Following the damaging, and some argue, unprofessional report, the question of replacing Biden as Democratic candidate has resurfaced. Here are some of the options, possible scenarios, and speculations.
The special counsel report that angered many
Vice President Kamala Harris slammed the special counsel’s report as “clearly politically motivated, gratuitous.” The special counsel, Robert Hur, described the investigation into classified documents by referring to the President as a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory,” adding, “Mr. Biden’s memory was significantly limited.” It even alleged that the President did not recall the death of his son Beau.
The damage is done
Andrew Weissmann told MSNBC the report was “entirely inappropriate,” adding, “It is also exactly what you’re not supposed to do, which is putting your thumb on the scale that could have political repercussions.” Former Attorney General Eric Holder wrote on X that Hur’s report “contains way too many gratuitous remarks and is flatly inconsistent with long-standing (Department of Justice) traditions.”
The Biden campaign spokesperson defended the President
Talking to NBC, Biden campaign spokesperson Daniel Wessel stated, “The Democratic Party is united in supporting President Biden, who will be his party’s nominee this fall and will make Donald Trump a loser a second time this November.” Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and ex-Bill Clinton adviser stated, “It clears him legally and kneecaps him politically.”
But Americans were already worried about Trump’s age
NBC News polling suggested around 76 percent of voters were concerned about Biden’s age, compared with 61% who had issues regarding Trump’s legal challenges. Among those 76%, around half were Democrats. The real question is, could Democrats replace Biden, and what could happen next?
If Biden withdrew from the candidacy
Many assume that Kamala Harris would take over his place, but that’s not how things work. The VP has no special treatment regarding the nomination, regardless of whether Biden withdrew before or after the DNC convention. According to NBC News sources, despite fiercely defending the President after the damaging report, some express dread. One unnamed House Democrat said, “We’re in a grim situation,” while another called it a “nightmare.”
What is Democrats wanted Biden out of the race
In her memoir, former DNC Chair Donna Brazile recalled wanting to replace Hillary Clinton. She soon realized that idea would only divide the party. Current DNC Chair Jaime Harrison is Biden’s ally, but unlike the GOP, the DNC rules say that Democrats are not bound to the delegates and can express concerns “in all good conscience.”
Write-in candidate
Democrats could opt for a write-in candidate, but not all states allow this. However, since Biden is the sitting President, he is considered to be the one who controls the party, so changing the rules or bending them to replace him would not go smoothly. At this point, it is too late for a Biden challenger despite only a small number of states holding primaries.
If Biden doesn’t drop out, Democrats will back him
Representative Daniel Goldman, New York, who served as the lead Democratic counsel in the first Trump impeachment, told ABC News, “What everyone will soon realize is that this is a Republican special counsel who completely went out of his way to editorialize, to include material in his report that is unnecessary and irrelevant to what he was tasked with doing.”
Newsom’s praises
While Governor Newsom did not comment on the report, he recently wrote, “The economy is booming, inflation is cooling… The economic strategies President Biden has put together are all things Republicans have dreamt of but never delivered on.”
Interestingly, many wondered if Newsom could replace Biden
California Governor was always on the shortlist of candidates who could be the next Democratic nominee for the presidency. He has been campaigning nationwide for Democratic candidates and the President, though polling by Fox News suggested that Newsom and Harris are in a similar position to Biden compared to Trump.
“Biden’s greatest challenge”
David Axelrod, a former senior adviser in the Obama administration, is not optimistic. He is one of the few who publicly commented about the report, “Fair or not, this just amplified Biden’s greatest challenge.”
Axelrod on Biden’s anger at the press conference
Axelrod told Anderson Cooper that Biden “did contradict elements of the special counsel’s report. And that undoubtedly will go on,” he said, adding, “And then he was quite angry, not just at the release, or the characterizations of the special counsel, but of what some of the reporters were asking him.”
If Biden’s nomination is under scrutiny, why isn’t Trump’s?
Considering the growing numbers of Trump’s gaffes and 91 charges across four indictments, plus civil cases, it would be only fair to ask ourselves how did we end up with 80-year-olds fighting for what is possibly the highest position not only in the US but in the world?
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