Friday Mailbag!

Here we go!

Donald Trump is officially the Republican nominee for president.

Joe Biden — or at least his top campaign official — is insisting he isn’t going to drop out of the race even as calls for him to do so from party bigwigs grow louder (and more public).

“Absolutely the president is in this race,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said on “Morning Joe” Friday. “Joe Biden is more committed than ever to beat Donald Trump, and we believe on this campaign we are built for the close election that we are in, and we see the path forward.”

The last 6 days — starting with the assassination attempt against Trump and ending with that O’Malley Dillon interview — have been among the weirdest and most unpredictable I have ever seen in my almost-three decades covering politics.

I mean, this happened at the GOP convention last night:

So. Many. Questions.

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Q: We've often referred to diehard Trump supporters (okay, I have) as being in a “cult.” However, I now have to ask the same question with respect to diehard Biden supporters. I know what I saw at the debate. What are they seeing that I am missing? Alternatively, what am I seeing that they are missing?

A: I will admit to being stunned by the reaction to Biden’s debate performance — and subsequent public appearances and interview — from some segments of the Democratic party.

It seems to me that anyone with eyes and ears could see how feeble and out of it Biden looked in the debate. And how, in his campaign’s attempts to put him out there since the debate, he has, at times, looked only marginally better.

It seems demonstrably true to me that he has slowed — mentally and physically — by a significant amount even as compared to the 2020 campaign. And that, judging by swing state and national polling, that he no longer represents the party’s best chance to beat Donald Trump.

Which, I thought, was the point. That, according to Democrats, democracy itself was on the line so no chances could be taken.

That a chunk of Democrats have said it HAS to be Biden — and that it’s the media’s fault that the party finds itself in this position — is utterly ridiculous.

I, for one, have been writing for the last 18 months that Biden was very old and that Democrats were taking a MASSIVE risk by just allowing him to walk to the nomination. It was true back then and it’s true now.

I think the reality exposed by the last three weeks is that partisans — on the left or the right — aren’t all that different. When confronted with problems or difficulties, they search desperately to find a scapegoat, ignore accepted facts and cherrypick polls that “make” their point.

Q: Is it just me or does it seem like the Democrats response to everything that comes from the Republicans is “well, that's gonna be the end of democracy!” After a while it seems they begin to tune people out with that hair on fire response. Your thoughts.....

A: It is NOT just you.

I have long thought that Democrats insisting that if you don’t for Biden you are voting for fascism is a major mistake when it comes to, you know, actually winning the election.

Because while the Democratic base is convinced that Trump will turn America into Nazi Germany, the average swing or undecided voter doesn’t buy that at all. They are far more focused on which candidate can put more money in their pocket. Or solve the situation at the border.

I think Democrats make a HUGE mistake by thinking that everyone sees the race like they do: As a battle between democracy and fascism. This isn’t a poli-sci class. This is the real world. And in the real world, that argument doesn’t work to persuade people who aren’t already with Democrats.

Q: I don’t understand it, I must be missing something. This per Scott Dworkin: “After all of this nonsense 193/213 House Dems, 46/47 Dem Senators and all 23 Dem Governors still support Biden. Over 91% of these key Dems. Have a great Thursday!’ I interpret this to mean that Biden still has a lot of support. Yet, we are hearing from leadership that they feel Biden should drop out.

A: A few thoughts.

First, not all politicians are created equal. What Nancy Pelosi thinks matters WAY more than what some rank and file Democratic House member thinks. Ditto Chuck Schumer. And Hakeem Jeffries. And, obviously, Barack Obama.

Second, just because elected officials aren’t publicly calling for Biden to step aside doesn’t mean they don’t think he should. Some (many?) are talking privately to colleagues and reporters about their worries.

My strong sense is that if Biden continues to insist he’s staying in, you will see a lot more Democratic elected officials go public with their calls for him to not run again. I think they want to give him the option of bowing out on his own(ish) terms. But, if that doesn’t work, they will start to take more direct action against him.

I think it could get very ugly, very quickly.

Q: A fantasy here: Let's assume Joe Biden drops out and takes Kamala Harris with him (as opposed to endorsing her as his heir apparent), who would you pick to be the ideal President/VP combo who could actually defeat Trump/Vance in November?