WASHINGTON — Democrats continued to panic Friday after Biden’s disastrous debate performance with President Donald Trump, saying they privately worried aides to the president were under “delusions” that the 81-year-old Biden had defeated his Republican rival on Thursday night.
According to public information, party members rushed to endorse Biden to stave off calls for him to step down and for the party to find a replacement with just four months to go until the general election.
Others were more forthright, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“The level of paranoia is off the charts,” one Democratic source told The Washington Post. “I don’t know if the team around him sees what everyone else sees. They need to focus on getting back on track.”
The source added that he believes Biden himself knows he made big mistakes during the debate, regardless of what his aides and allies in Congress say publicly.
“He’s not stupid,” the person argued about the president. “He’s staying. [but] He needs to roll up his sleeves, get to work and admit it wasn’t a good night.”
A second Democratic official said the debate had been “awful” for Biden, that it was doubtful the president could bounce back and that Democrats should consider a new candidate quickly or risk handing the election to Trump, 78.
“They should,” he exclaimed.Betting markets are pegging California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris as the front-runners to raise the Democratic bar.
But a third source said Biden’s transition would be extremely difficult and the president would have to be persuaded to step down, likely after frank discussions involving top congressional party leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and possibly first lady Jill Biden.
The Democratic National Committee now plans to nominate Biden via electronic ballot by Aug. 7 in time for Ohio’s deadline to vote, which would eliminate the possibility of a dramatic debate at the party’s convention in Chicago, which begins Aug. 19.
“He will be legally nominated online by August 7,” the third source said. “The nomination matter will be over soon so they can’t force him out. All they can do is find a way to convince him.”
“He got the votes legitimately. [of delegates]He is legally due to be appointed by August 7th… so unless he resigns, he cannot be fired.”
Many prominent Democrats not currently holding public office publicly expressed their disappointment with the debate.
“This has been a disaster, and it’s been even worse than the headlines,” veteran Democratic strategist Paul Begala told CNN on Friday. “The bar was set so low that President Biden couldn’t clear it… This confirms voters’ deepest concerns about Joe Biden.”
Begala, who served as a campaign and White House adviser to former President Bill Clinton, said one Democratic donor who was scheduled to attend a fundraiser in the Hamptons with Biden on Saturday told him, “I’m bringing a pitchfork, not a checkbook.”
The New York Times reported: House Democrats Group They watched the debates on CNN and discussed in groups the need for a change in presidential candidate.
But many in the party are skeptical about whether Harris, the first female vice president, can outperform Biden against Trump.
“We need an agreement [on a presidential nominee to replace Biden]” one Democratic official said.
“We can’t let this go unchecked. Then it becomes, ‘What about Kamala? Why are we assuming she’s going to step back?'”
Harris, who would be the second African-American and first Asian-American to serve as president, could thwart efforts by other party leaders to choose a successor, sources said.
“It depends on how she acts,” the source said. “Will she say, ‘I’m running for president?'”
Some Democratic insiders believe the party needs to wait for hard data before giving up on Biden, with one source telling The Washington Post that they believe voters may not have been as disheartened by the debate as pundits have suggested.
On Capitol Hill on Friday morning, Democratic lawmakers walked past reporters and engaged in damage control, insisting that Biden’s status as the Democratic party’s presumptive nominee remained unchanged.
“I’m a baseball fan,” Rep. James Clyburn (D-South Carolina) said. “Remember the year Babe Ruth set the home run record? … If he hit a home run in North Carolina today, what would happen after that?”
Asked if Biden was strong enough to serve another term, Clyburn said “yes,” before adding moments later that Democrats should “maintain the status quo and stay calm.”
“I trust Joe Biden’s judgment,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. “I don’t think the president would run if he didn’t believe he could do the job.”
“We have a great team that helps us govern,” Cana said, “and I’m going to continue to advocate for that.”
