Rep. Nadler was among a handful of House Democratic leaders who urged Biden relinquish his spot at the top of the party's ticket during a private call over the weekend.
  • Blackbeard@lemmy.worldEnglish
    195·
    4 months ago

    “I’m not going to comment on private conversations, but I truly believe that President Joe Biden has been a transformational president whose first-term accomplishments are nothing short of historic. He has overseen record breaking job growth and the passage of major pieces of progressive legislation that will change the face of our economy for generations to come, all while guiding us through a pandemic and managing several international conflicts. President Biden stated this morning that he will continue to be our nominee for president and I strongly support him. Moreover, if we’re going to defeat Donald Trump in November we must move past the distractions and put the focus of this election squarely where it belongs: on Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”

    That’s Nadler’s statement. Now look at AOC’s:

    “I have spoken to the president over the weekend. I have spoken with him extensively,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters outside the Capitol on Monday evening. “He made clear then — and he has made clear since — that he is in this race.” “The matter is closed,” she continued. “He had reiterated that this morning. He has reiterated that to the public. Joe Biden is our nominee. He is not leaving this race. He is in this race, and I support him.”

    Now don’t get me wrong, it’s possible that he made some kind of compelling reelection case in private that these folks just couldn’t disagree with, but take a look at the verbiage. They’re not saying “Biden is going to win” or “I’m excited to vote for Joe Biden”. They’re not actually saying anything about November except that Trump must be defeated. Everything they’re saying is in present tense and is really just an observation of current reality:

    He will continue to be our nominee

    I strongly support him

    He is in this race

    Joe Biden is our nominee

    He is not leaving this race

    He is in this race

    I support him

    All of that sounds weirdly noncommital, almost as if they’ve been told something behind the scenes that they’re not allowed to tell us yet. All of it would still be true even if they were planning to replace him. The only part that might not work like that is “he is not leaving this race”, but it could still mean, “he is not leaving this race right now”.

    It feels like Biden’s camp came out and said, “Look guys, there’s this thing we’re working on, and it’s going to be big, but we need you to stay the course. Act like nothing’s happening.” Is anyone else sensing that? It looks real fucking suspicious to me.

    • clearedtoland@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      4 months ago

      Yup. The same with Karine’s answers about the President’s health yesterday.

      I think they’re just maneuvering to give themselves room to back away from the remarks, which is standard politics. Comment on the now and then pivot when “new facts” come to light.

      Though I do wonder how much in-fighting there is in the DNC. Maybe it’s Joe who is being stubborn and won’t voluntarily step down so they have to appear united, lest they look like the GOP and their Speaker debacle.

  • cabron_offsets@lemmy.world
    1911·
    4 months ago

    Biden needs to fuck off if we have any hope of winning the swing states, and therefore, preserving the Republic.

    Downvotes won’t change what we all fucking witnessed.

    • Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee
      4·
      4 months ago

      I dislike his odds too, but if Joe isn’t bowing out, the only option left is a really ugly infight at the convention that miiiight lead to superdelegates coming into play if there’s a contested primary and the first round doesn’t deliver a clear nomination for Joe.

      Biden is too deep on his own “comeback kid” narrative to step down now that the donor class (mostly) got back in line, and the party apparatus sees the reality on the wall. There’s nobody but Joe, unless he wants there to be someone else, and “the lord almighty” hasn’t weighed in on his candidacy yet.

      I just really, really hope that this doesn’t affect downticket races and deliver a divided government in a Biden win, or a Republican majority otherwise. The Senate is a 19:11 seat Rep:Dem contest this cycle, and the rest are tossups.