ANALYSIS – Are Democrats wetting their beds about Joe Biden? As I wrote about earlier, even The New York Times (NYT) is admitting Biden is losing in the polls to Donald Trump in five key electoral states.
And David Axelrod, chief strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns, and a senior advisor to the former president Obama, is sending a message to the elderly Biden – “this is your last chance – get out now.”
This is one of Obama's top advisors, so it seems like a veiled message from the ex-president himself to Biden that it's time to quit. We will likely hear this chorus to grow among Democrat movers and shakers.
As reported by The Hill:
When questioned about his comments Monday, Axelrod told CNN that it's a good time for Biden to check if he should keep up his campaign. Sunday marked one year before the election.
“As I've said for like a couple years now, the issue's not — for him, is not political, it's actuarial. You can see that in this poll and there's just a lot of concern about the age issue, and that is something I think he needs to ponder. Just do a check and say, ‘Is this the right thing to do?'” Axelrod said.
“Is this the best path? I suspect that he will say yes, but time is fleeting here, and this is probably the last moment for him to do that check, and it's probably good if he does,” the Obama alum added.
By ‘actuarial,' Axelrod was referring to Biden's age, calling it is “his biggest liability” and something he cannot change.
“Among all the unpredictables there is one thing that is sure: the age arrow only points in one direction,” Axelrod wrote on X. Meaning, Biden is only going downhill from here.
The NYT poll found Biden being trounced by Trump in five out of six battleground states including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania by margins of three to 10 points.
The poll also found that 71 percent of registered voters said they agree to some degree that Biden is “just too old to be an effective president.” Sixty-two percent of participants said Biden did not have the “mental sharpness to be an effective president.”
The Hill added: “Axelrod told CNN that he's not reacting to one poll with his comments but has had conversations with people and finds 2024 a unique year considering the threat of Trump — who is leading the GOP primary race — on the other side of the aisle.”
The Hill continued:
“Trump is a dangerous, unhinged demagogue whose brazen disdain for the rules, [norms], laws and institutions or democracy should be disqualifying,” Axelrod wrote in a separate post. “But the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore.”
I would add that maybe the growing GOP impeachment inquiry into the Biden family business – ‘influence peddling' – and the tax fraud and gun indictments against Hunter Biden, are also worrying Democrats.
Echoing the growing talking points about Biden quitting while he still can, a separate The Hill piece reported:
Arguing Biden is “justly proud of his accomplishments,” Axelrod said Biden's poll numbers will “send tremors of doubt” through the Democratic Party.
“Not ‘bed-wetting,'” but legitimate concern, Axelrod wrote…
“Only @JoeBiden can make this decision,” he continued. “If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it's in HIS best interest or the country's?”
I don't know about you, but I sense there is a lot of Democrat bed-wetting about Biden going around right now.
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