Staff Reports
President Joe Biden has ended his campaign for a second term, following a wave of pressure from panicked Democratic lawmakers who were beginning to realize that their golden boy might just be a rusty old tricycle. Speculation ran wild about who among the party’s elite might have had the biggest hand in this decision, with seasoned pundits eyeing Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi as a potential puppeteer behind the curtain. Democratic types, especially from California, seemed to move in lockstep with Rep. Adam Schiff calling on Biden to take a permanent sabbatical from politics. It’s almost as if they were trying to audition for a reboot of “Survivor: Washington.”
Meanwhile, the whispers that even former President Barack Obama might have put in a word were compounded by the unfortunate op-ed penned by actor and Democratic donor George Clooney. The political landscape after Biden’s departure swayed dramatically, leading to reports revealing that Vice President Kamala Harris had managed to erase Trump’s lead in polling. Call it the “Biden Bounce Out,” a welcomed shift for Democrats who might have been clutching their pearls at the thought of what a second Trump term could mean.
Bash: Have you spoken to President Biden since he dropped out?
Pelosi: No
Bash: Is everything ok with your relationship?
Pelosi: You’d have to ask him but I hope so but he knows. Look, I have loved Joe Biden, respected him for over 40 years. pic.twitter.com/rUwH5kHpLF
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 5, 2024
Relationships among the top brass of the Democratic Party are likely feeling the strain. Pelosi’s admission of not having spoken to Biden since his departure raised eyebrows. When pressed about whether their relationship was still on friendly terms, her response hinted at the tension: “You’d have to ask him.” If this were a soap opera, viewers would be left on the edge of their seats wondering if that loving bridge had finally burned.
The internal strife doesn’t stop there. Despite Pelosi siding with Schiff and others who called for Biden’s exit, she emphatically declared that she had nothing to do with their statements about Biden. This is akin to saying a tornado didn’t cause a tree to fall but conveniently standing nearby with a chainsaw nonetheless. She further aired her grievances about Biden’s political savvy, noting that she had never been overly impressed with his operation, offering a backhanded compliment that could only leave Biden wondering if he was a candidate for “America’s Got Talent” or “American Idol.”
As for the speculation about Obama’s influence, it seems that even Clooney’s rather cringe-worthy op-ed was touched with the air of Obama’s approval. The actor’s comments suggested that the Biden of recent memory was but a shadow of the 2010 iteration—who knew that instead of the “big F-ing deal” Biden of yore, like a fine wine, he might have soured? The reminiscing leads to a poignant question: Did Biden harbor some grudges from his days in the Obama administration? Some suggest that the wounds from 2015, when Obama allegedly urged him not to run out of concern for his grief over Beau’s death, may fester like an old injury, especially as the Democratic primary season heats up.
Though Biden appeared to have found a sympathetic ear in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the continued behind-the-scenes maneuvering has left a bad taste in his mouth. While Schumer lauds Biden as a patriot who set an example for Americans, behind that veneer lies a tale of discontent. It’s like praising the chef for an exquisite meal while knowing that the secret ingredient was the chef’s own tears shed during the cooking process.
As Biden wades through the murky waters of politics, this entire saga reflects not just on one man’s campaign but on the fractured state of a party desperately searching for ways to hold onto power in the face of bubbling competition. The real question now is whether new alliances can be forged, or if the Democrats’ ship will sink beneath the weight of its own drama.
