Surprise: Biden Is Suddenly Close to Defeating the Push to Oust Him
Jul 10, 2024
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Guest David Dayen from The American Prospect discusses how President Biden has managed to quash the push to oust him within the Democratic Party. The podcast delves into the internal debate among House Democrats about potentially replacing Biden with Harris and the challenges facing his campaign. It also analyzes Biden's potential path to victory and the dynamics within the party.
Internal Democratic hesitancy allowed Biden to resist push for resignation despite concerns about his candidacy.
Limited grassroots influence in the Democratic Party hinders effective representation of popular sentiments.
Deep dives
Democrats' Resilience and Biden's Survival
House Democrats emerged from a meeting convinced of Biden's resilience despite doubts about his ability to defeat Trump. Elite figures expressed concerns about Biden's candidacy, but the lack of a grassroots movement to push him aside allowed Biden to reject calls for resignation, highlighting his past resilience against elite scrutiny.
Need for Democratic Mobilization and Internal Challenges
Despite doubts within the Democratic Party regarding Biden's candidacy, there was a lack of a concerted effort to pressure him to step aside. Internal dynamics and hesitance among politicians hindered a unified push for change, emphasizing the party's insular nature and its current leadership complexities.
Party Dynamics and Biden's Strategic Challenges
The Democratic Party's institutional structure poses challenges in channeling and representing popular sentiments effectively. The absence of mass membership organizations limits grassroots influence, potentially impacting crucial decision-making processes like candidate selection. Biden's strategic challenges lie in countering negative narratives, addressing concerns about his age, and navigating limited debate opportunities against Trump's campaign strategies.
Although the Democratic Party remains mired in infighting over President Biden’s disastrous debate performance, congressional Democrats now appear increasingly convinced that he will survive as the nominee. They seem resigned to this even as many appear convinced he will lose to Donald Trump in November. What happened here, exactly? We talked to The American Prospect’s David Dayen, who has a good new piece called “Why the Bid to Push Out Biden is Losing,” about how Biden seems to have shut down the opposition, what it says about the Democratic Party, and why there’s still grounds for deep anxiety about what comes next. Listen to this episode here.