On Wednesday afternoon, US President Joe Biden was diagnosed with COVID, causing him to cut short his planned two-week campaign in Nevada and not attend a rally in Las Vegas, where his Hispanic supporters gathered. Since then, he has not shown up anywhere.
The liberal press hastened to groan as if this threatened to raise Democratic panic over Biden's election campaign, which has been shattering for almost three weeks after his terrible performance at the debates with former President Donald Trump. This news, confirmed by the White House, "will surely deepen concerns about Biden’s age, health and stamina that have many Democrats calling for him to step aside as the party’s presidential nominee," as Politico writes.
Meanwhile, everything looks like a show put on in compliance with rules of classic PR. Just the day before, Biden said he would reconsider further efforts along the path to his second term in case of any medical concerns. When asked if there was anything that would make him change his mind about continuing the election race, in an interview with BET News on July 16, Biden replied: "If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem." And here we are: the White House confirms the president’s illness. A perfect reason to quit the race, isn't it?
The BET News interview has become Biden’s first-ever embrace of a possible wrap-up of his campaign for medical reasons. At the same time, in an interview with ABC News a week after the disastrous debate with Trump, he defiantly insisted that God Almighty alone could make him step aside. However, a week ago, Biden outlined a slightly different scenario, telling a press conference that he would do that only in case his aides presented him with evidence of inability to win.
We do not know what Biden's aides tell him, but we do hear voices of well-known Democratic congressmen. ABC News reported that just a few days ago, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer privately told Biden that the Dems would only benefit from his withdrawal. Also, Schumer made no bones about concerns relating to the party’s likely November losses during elections to Congress.
As you know, all the 435 seats in the House of Representatives are also up for election in parallel with the presidential race’s final lap. And the Senate should be renewed by almost a third. Democrats have long said that if Biden stays in the race which is doomed for him, the Democrats will lose the congressional election. Thus, Biden's unpromising endeavors will impinge upon people’s choice of congressmen.
In this regard, it bears reminding that already 20 Democrat congressmen have publicly called on Biden to drop out. And in private meetings the number is even higher as policymakers doubt Biden's ability to outdo Trump. These skeptics have persuaded the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to postpone the session that was meant to fix a roll-call vote date for Biden's candidacy to officially proclaim him the party's hopeful even ahead of the Democratic National Convention due in August. In other words, the leading party members have been only turning up the heat on Biden, seeking to buy time for resolving the issue.
The most powerful salvo against the president was his recent meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who repeated other Democrats’ thesis that Biden was "dragging down the party." Quite frank a statement amid growing but still behind-the-scenes pressure on Biden to do away with re-election plans. Pelosi also warned him that if he didn’t, some Democratic lawmakers "would start to grow louder in their griping about his political weaknesses". She called on the president to make the final decision any time soon. One of Pelosi's "allies" said she might publicly demand that Biden quit. "The speaker does not want to call on him to resign, but she will do everything in her power to make sure it happens,” that person said anonymously as quoted by Politico.
Just a reminder: a week ago, Hollywood star George Clooney urged Biden to step down from the New York Times pages, noting that was the best thing he could do for his country to keep Trump away from the White House. An immediate leak claimed that the piece was masterminded by ex-US President Barack Obama, who, just like Pelosi, does not want to publicly appeal to Biden with inconvenient requests.
Actor Clooney is known to have been among the Hollywood jet set who actively stood for Biden and personally contributed to his campaign’s abundant filling with money. The actors' clubbish set has long served a powerful and traditional weapon of the Democrats to get what they want. World-famous Hollywood actors share their popularity with Dem candidates seeking all kinds of political office, greatly contributing to their popularity growth. Now, Barack Obama has asked (or forced) Clooney to play the same role, though with sign reversed. He has simply destroyed the one he used to extoll by means of his popularity resource.
As US liberal press notes, despite all the violent effort by party fellows, major donors or well-known activists to reach out to the president and convince him to quit, Biden's tight-knit inner circle remains firm in its belief that he can win the race after all. However, the president’s own subsequent statement about a possible withdrawal "for medical reasons" and reports on his COVID may be a preface to the official announcement that Biden is stepping aside to give his party a chance to nominate someone else.
Biden's decision may be related to the Dems’ search for a character whom the establishment could sacrifice by putting him up against Trump. Because none of the other potential Democratic presidential contenders, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom or Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, seems enthusiastic about spoiling their careers by pumping the ship in advance. These politicians are prudently standing aloof and waiting their turn to fight for presidency in 2028 or later, when there is a real chance to win.
And the most worthless Democrat is incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris. She might be the one to be thrown at Trump. But that being the case, the establishment would hardly solve its key task of banning the latter from entering the White House. And then right will be those sure that Trump may soon face another assassination attempt. Because the "Washington swamp" no longer has any other means to defeat him, regardless of his opponent, whether it be Biden, Harris, or someone else.
Speaking at the Republican National Convention, the officially announced vice president JD Vans said Trump had a simple vision of how to fix mistakes. "We’re done, ladies and gentlemen, catering to Wall Street — we’ll commit to the working man," Vance said. Thus, the likely VP of the United States has actually signed his own and Trump’s death-warrant. In the USA, those who dare raising their hands to the "masters of money" from Wall Street as the true leaders of America striving for power over the whole world, have ended badly in each instance.
