As the countdown to Election Day nears its final lap, Democrats are growing increasingly apprehensive about President Joe Biden’s re-election prospects. A recent expose by The Washington Post involving 30 key figures within the Democratic Party apparatus, ranging from elected officials to strategists, campaign insiders, and donors, illuminated a pervasive sense of concern regarding Biden’s path to a second term.
The candid interviews conducted by The Post unveiled a host of worries within the Democratic circles:
– The party seems solely reliant on Biden’s campaign without any contingency plans, fostering an air of uncertainty.
– Biden’s age stands as a significant challenge, hindering his ability to effectively convey his administration’s achievements to voters.
– Critics perceive Biden’s campaign as lackluster, void of substantial events or robust organizing endeavors.
– Donors express unease over the lack of competition for Biden in the primaries, heightening worries about his re-election bid.
– The Biden team’s flawed campaign strategy fails to articulate a clear second-term vision, an effective rebuttal against Trump, or a coherent re-election plan.
– Issues with polling strategies impede the campaign’s ability to gather crucial data for improvement, termed as a strategic misstep.
A Democratic consultant cited the absence of comprehensive polling as a major impediment, branding it as detrimental, particularly in the context of conveying ‘Bidenomics.’ Additionally, concerns arose from party donors’ lack of enthusiasm for Biden’s re-election prospects, contributing to an unsettling environment within Biden’s circles.
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who is challenging Biden for the nomination, voiced the perception that Biden, not the Democratic brand, might be the underlying problem affecting the party’s electoral trajectory.
Moreover, there are indications of lukewarm support from former President Barack Obama, Biden’s erstwhile running mate. An insider hinted at Obama’s tepid enthusiasm for actively campaigning on Biden’s behalf, further signaling disquietude within the Democratic establishment.
Although Biden’s campaign recently convened a meeting to address these concerns, the overall reaction suggested that there was no unified rallying cry to support Biden’s cause. While the White House and Biden’s campaign largely downplay the concerns and negative polling, David Axelrod, a key figure from Obama’s successful campaigns, cautioned against dismissing these worries.
Axelrod’s recent assessment pegs Biden’s re-election odds at 50/50, underscoring the uphill battle ahead and warning against complacency. Axelrod emphasized that relying on Trump’s mistakes to secure victory could prove as precarious a strategy as it was during Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
