To welcome
As the Democratic Party convulses over questions about the President Joe BidenTo improve Trump’s mental fitness, two well-connected Democrats are offering an optimistic plan that would involve the president stepping down as a candidate and the party announcing a “blitz primary” process before the August convention.
The proposal is the work of Rosa Brooks, a Georgetown University law professor who served in the Obama and Clinton administrations and as a volunteer policy advisor for Biden’s 2020 campaign, and Ted Dintersmith, a venture capitalist and educational philanthropist who has donated to several campaigns. democratic. They want Biden to flip the script on the current Washington narrative of a Democratic Party in chaos and for the party to see the current period as an opportunity for a reset. “In the midst of malaise and crisis, we can chart an uplifting path,” Dintersmith told Semafor.
Their idea goes something like this, according to a memo shared with Semafor that was distributed to Democratic donors and backers, as well as Biden campaign and administration officials:
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Biden would step down as the Democratic nominee in mid-July and announce the new system, with the support of Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Potential candidates would have a few days to throw their respective hats in the ring. The Democratic Party would then begin a primary race in which the six candidates who received the most votes from delegates would commit to running positive-only campaigns in the month before the convention.
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The “primary blitz” would involve weekly forums with each candidate moderated by cultural icons (michelle obamaOprah and Taylor Swift are among the names mentioned in the memo) to engage voters.
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The nominee would ultimately be chosen by delegates through ranked-choice voting before the Chicago convention began on August 19.
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It would be announced with much fanfare on the third day of the meeting. The memo imagines the nominee presented on stage with Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
According to its authors, the country would be captivated. Donations would arrive. And Biden would be celebrated as a “modern-day George Washington,” proponents argue.
“We could limp towards a shameful and avoidable defeat that will end democracy. Or Democrats can make this our finest hour. Although we hope for help from the Almighty Lord, the Lord helps those who help themselves,” the memo states, alluding to Biden’s recent interview with ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, in which he said that only the “Lord Almighty” could force him to drop out of the race. “We need to act. Now.”
The Biden campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
Morgan’s vision
Democrats are desperate for a way out of the current mess. Concerns about Biden’s mental acuity and intraparty fights over whether he should remain a candidate have dominated headlines since his June 27 debate performance. Biden’s Friday interview with Stephanopoulos did little to calm the angst.
This plan seeks to chart an optimistic course of action for the party, but it probably has little chance of being implemented. On the one hand, it would require Biden – who is just struggling – to voluntarily decide to drop out of the race within a few days. And that wouldn’t automatically make Harris the nominee, but rather open up a broader field, which could exacerbate the party’s problems with some key constituencies if she were seen as passed over. It is also difficult to see candidates adhering to a purely positive campaign promise that avoids attacking the competition. Even if they held back publicly, a competitive race would likely trigger a knife fight of opposition investigation, leaks and whispers from their allies in the press and on social media.
The memo acknowledges that time is not on the Democrats’ side: “Will this happen? Probably not, in the absence of a timely decision by Party leaders, including President Biden, who truly put the country first,” he says. “Yes, President Biden has served his country with distinction for five decades. Yes, this honorable man deserves our respect, gratitude and admiration. But not our blind loyalty. America desperately wants an uplifting choice.”
Room for disagreement
Brooks said he heard near-universal support from individuals he sent the memo to, suggesting party elites would agree to such a plan if Biden supported it.
Remarkable
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Biden ally Rep. Jim Clyburn, D.S.C., foreseen there would be a “mini primary” that would lead to the Democratic convention if Biden dropped out of the race.
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Some Democratic donors are pausing donations or focus funds on election disputes after Biden’s debate performancereported the Wall Street Journal.
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Trump’s campaign is already making plans attack Harris if Biden steps asideAxios reported.
