible increase in his favorability ratings after Saturday's assassination attempt on him.
The Post previously reported that Obama has shared concerns about Biden's path forward after the debate and that the two presidents spoke in the days after. But in the weeks since, Obama's concerns about Biden's candidacy have only grown deeper, the people familiar with the matter said.
Meanwhile, some of Biden's aides have fumed about Obama's role in these conversations, blaming him for not keeping the party united behind Biden's candidacy. After the debate, Obama posted a supportive message on social media for Biden.
"Bad debate nights happen," Obama wrote. "Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself."
Since then, Obama has largely been silent publicly. But Biden aides say Obama could have stopped Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney, a close friend of the former president, from writing an op-ed in the New York Times that called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race.
Movie mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, a top Biden campaign official, sought to stop Clooney, a longtime friend of his, from publishing the piece but was unsuccessful, according to a person familiar with his outreach.
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it seems to be a done deal
Well, considering this pitiful display of incoherence during a interview at BET. it should be.
Biden's Insane Comments About Lloyd Austin, Black Neighborhoods in Trainwreck BET Interview – RedState
Whew, well there is an unbiased source for sure...
/s/
Are we at the point where the same people who called unedited videos of Biden misinformation and swore he was up to the task of being president (sharper than ever! says morning Joe) just a few weeks ago will now say “of course Biden should step down, he’s too old?”
the backpedaling will be something to watch. So many people destroyed their credibility the last few years telling people to ignore their eyes and ears and believe Biden was in command and perfectly capable of performing his duties.
Funny that they keep saying it is because he is too old and not specifically because of his cognitive decline
The MAGA's need to start getting their smears against Kamala Harris lined up and ready to go.
No need, they write themselves....Cackle, cackle, cackle.
Funny that the JD Vance smears started as soon as he was mentioned as a VP finalist.
People have been talking about Kamala for years, not sure what new things they will come up with, it will depend on what comes out of her mouth.
I think she has changed enough to be quite formidable against Trump.
That remains to be seen (maybe). I don't seem to recall her accomplishing much of anything so the spin should be interesting.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.............That isn't a very high bar. She is in so far over her head it isn't funny. How was the border after Joe put her in charge of it again? Can she even find the border.
Sure she's changed, she's gotten worse.
As long as Mrs. Harris can keep telling more truth than handing out "drawers full" of lies. . .she fairs better than any scoundrel and his Supreme Court's "drawer full" of conservative justices, in my opinion!
In what way? Be specific.
You may have a point, the problem Mrs Harris doesn't say anything. She babbles the same line over and over again like a skipping record player. When she manages to get a thought out it has nothing to do with anything other than abortion.
Read more at the site: Remarks by Vice President Harris During the Nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour | The White House
No smears necessary, just put her on the stage with Donald Trump. Remember to shut off Trump's mic. I want to hear Kamala giggle.
I agree she will be laughing at Trump.
She doesn't giggle or laugh she cackles.
She might cackle at Trump; but it will be because she is in over her head and doesn't know how to respond.
Cackling is her default when she can't answer.
Are you going to tell us she is supremely qualified and experienced in affairs both foreign and domestic, and is fit to be our president and leader of the free world?
My first choice for a Dem candidate would be Rep. Dan Golden. Second would be Gov Josh Shapiro.
Kamala Harris just needs to be more serious appearing and go after Trump aggressively and she will run rings around him.
You can't possibly tell us that Trump is and keep a straight face.
The Democrats have a lot of excellent possible candidates. I can name at least a dozen, including those you mentioned (assuming you're referring to Rep. Dan Goldman, who would be outstanding.) Also on the list are Gov Andy Beshear, Gov. Tim Walz, Gov. Roy Cooper, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Mark Kelly, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Rep. Jim Hines. There are others. Although he is newly elected, Gov. Wes Moore is a superstar, but it is not yet his time.
Each one of the people I named is a moderate liberal who the American voters would accept without hesitation. I would like to see any of them take on the lunatic Trump.
i was
Thought so. He is a very good man.
I would even put JB Pritzker, our Illinois governor, on that list. He is center left and a very good communicator. His issue would be that he's heavier than presidents have been ( I think that does matter to some people) and he is very rich. Unless your name is Trump and you have a cult that is tough to get away with in politics.
The Pritzkers are a very wealthy family.
That would makes Trotsky a centrist then.
He suchs a good governor U-Haul can't keep enough trucks in stock for all the people leaving Illinois since he bought the governorship.
Probably, Trotsky is one of Bannon's heros.
They can just play videos of her telling the public how on top of everything Biden is and how the Hur report was a lie, for starters.
