Joe Biden’s staying in the race no matter what. We may be in trouble, people | Opinion
Despite a near-revolt by some top Democrats and campaign donors who believe Joe Biden should withdraw from the race, the president is having none of it.
He has made it clear, again and again, that he has no intention of giving up.
“If any of these guys don’t think I should run, run against me. Go ahead, announce for president. Challenge me at the convention,” Biden said during a surprise interview Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
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As if that would happen. Two of the likeliest contenders — Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — are not about to go rogue. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced she would not run even if Biden withdrew.
Who does that leave? Andrew Yang, maybe?
Biden, 81, is convinced that he, and he alone, can beat Donald Trump.
“I don’t think anybody’s more qualified to be president or win this race than me,” he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos during a July 5 interview — a statement that sounded almost Trumpian.
Adam Schiff: Biden should be ‘mopping the floor’ with Trump
Following Biden’s off-the-rails debate performance, the Stephanopoulos interview was supposed to be the president’s time to shine. The White House hoped that by nailing the interview, Biden would convince voters that he is fit to serve four more years in arguably the most demanding, stressful, consequential job on the planet.
It did not.
Instead, a handful of House Democrats have called for Biden to drop out of the race and other leading Democrats have expressed misgivings. California’s likely next senator, Democrat Adam Schiff, was among those who took their concerns public.
“Given Joe Biden’s incredible record and given Donald Trump’s terrible record, he should be mopping the floor with Trump,” Schiff said on Sunday’s “Meet the Press.”
“Joe Biden is running against a criminal. It should not be even close and there’s only one reason it is close, and that’s the president’s age.”
Schiff went on to advise the president to seek the opinions of experts outside his circle.
“He should take a moment to make the best-informed judgment,” he advised. “And if the judgment is run, (then) run hard and beat that SOB.”
The president’s plan? He’ll get more sleep
Biden doesn’t appear to be listening and has trailed Trump in many polls. However, Biden narrowed the gap in a Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll published Saturday. It showed Biden leading Trump in Michigan and Wisconsin, two key swing states. “In Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, the incumbent is now within the margin of error, per the survey,” wrote The Hill.
That’s a ray of hope for Democrats, though Biden cannot afford another debate debacle. So far, his comeback tour has been uneven at best.
In interviews, he’s cited several excuses for his poor debate performance on June 27: a cold, jet lag, lack of sleep, and distractions created by Donald Trump.
In a meeting with Democratic governors, Biden said he would stop taking meetings after 8 p.m. in order to get more sleep.
That’s his answer? More sleep? No meetings after 8 p.m.? That only emphasizes Biden’s frailty.
On top of that, it’s become increasingly clear that Biden’s handlers are keeping him on a short leash — feeding radio interviewers a list of questions and requesting a correction of the transcript of the Stephanopoulos interview. (In the original transcript, Biden was quoted as saying “goodest” — which is what some listeners heard — but following discussions, that was changed to “good as,” which still didn’t make much sense.)
It must be hell to be Joe Biden right now.
His every word, every step, every facial expression is scrutinized for signs of infirmity while Donald Trump — who’s had plenty of mental lapses of his own — gets a pass.
‘I have a cognitive test every single day’
Biden could reassure voters that he is fit to serve if he consented to a complete cognitive assessment — something Stephanopoulos suggested.
Biden demurred.
“No one said I had to,” he said. “No one said. They said I’m good.”
Stephanopoulos pressed: “Would you be willing...?” he asked.
“Look,” Biden responded, “I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I have that test. Everything I do.”
Trump couldn’t have said it better.
Certainly, there are doubts about Trump’s cognitive abilities as well. But given the threat Trump poses, it is incumbent on Biden to do everything in his power to “beat the SOB,” to borrow a phrase from Schiff.
If that means a full physical exam — including a cognitive workup — that’s what he should do. And he should make the results public. But don’t hold your breath.
Biden is living in denial, refusing to acknowledge the legitimate concerns of those of us who believe he should “pass the torch.”
Certainly, many will vote for him no matter what. It could be close; Biden could even pull off a victory.
But the president’s stubbornness just may put Donald Trump back in the White House.
And if that happens?
“I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the good as job (sic) as I know I can do, that’s what this is all about,” he told Stephanopoulos.
Wrong answer, Mr. President.
Beating Donald Trump is what this race is all about.
