OPINION

'Should I stay or should I go?'

Joe Biden’s re-election campaign faces significant challenges, despite public support from key Congressional groups. Polls show Trump gaining ground, especially among minority voters. Calls for Biden to reconsider his campaign are growing.

B. Jay Cooper

Jul 11, 2024 — 4 min read

Flickr/The White House

A s President Joe Biden likes to say, “Folks, here’s the deal.” His efforts at re-election are slumping, at best.

If you watched the national news yesterday night, you would have thought the opposite. Congressmen who privately were saying Biden should withdraw, publicly are supporting him (he does have the delegates, after all, and it is his decision to stay or go). About a dozen Congressmen have said he should give up his race.

The powerful Congressional Black Caucus is supporting him. The Hispanic caucus leader is speaking positively about him.

The Senate is holding back its opinion, except for an outlier or two who say he should suspend his campaign.

The polls, talking heads and predictors are not good as positive. The respected Cook Political Report yesterday moved six states away from Biden and toward ex-President Donald J. Trump (Arizona, Georgia, Nevada went from Toss Up states to lean Republican. Minnesota, New Hampshire and Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District moved from Likely Democratic to Lean Democratic.)

A Cook analyst said that Biden’s post-debate slip is the biggest polling shift of the year with Trump now leading Biden 47%-44% in their new national polling average. With Trump’s numbers where they are, at the moment, among Blacks and Latino voters – there is no plausible Democratic victory scenario, Cook’s analyst said. Not that Trump will win a majority of those voters, but he’s cut into the lead Biden had.

There are also reports that Biden support is slipping in Democratic reliable New York state! Biden won New York by 23 points last time.

Biden’s people are running a great one-week campaign to keep him on the ticket. They have rounded up the Black and Hispanic caucuses and even New York Cong. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose public support keeps others from going against Biden.

He is starring at this week’s NATO meeting and I have little doubt he’ll perform well and no NATO leaders are going to, in Biden’s home country, speak ill about him on the record. He asked for a week and he’s having a good week.

But it’s just a week.

CREDIT: FLICKR/NUMBER 10 —

— Joe Biden at this week’s NATO meeting.

At some point, assuming Biden’s faults are real, he will slip again and it will be major news. And probably again.

The major news, for those who don’t want to see Trump anywhere near the Oval again, needs to be on Trump, on his VP pick and on Project 2025, which Trump swears he never heard of, which is as believable as Biden not remembering if he watched a video of the debate.

Needless to say, we are in a very bad place in this country, where a convicted felon, a court-adjucated abuser of women, a pathological liar, a man who has said he is committed to revenge on his political enemies, a man reinforced by a Supreme Court who says he has vast immunity when President and in effect is above (most) laws, is favored to be elected to the presidency.

Sarah Matthews, a former Trump deputy press secretary, now an avowed anti-Trumper said on the news the other day that so many people, including Democrats, praised her for her very public stance against Trump, her bravery, etc., etc. But now, she said, Democratic leaders are behaving the same toward Biden – supporting him in the face of very serious issues - and not having the backbone to speak their true feelings.

She’s right. She’s also right in her conclusion that she would still vote for Biden if he were in a coma to keep Trump away for the powers of the presidency.

But there still is time for Biden to reconsider, and suspend his campaign.

The Democrats then can go the James Carville recommended way of a shortened primary with town halls of those who want the nomination to not just show the choices but to gin up voters about younger candidates and this country again.

Or, you can go the “go with the Vice President route” and nominate Kamala Harris who has grown in office, is a former prosecutor who I’d love to see debate Trump (who I believe would not debate her) and who appeals to the very voters Biden is leaking – Blacks, Hispanics, women.

There is still time to keep Trump out of office.

But the window is closing.