Did Joe Biden end his reelection bid willingly or was he forced out? For weeks, most Democrats have insisted the entire situation was unicorns and rainbows. As the story goes, Biden, being the consummate statesman who loves his country more than ambition, happily stepped aside to ensure the bad orange man wouldn't return to power.
Anyone paying attention always knew that was nonsense, and a new report from Politico is confirming the coup that took place. Further, Biden still feels betrayed in the aftermath.
President Joe Biden is frustrated that Barack Obama wouldn’t tell him to his face that he should leave the race. He’s angry with Nancy Pelosi and views her as ruthless for ushering him out the door. And he’s still miffed at the role Chuck Schumer played, too.
Biden has told his closest aides and associates that he is coming to terms with his decision to bow out of the presidential race last month, but still harbors some frustration toward the members of his own party he believes pushed him out, according to three people familiar with Biden’s thinking who are not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.
There was nothing organic about the sitting president suddenly ending his campaign. A well-connected group of elites led by Nancy Pelosi decided to push him out the door. It didn't matter that they would have to throw out all the primary votes in the process. All that mattered was holding onto power at any cost. Pelosi stabbed Biden in the back, making it impossible for him to remain the nominee as the donor class also joined her effort, ensuring the money supply would dry up.
On the one hand, what occurred is a slap in the face to the democratic process. On the other hand, you have to respect the ruthlessness with which Pelosi and her party operate. They don't care about anything but winning elections, and there are no lines they won't cross to get their desired result. In the before times, it was unthinkable to force an incumbent president off the ticket in July. They did it, though, and instead of it backfiring, it's currently paying dividends in the form of a much more winnable election for them.
“She did what she had to do” in order to give Democrats the best chance to win in November, Biden told one of the people, adding that Pelosi “cares about the party,” not about feelings.
I have supreme doubts that Biden was that cordial, given how publicly miffed he's been about the situation, even taking a shot at Pelosi in a recent interview. For her part, Pelosi went so far as to suggest Biden wasn't even the one who wrote the letter announcing he was staying in the race in early July.
Pelosi Suggests Biden Didn't Write Letter Claiming He Was Staying in the Race
But Biden’s inner circle believes Pelosi was the decisive voice in pushing him out.
His allies thought that, after nearly two weeks of trying to reassure fellow Democrats, his candidacy was on track to be salvaged the morning of July 10. But that was when Pelosi made a now-infamous appearance on “Morning Joe,” repeatedly making clear that she did not support Biden continuing his candidacy. The president’s aides believe that opened the door for a host of other Democrats and donors to follow suit.
The coup happened. To deny it at this point is to deny Biden's stated framing of the situation. Yes, he ultimately made the decision to step aside, but he did so with a political gun to his head. It wouldn't surprise me if the 25th Amendment was threatened as well. The moment Pelosi went public and the donors said they were done, Biden knew he had been overthrown and did what he could to save what little legacy he had left.
Again, it's incredibly undemocratic, but it worked, didn't it? At least, so far. That's certainly a sore point for Republicans right now (including myself). Trump was cruising to victory, and now things are back to a dogfight with the help of a subservient press playing propaganda ministers for Kamala Harris. That's why it's more important than ever for the former president to win. Imagine if what Democrats did here is validated. Why even have primaries at that point? This needs to be repudiated.