While US President Joe Biden admits that he put up a woeful outing during the last US Presidential debate against Donald Trump, he insists he's the best man to represent the Democratic Party going into the November 2024 elections. Speaking with a Wisconsin's-based radio station after the debate, Biden admits to erring with a fumbling performance. However, he urges voters to consider his time at the White House, rather than the relatively brief outing during the debate in weighing his potential.
However, Biden's repeated verbal blanks, frail voice, and overall stumbling performance at the presidential debate aren't sitting well with many Democrats, with many suggesting that he should not be the Democratic nominee. Given the effect the debate performance might have on his nationwide popularity towards the election, some key Democrats want another candidate to get the Democratic nomination to replace the octogenarian as the party's flag bearer come November.
Could Biden be Easily Replaced Anyway? Not Quite
Considering the popularity of the Republican Party's potential presidential nominee, former President Trump, it might be an uphill task to find a truly worthy foe for the Democrats outside the White House. There have been calls over whether Vice President Kamala Harris could get the Democratic nomination and effectively replace President Biden in the elections.
However, official (and unofficial) news from the country's first female Vice President claims she's not changing grounds in her support for Biden. Commenting on the possibility of considering an entirely new name, an anonymous member of Harris' camp claims opening up the convention now "will cause pure chaos that will hurt us (the party) in November."
Other sources cite California governor Gavin Newsom as a potential replacement for Biden should he withdraw from the race, for any reasons. The second-time Governor reportedly brings his high profile within the Democratic Party and tremendous success managing California's complex political environment to the table, should he get the party's presidential ticket.
However, Biden asserts that certain party elites, rather than average Democrats, are the real voices clamoring for his replacement as the party’s flag bearer during the November elections. In his own words while speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, “They’re big names, but I don’t care what those big names think. They were wrong in 2020. They were wrong in 2022 about the red wave. They were wrong in 2024.”
“The Big Names “
Biden may not have hit the bull’s eye in many of his recent assertions and claims, especially against an undeniably recent backdrop of poor performance at the last US Presidential debate. But his claims that elite Democrats take the vast majority of his deterrents towards the upcoming election are largely dependable.
One of these “big names” is Indian-American industrialist Ramesh Kapur. Kapur, who has organized fundraising campaigns for the Democrats for over 30 years reportedly thinks it's time Biden “passes the torch,” since he can't ”fight Mother Nature,” alluding to his potential health status.
At least six Democratic lawmakers, including Arizona's Representative Grujalva, and Washington's Adam Smith, have publicly called Biden to step aside towards the elections. Meanwhile, leaders of the Democratic party are reportedly in “listening mode” as they demand a more firm and competitive stance from President Biden on his recent political potential.
Other elite Democrats who have somewhat called for a reconsideration of Biden's political ambition include former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Massachusetts' Governor Maura Healey.
Supporting Biden’s stance over detractors, former Chief of Staff Ron Klain who led Biden’s preparation towards the Biden-Trump debate, asserts that donors can't “decide to oust a pro-labor pro-people President.’’ Biden doesn't seem to care about the “big names”, anyway, as he continues stamping his foot in the confidence of his winning chances on behalf of the Democratic Party come November.
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