The Democratic Party’s “civil war” is more of a civil war than a war…at least for now

Listen to this story

– OPINION –

Imagine if, within two weeks, 20 Republican members of Congress called on Donald Trump to drop out of his presidential campaign because he is a felon/coup plotter/serial liar/old/confused/mentally unstable (take your pick… multiple choices possible). What do you think would happen?

MAGAgeddon, i.e. total chaos and devastation.

Trump immediately attacked each of them individually, threatening consequences and violence, and the lawmakers in question received death threats.

This is not just speculation. We know this because Senator Mitt Romney (Republican of Utah) revealed all in Washington, DC. In it, he revealed that Republicans did not vote for Trump’s impeachment after the insurrection because they were concerned about the safety of their families.

Not the Democrats.

When you think about it, it’s really amazing.

Efforts are currently underway to persuade the President of the United States to either voluntarily withdraw his candidacy as the party’s candidate – or to find a way to overthrow him during the party’s convention.

So far, this fight has largely taken place behind the scenes… and has been extremely civil.

And this despite the fact that there is an incredible amount at stake. The common goal of all factions is to protect the country by keeping Donald Trump out of the White House.

Both sides believe that their strategy offers them the best chance of winning.

President Joe Biden’s camp believes that despite his obvious challenges, the incumbent is best positioned to do so again, with a sizable war chest and the experience of having already defeated his Republican challenger.

The other side is convinced that these challenges – Biden’s advanced age, his increasing frailty and his disastrous performance in the debates – make the president not only a clear outsider but also a burden for Democrats on the lower ballots.

There isn’t really a middle ground here.

And yet, those Democrats who want to push Biden out have meant well. They generally talk about how great the president has been, how grateful the nation is for defeating Trump in 2020, and how important it is to “pass the torch.”

For example, Democratic Representative Brittany Pettersen praised Biden on Friday as a “good man who has served his country faithfully and admirably for decades.” She also expressed her “deep admiration and love” for the president.

Up to this point, her statement still sounded like a glowing recommendation.

But then she talks about having to make the painful decision to ask Biden to resign.

“Joe Biden saved our country once, and I join the growing number of people in my district and across the country calling on him to do it again,” Pettersen said. “Please pass the torch to one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance of defeating Donald Trump, who poses the greatest threat to the foundation of this country we have ever faced.”

That’s what virtually all Democrats who want to throw Biden out of the race sounded like.

For this reason, the President has not used his position of power to attack parliamentarians.

The whole thing was strangely pleasant.

And that is incredibly important for the coming November.

If Biden is forced to resign, it must be done in a very gentle and cordial manner, as a dirty fight would not benefit any Democrat.

While the president still has the significant advantages of an incumbent in intra-party competition, he is clearly not a candidate who enjoys great enthusiasm within his party.

If he were to be removed from the top spot, very few Democrats outside his immediate family would be seriously upset… Trump’s removal, on the other hand, would likely lead to unrest, and there is no way his successor could win if a large portion of MAGA supporters stay home.

This is not the case with the Democrats. In fact, there is another ticket – any A different electoral program would probably generate more, rather than less, enthusiasm among democratic voters.

What is really interesting is how openly Democrats talk about whether an incumbent, term-limited, and relatively successful president should retire.

Essentially, they are saying that four months before a crucial election, they no longer have confidence in their own candidate.

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent a letter addressed to the Democratic caucus on Friday, addressed to “Dear Colleagues,” informing lawmakers of a meeting with Biden in which he “directly expressed the full range of insights, deeply felt perspectives and conclusions about the way forward that the caucus has shared in our recent time together.”

In other words, he went to the White House on Thursday night to tell the President of the United States that many Democrats want him out.

Let that sink in.

Biden has said he will stay in the race. It remains to be seen whether this harmonious dynamic will continue or whether some Democrats will become seriously frustrated with the president’s failure to make way for a better candidate. That could happen quickly if more polls show that others have a better chance of defeating Trump.

Moreover, the tone of this “civil war” could also quickly change if an actual contender for the nomination emerges and openly challenges Biden.

So far, there is no solution in sight, but the conflict has gone as well as it could without leaving the party in complete chaos.

They can probably thank Trump for that.

The best thing for the Democrats is that the former president is their party’s most important unifier.

Trump is the best insurance against the possibility that possible cracks in the party resulting from this process will develop into divisions and divisions into chasms.

Ultimately, no matter which path Biden and the Democrats choose, they must work together to combat an existential threat to the country.

What will be crucial, however, is what undecided voters and moderate Republicans do in a handful of swing states. To increase the Democrats’ chances of victory, they need a candidate who appeals to these groups of voters.

And ideally, they should get behind such a solution as soon as possible, because the longer this so-far polite impasse drags on, the more likely it is that things will get truly messy.