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So, the heavy hitters are making public appearances now? The article lays out the undercurrents at play -- donations are down, control of Congress is at serious risk, and voter enthusiasm is starting to tank. (But mail-in voting really has devalued the need to get voters to the polls, hasn't it?) There's so many mixed messages floating around that we shouldn't be surprised if Democrats fracture into a number of different camps. And it's difficult to see who can unite the party before the real campaigning begins in September.
Obama's putting forward his usual divisive message. Ya gotta fork 'em before you can eat 'em.
Place your bets, When is Joe going to get kicked to the curb, and bonus points if you can name the bullshit reason they give for why Joe drops.
Joe wants to hone up his golf game to take on Trump.
There is a certain segment of society that is dumb enough to think he is a 6 handicap.
I say he hangs it up before Monday.
Yep count on it
He wants to spend more time with his family.
Did Ashley move back home? or is Hunter going to sue for custody to bring that grandbaby that they didn't recognize for 5 years home to help Grandpa shower?
The problem the Ds have (and it becomes the problem of every voter who holds Trump as entirely unacceptable) is that all this D talk of Biden dropping out has poisoned his campaign.
What a gift to Trump ... just play videos and release quotes of D operatives calling for Biden to step aside. All Trump has to say is that Biden's own party knows he cannot do the job.
I do not see how Biden recovers from this.
Any Democrat with half a brain can demonstrate to the American people that Trump is not fit for office. Heck, half of us on Newstalkers could do it.
Will the American people listen ?
Best one can tell, more than ½ of the swing state voters are unable to comprehend that Trump should never be allowed access to the powers of the presidency.
They seem unable to see that even a communication challenged Biden is substantially better for this nation than Trump armed with the powers of the presidency.
I don't think it's a communication challenged Biden that's the problem, it's a cognitively challenged Biden that is. Hell, he's always been communication challenged...
The American people's collective wisdom is far greater than that of his fact free haters and detractors.
The greater portion of them appear to disregard all the progressive propaganda and conspiracy theory bullshit.
Biden is behind in ALL of the swing states, and it only takes one to lose it for the Dems.
I don't think the voters are ready to accept Kamala or any latecomers to the game.
"even a communication challenged Biden is substantially better for this nation."
No he's not. The man can barely function. When are you going to accept the reality that it is over for the Dems.
The American people's collective wisdom should lead them to reject Trump out of hand.
should being the operative word
The problem, as your collective posts demonstrate in bold letters, is that too many people are blinded by partisanship and / or a cultish mindset to comprehend that Trump should never be given access to political power ... much less the presidency.
Biden is a major problem because he likely is not going to stop Trump. And if Trump is elected, we will have a far worse situation than an aged Biden.
I separate out Bidens capability to make decisions (which I think is fine) and his ability to campaign against Trump in the way that is needed. Harris made a speech earlier today that demonstrated, easily, that she could be more effective prosecuting Trump than Biden will.
I do too. Thing is, almost anyone viable would be better for the nation than Trump. The Ds have plenty of governors, etc. who would all be better for the nation than Trump.
Biden, however, appears to be stubbornly dug in and gracefully sliding him aside is an arduous task.
That is what you are going with?
Trump is unacceptable.
If President Biden intends on remaining in the race then he must present a strong case for himself, which he was doing...
He isn't convinced others can do better!
Convincing people of that seems to be a problem.
Then perhaps he's Senile....
Well, it seems that more is affected than just Biden. Seems like the conventional approach would be for Democrat heavy hitters to attack the Republican ticket eight days a week and provide cover for Biden. If Harris is the alternative then Biden could be forced out after the election. But that's certainly not what is happening.
IMO the problem is more than just losing the White House. Donors are abandoning ship (which I see as the biggest problem). Down ballot races are in trouble and that threatens Democrats holding and obtaining control of Congress. Even a Biden second term couldn't accomplish much without control of one or both chambers of Congress.
At this point I don't see how Democrats fire up voters to turn out no matter who heads the ticket. To me it seems like the party leadership is sacrificing party unity to reassure the donors. Maybe Democrats are counting on mail-in voting to save their bacon.
Wow, and i thought when i read that morning joe said biden cant win , was the equivilant of cronkite saying the vietnam war was unwinnable , was a shoe drop, THIS is the steamer trunk full of fine china falling 3 stories hitting the ground .
I think its about to get interesting .
You misspelled shit.
All of this talk is food for the Republicans. Look at what they are doing: Coalescing around their chosen candidate; coming out hard with messaging that he is the "Only One" with his "Anointed heir apparent" making them sound like the second coming of Christ, only this time he has lost his touchy feely aspects and will kick some ass.. Free Donuts!
