'Rip the band-aid off': Ex-Congressman maintains Biden needs to step down after WI rally

05 July 2024

Despite President Joe Biden's energetic performance at a Friday evening rally in Madison, Wisconsin, one former Democratic congressman says his position that the president should let Vice President Kamala Harris take over hasn't changed.

During an interview with CNN host Pamela Brown, former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) — who was also the Democratic nominee who ran against Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) in 2022 — said he was unconvinced that Biden should stay in the race following his underwhelming debate performance last week. Ryan reiterated that even though he "loved" Biden's presidency and would vote for him if he was on the ticket in November, he expressed concern that Biden would be able to repeat his 2020 victory against former President Donald Trump if he was the Democratic nominee in 2024.

"Every time [Biden] makes a mistake, it's going to just be highlighted," Ryan said. "I just feel like there's too much should stake in this election and we have an opportunity to change course with enough time to really have an impact in the election... And I think we need to rip the band-aid off."

"It's time for us to put country above party or own political interests. That's how high the stakes are," Ryan continued. "We saw the Chevron [Supreme Court] decision last week. We saw the immunity decision would basically creates [the doctrine that] the presidency is now a king, the Constitution has been flipped on its head. Like, the stakes are so tremendously high for our kids and grandkids, you we have to step up and there's nothing else to say.

"I mean, we know what's happening. We've just got a muster up the courage to do the right thing," he added.

When Brown asked Ryan if he thought Democrats could win this fall with Biden as the nominee, the former Ohio congressman flatly said no. He argued that Biden's poor debate performance would remain fresh in voters' minds throughout the remainder of the campaign cycle and would only be further exploited by his critics.

"I think it would be extremely difficult. We can't keep playing games," he said. "[E]very gaffe, every misstep in the next four months is going to play into that narrative. and if you don't think that's true, you're being delusional."

Ryan then doubled down on his support for Harris to become the nominee at next month's Democratic National Convention (DNC), and talked up her ability to re-energize the campaign and her ability to confront Trump directly on a debate stage given her past experience as a prosecutor.

"She's accomplished. She's brilliant. She's got a tremendous personality. She's cool," Ryan said of the vice president. "But here's the thing: The country is dying for an aspirational message around unity, around reconciliation, around healing and coming together and bringing in and ushering in an age of reform that we can find some common ground, so we can get to some higher ground. That's the message Kamala Harris can deliver."

Watch Ryan's segment below, or by clicking this link.

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