Former President Barack Obama refrained from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday because he was worried he would be seen as “a behind-the-scenes boss orchestrating Harris’ coronation,” Politico Playbook reported Monday.
of report This underscores concerns that President Obama is trying to oust Biden, install Harris as the de facto nominee and invalidate the roughly 14 million votes Biden won in the Democratic primary.
But a person familiar with Obama’s thinking seemed to dismiss those concerns, insisting to Playbook that the president wants Democrats to “create a process that produces good candidates.”
“Just as he did when Joe Biden secured the nomination in 2020, President Obama believes he is uniquely positioned to help unify the party once a nominee is selected, to get behind that candidate and do everything in his power to ensure that candidate wins in November,” the official added.
President Obama appears to have played a major role behind the scenes in Biden’s decision to step down: Until Wednesday, President Obama had not questioned the legitimacy of Biden’s candidacy. The Washington Post The leak came on the heels of reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had privately told the president to step down.
Timing of the leak post It signals a coordinated effort by Democratic leaders to convince Biden to drop out after weeks of turmoil within the party amid continued media scrutiny of his political viability.
“The thinking here is that Obama, Pelosi, Jeffries and Schumer don’t want to be seen as the party’s shadow bosses orchestrating Harris’ coronation,” Playbook reported. “And if there is indeed a challenger, they want to unite the party again when a nominee is chosen.”
The Democratic Party appears to be uniting around Harris, including Hillary, Bill Clinton and “The Squad.” The only key members of the Democratic Party who have not publicly endorsed Harris are Obama, Pelosi, Jeffries and Schumer.
“It wouldn’t be surprising to see one or more of the three congressional leaders — particularly Schumer — align with Harris this week,” Playbook speculated.
It is unclear whether any Democrats will announce a campaign against Harris, given President Obama’s endorsement of Harris and her reported intention to campaign on Biden’s record of open borders, inflation and failed foreign policy.
Those seen as threats to Harris include Governor Roy Cooper (Democrat), Governor Josh Shapiro (Democrat), Senator Mark Kelly (Democrat), Governor Gretchen Whitmer (Democrat), Governor JB Pritzker (Democrat) and Governor Andy Beshear (Democrat).
Wendell Fsebo is a political reporter for Breitbart News and a former war room analyst for the Republican National Committee. He is the author of: The Politics of Slave MoralityFollow Wendell “Bat” @WendellHusebø or The truth of society @WendellHusebo.
