From TPM Reader WH …
I echo AO’s sentiment. While I agree with yesterday’s Morning Memo that the coverage has morphed into a feeding frenzy that’s lost sight of the bigger picture, the Biden team totally blew any chance they had at a reset following the debate. All of the endorsements and kumbayas came days late, and what we have seen lately feels insipid and clumsy. Leaning heavily upon the big group of Democratic voters that’s currently uneasy about Joe dropping out will not solidify the coalition, whereas the only remaining opportunity to get everybody on the same page isBiden himself making it clear that defeating Trump and his agenda is a collective priority that’s bigger than any individual.
All the obvious distinctions aside, we just saw in France how a 40%ish far right voting bloc can be defeated if everyone to its left – voters, politicians, and party apparatuses – thinks and behaves like the whole system is at stake. Irrational overconfidence is probably critical to any successful politician, but Biden has to understand that this is not at all like the 2020 Democratic primary or a Senate campaign 50 years ago … the only way to stabilize things at this point is for him to step aside and tell Americans to vote for Harris. Even by framing this decision as the most difficult of his life, it drives home the point of how dire the situation is.
