Democratic elite pushes Biden toward the exit door
Despite the slight improvement shown by the president in his post-debate appearances, blue party voters and politicians still believe it is best for him to drop out of the race.
![Biden se lamenta en una foto de archivo.](https://imagenes.voz.us/files/image_large/uploads/2024/07/17/6697c8310af13.jpeg)
Biden in the Oval Office, in a file photo.
You can't beat Donald Trump. That's the resounding message that Democratic Party leaders in the Congress, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, along with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi conveyed in private meetings to Joe Biden. The growing concern and demoralization among legislators, voters and supporters of the blue party led the leaders to show their faces after weeks of channeling the doubts of their formation about their candidate in the shadows. The Executive leader maintains his intention to move forward, although he is now "more willing to listen" to those who ask him to take a step back.
And there are more and more of them among all areas of the party. After a small hiatus, propitiated by the Trump assassination attempt, the critics added new - and very powerful - troops last Wednesday. In Congress, in addition to the leaders mentioned above, a heavyweight of the progressive caucus, such as Adam Schiff called for achange of the candidate on the November ballot.
In addition, a growing faction is calling on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to radically abandon the initiative to proclaim Biden a "virtual candidate" before the end of July, even with a draft letter going around the halls and offices of blue party lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Democratic concern has reached the point where several left-wing representatives are resigned to another Donald Trump term, reports Fox News, especially in the wake of last Saturday's assassination attempt on the Republican nominee.
The buzz is growing among congressional Democrats for Biden to step down
Likewise, the rumbling against the president is becoming more and more public in the Democratic corridors. Last week, and despite letters like the one from Jeffries or Congressional Hispanic Caucus leaders showing their groups' support for Biden, the candidate's meetings with various groups were filled with tension -Biden even shouted at Congressman Jason Crow, according to Axios- and the executive leader was told to step aside to his face. Indeed, the meeting with the Latino representatives ended abruptly when Mike Levin noted that "it's time to move forward with a new leader."
Biden on the ropes
The rebellion has now even openly reached the Senate, where Peter Welch became the first member of the blue party in the upper chamber to openly ask the president to leave the race. Since Lloyd Doggett opened the shutdown, there are now about twenty Democratic representatives and two senators who have publicly called for an alternative.
In the shadows, there are even more supporters of this movement, less and less discreetly. Even leaders such as Pelosi and Schumer, who until last Wednesday maintained a lukewarm support for Biden publicly, were receptive to support new candidates. In fact, the former speaker was channeling the discontent of the legislators who sought her advice recommending them to bet on alternatives to the president, according to several media sources.
Hollywood vs. Biden
The disenchantment is not with politicians alone. Well-known and influential Democratic voters such as actor George Clooney have gone from fundraising for Biden to calling for his exit. He is joined by Michael Douglas, John Cusak, Michael Moore, Stephen King, Ashley Judd and Rob Reiner. The heiress to the Disney fortune, Abigail, has also joined this group.
Two out of three Democratic voters call for his recall
Nor are things improving among Democratic voters. An AP-NORC poll, sampled mostly before the Trump attack, found that two in three (65%) preferred Biden to step down. Interestingly, just a few more Republicans were also betting on the president's goodbye.
![Los votantes demócratas no quieren a Biden.](https://imagenes.voz.us/files/image_414_276/files/fp/uploads/2024/07/18/6698df8b333df.r_d.499-422.jpeg)
AP-NORC survey.
Democrat legislators outburst against the "virtual nomination": "A dumb thing"
Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman was blunt on CNN calling the initiative a "terrible idea" and "a dumb thing." According to Huffman, "If the election were held today, they would get crushed. We have to do something about it."