Democrats in Full Panic Mode
Author: Greg Valliere
June 28, 2024
AS WE WRITE THIS, in the early morning of June 28, Democrats are still buzzing over the disastrous debate performance by President Biden — and the growing likelihood that his party will have to consider a new nominee in the presidential race.
TO BE BLUNT, MOST DEMOCRATS we talked with believe the narrative has changed, as Biden showed unmistakable signs of dementia. We’ve seen the symptoms up close and we believe the focus will shift by the weekend to this terrible disease.
WITHIN MINUTES AFTER THE DEBATE STARTED, leading Democrats began texting and calling each other, in full panic mode over Biden’s performance. His closest supporters said he had a cold, but that seemed like a lame excuse.
DEMOCRATS IN THIS TOWN are worried that they could lose the White House, the Senate and the House. A tidal wave is possible unless Biden is replaced on the ticket, many Democrats said during the night.
WE ANTICIPATE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND that will focus on sending a high-ranking delegation to the White House to respectfully urge Biden to drop out. Party leaders already are speculating about who might replace Biden.
KAMALA HARRIS, who conceded last night that Biden got off to a “slow start,” is not necessarily a shoo-in for the nomination. She has terrible poll numbers and is widely considered to lack the gravitas to become president. Yet she’s the early favorite to replace Biden.
ONE NAME FREQUENTLY MENTIONED is California Gov. Gavin Newsom, but he’s in the middle of a self-inflicted budget crisis and faces high crime rates in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He could lose 35 states.
A HALF-DOZEN GOVERNORS ARE POTENTIAL REPLACEMENTS, including Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who could be selected at the party’s mid-August convention.
THIS IS STILL A NOMINATION WORTH WINNING, in light of Trump’s mediocre showing last night, which was loaded with falsehoods. But Biden’s performance was so terrible that Trump’s showing will be forgotten. His lead almost certainly will expand in upcoming polls, as Democrats falter in key battleground states.
LAST NIGHT’S DEBATE MIGHT BOOST POLLS for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., but his campaign has lost altitude.
OUR TENTATIVE BOTTOM LINE is that Biden will drop out within days, giving an opportunity to a young, fresh face. Whether you like Biden or not, it was a sad sight last night, as this once-dynamic figure stared off into the distance with the look of a very tired and lost old man who should not have been compelled to run for a president by people who knew that he was ill and unable to serve four more years.
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