One of the leaders of a group of moderate and conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives was added to the presidential race Joe Biden‘s political problems on Tuesday, saying in an opinion piece That HHe didn’t believe the idea for a second Donald Trump term would pose a “unique threat” to American democracy.
“I reject the premise. Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system,” wrote Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine).
Golden is co-chair of a disappearing but important group of Democrats in the House of Representatives called the Blue Dog Coalitionwhich has often been a thorn in the side of party leaders because it pushes for more centrist policy proposals, even as the Democrats’ liberal wing has been on the rise in recent years.
The list of the 10-member group also reads like a who’s who of vulnerable House Democrats. In addition to Golden, the group’s other two co-chairs, Reps. Mary Peltola (Alaska) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), sit on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee List of vulnerable members of the ‘Frontline’.
Golden’s op-ed for the Bangor Daily News increases pressure on Biden to withdraw from the White House race over concerns about his age and mental acuity.
Republican Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) has also called for Biden to step backbut his seat is considered safely Democratic. (Doggett also called Trump a “criminal” and expressed fear that he could run for president again.)
As a member of a swing district, Golden is not only He said he would be “okay” with Trump winning, but he is giving other vulnerable Democrats space to publicly voice concerns about Biden that they may have kept private to show their loyalty.
In the op-ed, Golden said he wasn’t surprised by Biden’s sometimes-faltering debate performances and the fallout.
“It didn’t upset me as much as it did others, because the outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: Even though I don’t plan on voting for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that,” he wrote.
Golden said the election was about the economy, not democracy, and argued that it was more important for Democrats to have one chamber of Congress than the White House, dismissing widespread concerns among Democrats that the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection was merely a warm-up for more anti-democratic actions Trump could take if he returns to the White House.
“January 6, 2021 was a dark day. But Americans remained strong,” Golden wrote.
“Hundreds of police officers protected the democratic process from thousands who violently attempted to disrupt it. Judges and state election officials upheld our election laws. Members of Congress, including leaders from both parties, certified the election results.”
Golden said a Trump win would mean whoever gets elected in Maine would have to be able to negotiate with him.
“Maine’s representatives will have to work with him when it benefits Maine people, hold him accountable when it doesn’t, and work independently no matter what,” he wrote.
