{"id":6171,"date":"2024-07-08T13:02:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T13:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/?p=6171"},"modified":"2024-08-30T13:24:34","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T13:24:34","slug":"will-joe-biden-step-down-an-expert-qa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/index.php\/will-joe-biden-step-down-an-expert-qa\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Joe Biden step down? An expert\u00a0Q&A"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dafydd Townley<\/a>, University of Portsmouth<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Biden\u2019s extremely weak performance at the CNN TV debate<\/a> last week, has prompted senior figures in the Democrat party to question whether he is fit enough to stand for the upcoming presidential election. Former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi<\/a> said it was reasonable to ask: \u201cIs this an episode or is this a condition?\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n

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Ahead of an interview with Biden<\/a> by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos tonight, The Conversation\u2019s Rachael Jolley asked Dafydd Townley, who studies US elections, what might happen next.<\/em><\/p>\n

Are the Democrats considering replacing Joe Biden?<\/h2>\n

Following the Biden\u2019s disastrous performance in the first presidential debate on June 27, an increasing number of Democrats and their financial backers that have suggested that it is time for him to step down.<\/p>\n

A YouGov\/Economist poll<\/a> conducted after the debate suggest that Biden has slipped further behind Trump in November\u2019s race for the White House. Although Biden is trailing Trump by only two percentage points with all voters, he is now facing an uphill battle to win a second term of office. Other polls should the gap widening faster since the debate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While the majority of those within his party are still publicly supporting him, there have been some calls from party members and supporters<\/a> for him to step down.<\/p>\n

Although admitting<\/a> that he \u201cscrewed up\u201d the debate, which he claimed<\/a> was due to travel and jetlag, Biden has not reassured party members with speeches at fundraising events.<\/p>\n

At one event in New York, on June 29, Biden gave a 15-minute speech from a teleprompter before leaving without taking any questions. One audience member said<\/a> that \u201cdoing that for the next five months is not going to be enough\u201d.<\/p>\n

Are senior figures still backing Biden?<\/h2>\n

The vice president, Kamala Harris, has maintained that Biden is still the person to lead the Democrats in November\u2019s election. On July 3, she told<\/a> her campaign team: \u201cJoe Biden has devoted his life to fighting for the people of our country. In this moment, I know all of us are ready to fight for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Pelosi, a leading Biden supporter, called<\/a> on Biden to speak to serious journalists to confirm to Americans that \u201che has a vision, he has knowledge, he has judgment, he has strategic thinking\u201d and the ability to show the kind of leadership he has shown over the last four years in the White House.<\/p>\n

Who are the key Democratic figures saying Biden should go?<\/h2>\n

The first public call for Biden to step down from within his own party came from Texan Representative Lloyd Doggett on Tuesday. Doggett said<\/a> that Biden should \u201cmake the painful call and difficult decision to withdraw\u201d from the campaign.<\/p>\n

More worrying for Biden are the calls from major Democratic donors who are calling for an embargo on campaign donations until Biden steps down and are using multiple outlets to make their case.<\/p>\n

One of the first of these to suggest that Biden needs to step down was Democratic donor Whitney Tilson, and former firm Biden backer, who said<\/a> that while Biden had been \u201ca great president\u201d, the debate confirmed \u201csticking with Biden is not the answer\u201d.<\/p>\n

Abigail Disney, a major Democrat sponsor and heir to the Disney family fortune, told CNBC<\/a> that she was convinced that \u201cif Biden does not step down the Democrats will lose.\u201d She warned that if Biden continued to lead the campaign she would withdraw her financial support.<\/p>\n

Damon Lindelof, a long-term sponsor of Democratic campaigns, wrote in Deadline<\/a> that withholding funding was the only way to get Biden to step down.<\/p>\n

Who is in the frame to replace him?<\/h2>\n

Kamala Harris, the current vice president, is the obvious candidate should Biden decide to step down. But the Democrats are already divided over whether she would be a suitable replacement. <\/p>\n

Many party figures are concerned that Harris would fare badly in a national election. She has been criticised<\/a> heavily by both Republicans and Democrats for her management of the southern border with Mexico.<\/p>\n

However, Harris has become more vocal<\/a> and independent of the White House over the past 12 months, in particular on abortion and birth control rights, seen by many as a key issue in this election. <\/p>\n

There has been a raft of Democratic governors<\/a> touted as potential replacements. These include California\u2019s Gavin Newsom, Michigan\u2019s Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania\u2019s Josh Shapiro.<\/p>\n

In the recent Ipsos\/Reuters<\/a> poll, Harris does best against Trump trailing him by just 1%, while Newsom trails by 3%, and Whitmer by 5%. But none of them did as well as Biden. The only one who did was Michelle Obama, the former first lady, who led Trump by 11 points.<\/p>\n

Similar figures for Harris were reported in a CNN\/SSRS<\/a> poll taken just after the debate. It showed Trump leading Biden by 6%, but places Harris just 2% behind Trump, with Harris gaining more support from women than Biden.<\/p>\n

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