What is everyone who does not want Trump as their next President doing? Running around like somebody just kicked their anthill. It seems that the Democratic Party will once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory because they cannot get this messaging thing down. Shit or get off the pot. It is time to move on.
It most certainly is. The Democrats have basically hours, not weeks or even days, to resolve the internal struggle, coalesce around their candidate and present their case to the voters. The Democrats have a record of solid accomplishments with a very positive message for the future whereas Trump and Vance are both extraordinarily flawed.
and in a few weeks , thats exactly what is going to be happening in Chicago at the DNC.
the question for the time being , is who will that candidate be.
We have a group of either TDS sufferers or true Biden supporters telling us that Biden just communicates badly or that he is just old or jet lag? or a cold? any excuse you can think of that explains his most recent "gaffes" or inability to hold a thought for more than 10 seconds, And of course these same people are screaming that trump is a threat to democracy.
Now if memory serves me correctly, the democrats did have a primary, and Biden actually had someone running against him, and the people cast their votes for who they wanted to represent the democrat party in the presidential election in the fall. so if the democrat elites now usurp the will of the people and force another candidate onto the people......Who exactly is the threat to democracy?
The key problem for our nation is that a rogue PotUS is on the cusp of gaining the powers of the presidency and too many are so wrapped up in partisanship and/or cultish delusion that they do not see how irresponsible, irrational, unpatriotic, and dangerous it is to elect Trump.
Might as well just post that you have no thoughtful rebuttal.
The problem we face is that the GOP is no longer a conventional political party. It has become a cult. When a vindictive, loose-cannon, narcissistic scoundrel is PotUS —armed with the powers of the office and new levels of immunity granted by the SCotUS which has demonstrated that it will side in his favor— that is dangerous enough. But what should concern every thinking citizen is that the GOP is now replete with (controlled by) individuals who will do Trump's bidding. People who will not try to keep Trump in check but will do as he wishes to hold his favor (and thus their positions of power).
One need only look at people like Giuliani who will toss their good name, integrity and risk their wealth and livelihood just to please the cult leader. It is sickening.
But you, as do so many others, turn a blind eye and pretend that this is just politics and government as usual.
And your best reasoning for this is a tired little meme.
That sums it up quite nicely
Biden to push for Supreme Court ethics reform, term limits and amendment to overturn immunity ruling, sources say
P resident Joe Biden is seriously considering publicly endorsing major reforms at the Supreme Court, a move that would make him the first sitting president in generations to back seismic changes to the way the nation’s highest court operates, according to two sources familiar with the deliberations.
Chief among the changes Biden is planning to publicly back are term limits for the nine justices, who currently serve lifetime appointments. The president is also said to be preparing to throw his support behind an ethics code for the court that would contain an enforcement mechanism, which was notably absent from the code the court adopted last year.
Liberal lawmakers and groups have been calling for these actions in recent years.
The Washington Post first reported the president’s plans to publicly support the reforms.
Biden to push for Supreme Court ethics reform, term limits and amendment to overturn immunity ruling, sources say (msn.com)
Of course to do this it will require all three chambers of the federal government to be in democrat party control! So. . . .
This is a waste of time.
The Ds need to focus all their energy on making sure that Trump is not elected.
Some are amazingly predictable.
Not try to take the house and senate too? I mean since voters will be at the polls already. . . .
So what you are saying is Biden is so stupid he doesn’t know it would take a constitutional amendment to install term limits on the Courts, let’s have a constitutional convention it would be a hoot, 3/4 of the states need to agree, do you think there are currently more red or blue states?
The best bet Democrats have for reforming the court, after all, is keeping a Democrat in the White House.
Most Americans support Supreme Court reforms (msn.com)
Who the fuck cares what polls well? Supreme Court reforms are a distraction for the easily distracted, we have separation of powers for a reason. No constitutional amendment, No term limits, period.
So the supposedly highly educated lefty elitists think that over half of the electorate is "irresponsible, irrational, unpatriotic, and dangerous". That thinly veiled insult to all who disagree with progressive propaganda is idiotic.
My comment had nothing whatsoever to do with a progressive agenda. You presume way too much and you are of course entirely off base. And where do you get this lefty elitist crap? More presumption.
Further my comment does not say that half of the electorate is "irresponsible, irrational, unpatriotic, and dangerous" but that the act of electing Trump is "irresponsible, irrational, unpatriotic, and dangerous".
Tone down the hyperbole and pay attention to what people write.
Sure, at this point the GOP is no longer the GOP that I can recognize. I do not trust the MAGA-gop that has hijacked the GOP. Better to have the voters push them aside and maybe force them to regroup back to something that resembles the traditional GOP.
Not likely (at all), but they need something serious to resurrect a responsible party.
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