Three reasons Dems aren’t serious about replacing Biden: columnist

The Butler, Pennsylvania rally assassination attempt on Donald Trump Saturday has — for now — taken attention away from Democratic officials' calls for President Joe Biden to step aside following his poor debate performance last month.

When those calls inevitably pick back up, Michigan Advance editor-in-chief and columnist Susan J. Demas submits in a Sunday op-ed that she knows exactly what it would likely take for Biden to move on.

Despite "the dump Biden furor appeared to hit a fever pitch post-debate," Demas notes that she has since "looked for three factors to assess if the president will be the nominee," and has failed to see a "path to derail the Biden train."

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The veteran journalist writes, "First of all, Biden has made it clear that he’s not leaving willingly, defiantly announcing in an ABC interview that only the 'Lord Almighty' could make him quit."

Furthermore, Demas adds "since Biden isn’t planning to leave quietly, that means that Democrats have to have a clear plan in place to broom him from the ticket."

The longtime columnist then points to the fact that since the president's debate flop, "more than a dozen members of Congress (and actor George Clooney) have told Biden to withdraw, including vulnerable first-term U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids)."

Additionally, "Dozens of other leaders have expressed their support for the president, but not-so-subtly left the door open to him dropping out," Demas adds.

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The editor-in-chief emphasizes, "But it’s going to take more than lesser-known lawmakers taking a stand while bigger names fling passive-aggressive comments."

"It would seem to me that any real effort to get Biden to stand down would have to start with his former running mate, President Barack Obama," Demas adds, "and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), one of the few people Biden appears to consider an equal."

Demas writes, "Lastly, the anti-Biden forces have yet to unite over an alternative. Most lawmakers’ statements have just focused on Biden withdrawing without wading into what happens next. They’ve only proposed half a plan, which seems obscenely irresponsible, given the stakes."

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Demas' full op-ed is available at this link.