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Developments are dropping faster than raindrops in a spring shower in Washington, D.C. right now as a major revolt within the Democratic Party remains in full swing.
The situation is unprecedented in American history: On the cusp of being nominated for a second term in office – and with enough elected pledged delegates to guarantee his renomination – incumbent U.S. president Joe Biden is nonetheless the focus of a soft coup/ squeeze play by the leaders of his own party.
They want him gone … yesterday.
Their (not without merit) argument? That Biden’s disastrous debate in Atlanta last month exposed his cognitive and physical decline – limitations the mainstream media spent the last three years (and perhaps longer) covering up. The exposure of these impediments has exacerbated Biden’s already specious reelection prospects – and is threatening to hurt Democrats in potentially winnable congressional races, as well.
Faced with this soft coup, the president’s inner circle is fighting back with a fury seldom seen – even in a city awed by displays of sheer power.
As of this moment, all eyes are on the high-stakes news conference Biden will hold this evening. It’s a “must-win” for the 81-year-old incumbent. He’s still frantically scrambling to recover support that evaporated during his dismal debate performance with former president Donald Trump two weeks ago. The chief executive who maintained a guarded and highly scripted media presence for the past three years is now snatching every high-profile appearance he can get in a desperate barrage of post-debate damage control.
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First on tap was a make-or-break interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos last Friday, which will be followed by the post-NATO conference presser this evening (July 11, 2024) and another marquis interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on Monday (July 15, 2024).
People are hanging on every word, too.
A new term has emerged in recent days: “Atlanta Joe.” That’s a reference to Biden’s unscripted and actual condition (i.e. his debate performance), as opposed to his White House-burnished public persona.
Which Joe will speak with reporters tonight? Or with Holt on Monday?
This author participated in a conference call with a bipartisan group of Washington, D.C. insiders — journalists, elected officials, party activists, and concerned citizens alike — and the insights they shared are worth relaying here:
- “This is becoming a Freddie Krueger movie for the Dems, with no end in sight,” one prominent reporter observed.
- Biden’s team has been “tactically brilliant” so far in its run-out-the-clock strategy. For them, victory means making it to the Democratic National Convention with Biden’s candidacy intact. “Delay, delay, delay” in their game plan. And so far, it’s working.
- The opposition is hindered by its lack of a clear replacement candidate. Some Democrats may say, “I love Joe, but he’s got to be replaced.” But by whom? Some say Vice President Kamala Harris is the logical substitute. Others counter that she is just as unelectable as Biden. So if not Harris, who? “The lack of a clear alternative is hurting their cause,” one official said.
- Don’t be fooled by recent public shows of support for Biden, the insiders agreed. It’s soft as best; if a viable alternative emerges, those same people will bolt in a minute.
- One prominent Democrat said, “You can’t tell Biden what to do. The trick is leading him to it and getting him to realize he can’t win on his own.”
- Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may hold the key. She’s one of the few leading Washingtonians Biden actually listens to. Pelosi sent a coded message to him in Wednesday morning’s much-reported MSNBC interview. Clearly, she’s giving him time to make up his mind. But her patience carries an expiration date. Many insiders speculate she could publicly break with him by early next week.
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- The money tap is being turned off as donations dry up. So don’t underestimate the significance of actor George Clooney’s devastating op-ed in Wednesday’s New York Times. He’s seen as “damn influential” within the Democratic donor class. Losing him was a bad blow to Biden.
- Look for former President Barack Obama’s fine hand to start gradually coming into play behind the scenes in the coming days. He’s especially close to Harris.
- How Democrats treat Harris could turn into a nightmare for them. A cadre of top black women is letting it be known know they will pitch the Mother of All Fits if she’s thrown overboard.
- Calls for an open convention are picking up steam, partially from progressives in the party’s Left wing. But Biden remains firmly in control of the party machinery.
- One national journalist said the mood is “utter doom and gloom” among Capitol Hill Democrats; they’re being forced to fall in line and either publicly make nice with Biden or shut up. But in private, the phrase “we’re screwed” is being repeated over and over.
Finally, everyone agrees on at least one point: This mess is far from settled … and it’s growing messier every day.
Speaking of Pelosi, the expiration date on her patience with Biden could best be described as “any minute now.”
“Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi went on MSNBC to essentially call on Joe Biden to step aside,” one D.C. insider told us. “That was extraordinary. Typically, that conversation would be had in private, behind closed doors, at the White House. The fact that the former Speaker had to go on TV to deliver that message says one thing: she is being kept out of the White House.”
“Which raises a question critical to all Administrations: who is talking to the President, and what are they telling him?” the insider mused.
For insight on that topic, former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney penned a column this week for The Hill that’s uniquely instructive.
“Presidents are ultimately responsible for their own actions and decisions,” Mulvaney wrote. “The buck does, indeed, stop with them. But in making those decisions, presidents rely heavily on their senior advisers. When the people entrusted with those roles decide that keeping the president happy is more important than speaking hard truths, really bad things can happen.”
“Before you can ask what Biden is thinking, you have to ask what he is hearing,” Mulvaney added. “And all the evidence would suggest that what he is hearing is that everything is fine.
According to Mulvaney, “that is a formula for disaster – and not just of the political sort.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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