Some Democrats are furious that Joe Biden is making a public appearance again this week; they would prefer that the former president just resign and stay out of politics.
While defending his choice to remain in the campaign for as long as he did last year, former First Lady Jill Biden admitted to playing a role in Donald Trump’s return to power in a wide-ranging interview with “The View” on Thursday. He is not, however, receiving the kind welcome he had hoped for. His party is in dire need of new leadership and faces as Democrats seek to emerge from its political rut, and many members are eager to put Biden’s presidency behind them.
In a statement made by Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, Biden was urged to step up with dignity and let the upcoming Democratic leadership to assume the role. “Once he makes an appearance or says something, it’s like clockwork: we have to defend him and remind everyone that we lost to Donald Trump, again.”
“For those of us trying to rebuild the brand, it does no good when you’re constantly reminded about the old brand that won’t go away,” Rocha said, adding that the appointment of a new pope swiftly overshadowed the interview.
The Democratic Party is trying to get out of its current jam—being divided on how to combat Trump and without a voice in the legislative—and Biden’s return to the spotlight comes at a time when they are trying to do just that.
Biden will inevitably come up, even if many Democrats would rather he not.
Those who supported the former president are getting ready for the possibility that tape of Joe Biden’s interview with Robert Hur, the special counsel who looked into Biden’s handling of secret materials and cast doubt on his mental capacity, could be made public. Original Sin, written by two prominent journalists and scheduled for release on May 20, would allegedly explain why Biden decided to seek reelection “despite evidence of his serious decline” in mental health.
Both incidents are bringing up old grievances for many Democrats, including those about Biden’s age, inflation, and the way the party dealt with cultural issues in the past.
Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run For Something, a progressive group that helps young people run for office, said, “Every interview that Biden does drags us backwards and reminds people of the older generation of Democrats that got us into this mess.” She argued that, given the limited attention we have, the party would be better served by hearing from the next generation of leaders who could inspire and restore its fortunes.
While some Democrats felt Biden could have given more consideration to the delivery of his message, others found merit in his return to the spotlight.
“I think this is an incredible inflection point as a nation, as a world and people like Joe Biden add value to the conversation — when [he’s focused] on being constructive,” said Ashley Etienne, a Democratic strategist who served as a senior advisor to Biden and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
I think it’s important that we make up, face the truth, tackle the situation head-on, and then move past it. “An autopsy from the party would be central to that,” Ettiene remarked. “Without that, there are a lot of books that will try to fill in the blanks, but in the end, it will just make things worse and prolong the problem.”
According to an anonymous Biden associate, the vice president does not have any scheduled public appearances in the next few weeks.
Some Democrats would be happy to hear from him more. As the party attempts to recover from its defeat in November, “there’s no reason why Joe Biden should not be a part of this conversation,” said Erica Loewe, who was Biden’s special assistant during his administration and pointed out that Biden is the only person to ever defeat Trump.
She went on to say, “There’s no question that Democrats as a whole have a messaging problem,” but that Joe Biden isn’t the only one to blame.
While discussing his upcoming book, Biden also shared his opinion on Kamala Harris’ defeat at Trump’s hands, claiming that Republicans adopted “the sexist route.” “Listen, I was in charge and he won, so I take responsibility,” he said, recognizing his role in Trump’s win.
His openness to publicly acknowledge it was welcomed by several Democrats.
“I think people have wanted to hear him acknowledge some sense of responsibility,” said Karen Finney, a senior Democratic strategist who worked on Hullary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Additionally, she mentioned that a lot of Democrats were more displeased with Biden’s decision to run for reelection despite his portrayal as a transitional figure.
This, she continued, “returns to his original pledge, where he stated that he would only serve for one term.” It
Democrats are seeing flashes of life inside the party, but it has been exceedingly hard to address the most traumatic aspects of Biden’s administration. In April, Democrats were successful in electing their favored candidate to the Wisconsin Supreme Court from statewide office, and Trump’s economic policies, which were before a strength, are now turning into a weakness.
With Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp deciding not to run for the Senate against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and former Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu deciding not to run for an open seat in the Senate, the Democrats’ prospects of retaking the Senate are slim due to a severely unfavorable map. However, things are looking better for the Democrats than they were before.
Some Democrats felt that Biden’s reappearance detracted from the party’s recent positive developments.
The majority of Democrats, according to Andrew Heaton, a Democratic strategist from Georgia, are sick and weary of the distractions. “The last thing we need is for anyone to find something to say about how, ‘once again, it was a big cover up in the party.'”
The present state of the Democrats, according to Heaton, is like a wildfire. He did say that knowing where it all began will be crucial in the future. “Digging into the machinations of the Biden reelect is not something that I think a lot of folks are focused on right now,” he added, however, for the time being.