In March 1968, President Lyndon Johnson abandoned his re-election bid, citing the “terrible duties of this office,” party divisions in the country, and “America’s sons in the fields far away” in Vietnam. “I will not seek or accept my party’s nomination for another term as your president,” Johnson said.
It was a remarkable moment, recalled veteran Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf: “Nobody gives up being the most powerful person in the world,” he said. “That just doesn’t happen.”
But LBJ was an exception, Sheinkopf says, in part because of his wife. Sweet bird Johnson “was not too enthusiastic about the idea of becoming a political wife,” wrote biographer Julia Sweig.
Related: Biden’s poor debate performance prompts anguished calls to withdraw from the race
On Friday, as the White House resisted calls for Joe Biden to abandon his re-election bid and allow another Democrat to step in, the reality set in that despite Biden’s disastrous debate performance the night before, the decision to step aside or stay and potentially move on from a catastrophic defeat is one that only he can engineer.
And without any formal mechanism by which Democrats can force Biden to step aside, the task of convincing him to do so would likely fall on the shoulders of Biden’s closest adviser: the first lady.
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Jill Biden has responded forcefully in the past to calls for her husband to step down, including insults that she is “guilty of elder abuse” and reportedly enjoys the trappings of the White House. In Atlanta on Thursday, she led her husband off the stage and was heard telling him, “Joe, you did such a great job! You answered every question, you had all the facts!”
Others in Biden’s inner circle who may have ears for the president include Biden’s younger sister, Valerie Biden Owens, who has played a key role in the president’s political career; campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez; campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon; senior campaign adviser Anita Dunn; and adviser Ron Klain.
Standing alongside them are senior Democrats, some of whom fear that Biden’s weak re-election prospects will undermine Democrats’ hopes of retaining control of the Senate and retaking Congress.
Party heavyweights Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, who threw their support behind Biden on Friday, are key Biden supporters who listen to him, as are former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn — who helped turn Biden’s 2019 campaign around — and Delaware Senator Chris Coons.
But ultimately, it may be the big Democratic donors whose pressure makes the biggest difference. The aging political leadership in American politics is ultimately a reflection of the proven ability of the elderly to raise funds — but Biden’s ability may now be in jeopardy. A Democratic fundraiser who planned to attend a debate screening in the Hamptons on Saturday night said Biden’s performance was “a disaster,” CNBC reported, calling it “worse than I thought possible.”
“Everyone I speak to believes Biden should drop out,” the network quoted the person as saying. Another simply said: “Game over.”
According to Sheinkopf, the Democrats are in uncharted waters. “It’s a terrible position to be in, but on the other hand you have Donald Trump, who many people don’t like, in fact they despise, but he has a loyal following. He may not have acquitted himself as a liar last night , but he seemed strong and not weak in any way.
“The only way Biden can leave is by leaving himself, and he can’t leave unless there’s a replacement that the Democrats can agree on.”
But an agreement is still a long way off, except maybe one: “The Democrats will do everything they can to not get Kamala Harris, because her voting numbers are horrible and she is not trusted as commander in chief, while conflict breaks out around the world. world.”
The unenviable task of breaking the news to the US president now falls to one person, Sheinkopf said: “The most logical person to suggest to Biden that he not do this for his health and for the good of the country is Jill Biden.”
