Progressives circle around embattled Biden

Progressives are standing by President Biden, turning their constant criticism of him into solidarity at a crucial moment.

The question is: for how long?

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) and the rest of the Squad are defending the 81-year-old president, as several of his moderate colleagues on Capitol Hill have called for him to resign.

Publicly, his support is an effort to calm concerns about his chances of winning the White House against Donald Trump. But some strategists and sources close to progressive members say they may be playing a longer game behind closed doors, where they could help gently persuade him in private if more elected Democrats say he should drop out.

“I think they are biding their time and creating space for private pressure,” said a Democratic strategist close to leading progressives in Congress. “This is a ball game.”

Democrats have been all over the place since the debate in Atlanta two weeks ago. Several centrists in the House called on Biden to resign after his disastrous performance. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) has expressed that he is open to someone other than Biden at the top of the ticket, according to Axios, while Sen. Pete Walsh (D-Vt.) was first in upper chamber to openly call for him to suspend his campaign.

But high-profile progressives have remained either remarkably vocal in their support for Biden or strangely silent — at least for now.

“It’s corporate Democrats who are driving this chariot off the cliff,” said Angelo Greco, a progressive organizer who worked on Sanders’ 2020 campaign.

Ocasio-Cortez has emerged as perhaps one of Biden’s most surprising public defenders.

“I spoke to him quite a bit,” she told a group of reporters in Washington. “He made it clear then and has made it clear since that he is in this race.”

“The matter is closed,” she concluded.

But the last 24 hours have demonstrated otherwise.

Several other House Democrats added their voices to the growing chorus of party members calling on the incumbent to drop out of the race. None of them are on the Squad, although some high-profile progressives have criticized Biden in no uncertain terms about his stance on issues like the Israel-Hamas war.

A source close to Ocasio-Cortez, who has worked with her on strategy, told The Hill that she “provides a lot of cover” for being so openly vocal for Biden. The same goes for Sanders, who, since losing to Biden in the last presidential cycle, has been a reliable ally, squashing any speculation that he might support progressive intervention.

“Alexandria is an outspoken supporter right now,” said the source close to the New York congresswoman.

Another prominent progressive, Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, whose primary elections are scheduled for August 13, also threw her support behind Biden, despite vehemently disagreeing with his response to the war in Gaza.

“Except for a few outliers, I think everyone supports the president,” Omar said this week. “He was the best president of my life and we supported him.”

Omar has been one of the most targeted progressives and has angered even some within her own party, as her regular criticism of Israel and her calls for a ceasefire contrast with Biden’s foreign policy.

The lack of left-wing dissent came from the top of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said she is “listening closely to the thoughts of our members across the country on movement and safety.” states and districts.”

Jayapal, who has been more sympathetic to Biden and speaks regularly with advisers in his inner circle, also acknowledged that “Democrats are having a lot of conversations among our members.”

Some Democrats interpreted that to leave room for a possible change of stance as the party continues to struggle to present a united front behind its candidate just weeks before August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Others say the apparent coalition around Biden, though muted, shows that progressives can support an incumbent they have regularly pushed to move further left on domestic election issues such as health care.

“Do you really want to get the president’s attention and ask him to resign when you can’t protect your own and then trigger a youth movement due to irrational fears and further fan the flames of protest four months from when a dictator can resign? become president?” said Michael Ceraso, a Democratic strategist who worked on the presidential campaigns of Sanders and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“They would be guilty,” he said.

With the clock ticking down to Election Day, many in the progressive movement are also planning for the possibility of weathering the pressure if Biden fails against Trump, despite his multiple crimes, previous impeachments and other political vulnerabilities that make him a polarizing choice.

“The left and everyone associated with it is afraid of being blamed for Biden’s loss to Trump,” said the progressive close to Ocasio-Cortez.

Meanwhile, Biden essentially put his hands over his ears to block out the noise. He has been adamant that he plans to continue his campaign in the White House, a decision he insisted was motivated by keeping Trump out of the Oval Office for a second time.

His steadfastness left many Democrats walking on eggshells amid growing fears that his debate performance gave insight into possible age-related speech and memory problems.

A post-debate poll conducted by ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos shows that two in three voters surveyed believe Biden should drop out of the presidential race.

Biden’s trusted team has been on damage control to put him in a better position, most recently agreeing to an interview with George Stephanopoulos. While some political observers said the meeting went better than the debate, many expressed concerns — including Stephanopoulos himself — that Biden may not be able to serve another full four-year term.

As Biden continues to double down, centrist Democrats, from Obama veterans to at-risk House members, run for re-election, are urging him to stop his campaign. So far, a dozen Democrats in Congress have made this argument, while progressives have aligned themselves with Biden’s own decision to stay in the race.

Some progressives are also considering their own elections competitive and approaching the issue carefully. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who is considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats this cycle, did not directly respond to the question about whether she thinks Biden should continue running for re-election.

Campaign operatives who have seen progressives pummeled by electoral defeats dating back to Sanders’ 2016 primary challenge against Hillary Clinton are watching for any cracks in the coalition.

“If they want to come out and ask a president with the most progressive record to date to resign because they want to paint him as senile, then do it,” Ceraso said.

“But don’t complain when Democrats hate you and the establishment blocks you,” he said.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story