Senate Democrats fear the turmoil surrounding President Biden will haunt them until the August convention, causing a painful 40 days and weakening the party before the fall.
Even as they have come to terms with the reality that Biden will likely remain at the top of the ticket, they fear that a slow trickle in the polls, potential gaffes and intraparty turmoil will keep the spotlight on Biden’s age and away from former President Trump until the Democrats meet in Chicago.
“The age issue is simply not going to go away. Every day gets a day older,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said hours before becoming the first Senate Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw from the race. “Sooner is better than later to resolve this.”
Biden’s attempt to maintain control of the party suffered some of its biggest blows to date on Wednesday, when former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) indicated that his political future is still an open question, despite his repeated promises that he won’t go. anywhere, and Welch broke through the wall of Senate Democratic support for Biden by calling on him to drop out.
This came one day after Senator Michael Bennet (Colorado) became the first Senate Democrat to publicly express the belief that Biden will lose in November and could trigger a “crushing landslide” that could cost the party full control of Congress in the process.
But it is the daily, drop-by-drop revelations from top Democrats that prove painful for Biden and the party, with fears that the turmoil could last into the foreseeable future.
“It’s not helpful,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). “It’s human nature.”
“It’s Shark Week on the Discovery Channel and here on the Hill,” he added with a laugh.
That pushed Biden’s team further into damage control with party members, especially in the upper chamber, where lawmakers have been clamoring for more action from him and his campaign.
Three of Biden’s top advisers are scheduled to brief the Senate Democratic Conference on Thursday on Capitol Hill — a move that is welcome but not enough in the eyes of some party members.
“I’m looking forward to this conversation. We should have received this 10 days ago,” Bennet told reporters.
Others indicated they would prefer to hear from Biden directly — something that has yet to happen in the two weeks since that fateful night in Atlanta.
“I think he’s making his case, addressing the concerns and dispelling some of the doubts that have been raised by colleagues here,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). “It’s important for him to address a variety of audiences.”
Biden’s effort to reassure voters that their mental acuity and well-being should not be an issue is likely to emerge in a big way in the coming days. On Thursday, Biden is expected to hold a solo press conference as part of the NATO summit taking place in downtown Washington – a rarity during his presidency.
This will be followed on Monday by an interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, which will be broadcast in full. It’s also the second such interview in less than two weeks after he spoke with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday.
But Democrats are skeptical that events like this will do much to stop the bleeding.
“You’re focusing on a single event because that’s the one coming up. And then there will be another event next week and you will focus on that,” Welch said. “What this suggests is that the issue of age and ability is simply not going to go away.”
The intense focus on Capitol Hill also appeared to unsettle Democrats, who were forced to answer days-long questions about Biden’s future. Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) blamed the media for its continued focus on the issue.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), one of Biden’s top emissaries in Congress, aired his frustrations during a back-and-forth with reporters outside the Senate chamber and accused them of not asking about Trump’s “demonstrative inadequacy” since the debate .
Some have indicated they are excited that the focus will shift to the Republican side next week when the Republican National Convention begins in Milwaukee, likely taking some of the spotlight with it.
“This is not just an internal conversation. This is a conversation voters are having,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), pointing out there is a limit to what they can do as long as Biden maintains his current stance. “I have no control over what voters are saying. Next week, voters may be very concerned about the harsh right-wing direction of the Republican Party and its caucus that will endorse the overthrow of democracy.”
Trump is also expected to announce his pick for vice president, a move that has been speculated for months. But whether that and the convention will dislodge questions about Biden is an open question.
“There are short and long news cycles. This is going to be a long one,” Murphy said. “But there will be another news cycle at some point.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
