What they’re thinking: For many Dems, silence speaks volumes on the Biden issue

Many years ago, a veteran and respected journalist called me out on a news article I had written.

My sin: Someone Said Something, I think they Believed something.

A colleague corrected me.

Journalist’s Note: Congressional backlash

“We know what They say, but I don’t know what they’re saying. believe” a friend advised.

I changed the copy.

Journalists don’t have clairvoyance.

But sometimes, we in the Capitol Hill press corps know that’s right What are the lawmakers thinking?

That’s not what members of Congress tell us. It’s what they say. do not tell me.

Silence can often speak louder than a sound bite.

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That was the case at this week’s Congressional Laugh-A-Lympics, as reporters followed Democratic lawmakers from the House floor to the Senate floor to find out where they stand on President Biden.

It was easy to find supporters of the president.

“It’s Joe Biden,” yelled Democratic Rep. Kweisi Mfume of Maryland on his way to a meeting of the House Democrats. “It’s Joe Biden.”

Democratic Rep. Kweisi Mfume of Maryland has publicly stated his “full support” for President Biden. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“There’s one guy in this country who beat Trump in 2020, and that’s the guy I’m putting my money on for 2024,” said Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania.

“We support Biden,” Rep. Jim Clyburn declared.

But there are fears that if the president continues to campaign, it could lead to vote leakage in lower-ranking races for Democrats.

Let’s call it the “Biden kinship.”

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A few people with serious concerns offered brief but harsh comments.

“The president can’t win, so he has no choice but to resign,” Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., said of the president.

Rep. Miki Sherrill (D-Jersey) called on Biden to resign in a statement.

“I am asking him to announce that he will not run for re-election and to lead a new candidate selection process,” Sherrill said.

New Jersey Democratic Congressman Mickey Sherrill has issued a formal statement calling on President Biden to withdraw his re-election bid. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Rep. Pat Ryan, a New York Democrat who represents a battleground district, also called for changes in senior leadership.

But when asked how they actually feel, many Democrats are “wordless.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) greeted a throng of reporters outside the Democratic National Committee in sweltering heat on Tuesday morning.

“Good morning. Good morning,” Pelosi said.

“Should the president step down?” a reporter asked.

Pelosi was silent.

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Reporters tried to ask Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for her opinion of President Biden.

“Do you support Biden?” ABC’s Rachel Scott asked.

Warren and her aides hurried past reporters.

“I’m in the finance department,” Warren said, rushing into the committee’s back room.

“I really have nothing to say about this,” said Rep. Mark Takano of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Really? there is nothing What do you think about your party’s flag bearer?

At least, nothing openly.

Vermont Sen. Peter Welch was the first Democrat in his state’s legislature to call for President Biden to step down. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

Speaking after Senate Democrats’ weekly lunch, Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said they would not discuss what goes on in their closed-door caucus.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, “but we’re not going to negotiate in public.”

Welch became the first Senate Democrat to call on the president to step down.

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Her colleague, Rep. Aisha Hasni, reported that the lawmakers simply stared blankly at reporters asking questions about President Biden without even verbally responding.

Uneasiness about the president has led some Democrats to refrain from commenting publicly about his chances, but they have been outspoken behind closed doors.

“In private conversations with other members of House Democratic leadership, I have expressed the same concerns that Americans across the country and here in my district have – concerns about whether President Biden can win as the top candidate,” said Rep. Susan Wild, a Pennsylvania Democrat who represents a battleground district.

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Susan Wilde claimed she had expressed “concerns” privately about the viability of Biden’s election, but remained silent on the matter when pressed by Fox. (Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Wilde, in his capacity as the ranking member of the House Ethics Committee, participated in a conference call with other Democratic leaders on Sunday.

Wilde was one of the lawmakers most journalists wanted to talk to this week. When the House holds a roll call vote, Fox deploys what I call a “no double” defense. In baseball, a “no double” defense is when the first and third basemen move closer to the line to prevent a “double.” We do the same thing at the Capitol. There are two exits near the main exterior stairs of the House of Representatives, so one crew watches the main exit. The other crew shifts slightly to the Senate side where any lawmakers trying to escape can try to escape.

Sure enough, Wilde made her way to the Senate through a discreet exit, but when we caught up with her there, she was guarded when asked about her concerns about a Biden presidency.

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“My statement says it all,” Wilde said.

“Did you express those concerns on the phone yesterday?” I countered.

“What I say is what I say and what I say is what I say,” Wilde insisted.

“Is there concern among Democrats in battleground districts like yours?” I asked.

“There are lots of different ways to ask,” Wilde said.

“That’s a different matter,” I pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter,” Wilde said. “I’m not going to say anything more. I made a statement and that’s it.”

By Sunday night, Democratic lawmakers in the Washington, D.C., area had stepped up their support, despite reports that Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia had described President Biden as “very vulnerable” in a meeting with colleagues. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), the top House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, participated in Sunday’s conference call. Beyer told his colleagues on the call that Biden is “highly sensitive” and has trouble “putting two sentences together,” according to Punchbowl News.

By Sunday night, Beyer’s office released a statement endorsing President Biden.

At noon on Monday, I ran into Beyer and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) at the Capitol as they walked down a hallway near the chamber. I apologized to Courtney and said I had some questions for Beyer, as did other journalists in Washington.

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As we walked through the tunnel toward the Cannon House office building, Beyer politely answered my questions, but like Wilde, he was wary.

“Can you explain your comments yesterday? You issued a statement yesterday that has been reported to be inconsistent with 100% of what you said,” I said to Beyer.

“I feel very committed to Joe Biden, but I have no doubt he will be our nominee, and I will do everything in my power to get him elected. Check out my statement of support,” Beyer responded.

“Was what was being reported not accurate?” I asked.

“I’m not trying to take any sides in the reports,” Beyer said, “but I wanted to make clear where I stand in the statement I issued yesterday.”

Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, insisted the party was united in opposing former President Trump, despite concerns about Biden’s possible electoral victory. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

In the first press conference after the debate, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-California) responded to former President Trump.

“Donald Trump cannot win, and we are united,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said Tuesday afternoon.

But rather than supporting President Biden, Democrats sounded like they were making a strong case against former President Trump.

But Aguilar left himself some leeway.

Several Democratic leaders on House committees call for Biden to resign

“At this point, President Biden is the nominee,” Aguilar said.

right now.

Conversations about President Biden are now happening in whispers. In private. Notice the subtle changes in the language used by Aguilar and others.

This happened during an appearance on MSNBC when Pelosi said, “It’s up to the president whether he wants to run.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat, said his House Minority Leadership Committee has the “right and responsibility to discuss the way forward” with President Biden’s re-election prospects dwindling. (Olivier Douryery/AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Jeffries gave his members some breathing room.

“We represent the American people, and the people we represent, and we have a right and a responsibility to negotiate a way forward that is in the best interest of the American people,” Jeffries said.

Democrats needed to get everyone back in the Capitol after the July 4 recess to catch the political heat. They’ve endured days of being hounded by reporters inside the Capitol over their stance with President Biden. They now want everyone out of the Capitol so they can breathe easier and not be hounded by reporters everywhere. Congress is recessing next week, and Republicans will convene their convention in Milwaukee. During the recess, Democrats have the leeway to make individual announcements about the president, likely on local radio and TV stations.

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no one Said There was nothing of the kind. Nothing verbal.

But this is a rare case where everyone knows what they are thought.