Democrats having ‘serious conversations’ about Biden’s future, lawmaker says

The Democratic Party is holding “very honest, serious and rigorous conversations” following the weak performance of US President Joe Biden in the debate on June 27 against Donald Trump, Democratic lawmaker Jamie Raskin said in an interview on MSNBC on Sunday.

His comments represent a departure from what most of the party’s top officials have said publicly. While many have admitted that Biden did not perform well in the debate, they have come to his defense, saying that those 90 minutes do not disqualify him from continuing his candidacy for the November elections.

“There are very honest, serious, rigorous conversations happening at every level of our party, because we are a political party and we have different points of view,” said Raskin, who has gained notoriety for his work to bring Trump to a second impeachment trial over the 2021 Capitol riot.

The lawmaker said there was “obviously a big problem” with Biden’s performance in the debate, but said there is also a “tremendous reserve of affection and love” for the president within the party, making this “a difficult situation.”

Raskin said that regardless of what President Biden decides, the Democratic Party is “going to be unified,” and he will be “at the very center of our deliberations,” including at the Democratic Convention in Chicago in August.

“Whether Biden is the nominee or someone else, he will be the keynote speaker at our convention. He will be the figure around whom we will unite to move forward and defeat the forces of authoritarianism and reaction in the country,” Raskin said.

Both the Democratic and Republican parties typically hold conventions where delegates selected during the primary process officially vote for the presidential candidate for the election, with the chosen one then being consecrated by giving a speech and celebrating the nomination with confetti and balloons falling from the ceiling.

Biden has not yet been officially nominated as the party’s candidate for the November elections, so in theory there would still be time for him to voluntarily withdraw and let the party choose another candidate, although it would be a politically very difficult process.

Washington / EFE