California Gov. Newsom calms nervous West Michigan Democrats after Biden’s shaky debate • Michigan Advance

“I actually come here via the White House,” Newsom told the crowd of about 350 people Thursday. “Last night … we sat down, about 20 of us Democratic governors from every state, including your governor (Gretchen Whitmer), and spent time with the president and listened to him say, ‘I’m all in,’ and how he’s committed and committed to keeping this election going and moving this candidacy forward.”

Newsom and Whitmer are among the Democrats suggested by political analysts as replacements for Biden should he withdraw his candidacy, although replacing the president comes with logistical challenges. Most observers agree that Vice President Kamala Harris, who was also present at the White House meeting on Wednesday, would face the fewest hurdles.

Following the meeting, Whitmer posted on social media: “.@JoeBiden is our candidate. He wants to win and I support him.”

Newsom described the meeting as a frank conversation – “nobody sugarcoated anything” – in which one governor simply asked the president, “What happened?”

“He says, ‘I’ve thought about this a lot. I have to be honest, I used to be able to take two trips abroad. I used to be able to sleep only a couple of hours a night, the time was changing, I was preparing for debates, dealing with foreign policy issues, being on the phone. And I, frankly, took things for granted,'” Newsom said, adding that Biden has said he needs to be more “responsible” with his schedule and restrictions.

“And there wasn’t a single governor, not one, who didn’t shake their head and say, ‘Oh, Mr. President, I understand,'” Newsom said.

Newsom said national media had seized on Biden’s recent remark that he had to be home by 8 p.m., leading experts to speculate about his age and abilities.

“He was literally making a joke,” Newsom said of the comment. “He was thinking about the debate. And you saw what happened. It was used as a weapon.”

Newsom said Biden is taking a “hard, sober and critical look” at his performance and that instead of memorizing statistics and talking points, he wants to return to his real mission of why he ran in 2020.

“I imagine many of you are saying this at the kitchen table. … It’s one thing to talk about the list of accomplishments, but what is the compelling vision? What are we fighting for? What is this election about?” Newsom said. “And that’s basically the framework that I think we all need to move forward with some sobriety.”

He said Biden is aware that he needs to build a connection with the voters who brought him to the presidency four years ago.

“Joe Biden will charm anyone in person … even his worst critics,” Newsom said. “He’s just so deeply personal, and that’s the guy we kind of miss a little bit, who feels people’s pain and connects on a human, empathetic level.”

While speculation reaches its peak during the debate, Whitmer remains an important surrogate for Biden in the re-election

Following his remarks, Newsom faced a series of questions from the audience, with one supporter in particular asking what Democrats can do “to restore our confidence after the debate,” noting that “people are in shock right now.”

Newsom said his supporters have nothing to worry about.

“My job – and I hope I can at least offer some advice – is to calm those fears and convey that he is not in denial about what happened. The campaign is not in denial about what happened, and he thinks deeply about it, and he deeply understands the consequences of failure, and he believes 100% that he could beat this guy in November. And I couldn’t agree more. But he can’t beat him without every single one of you,” he said.

A handful of national news outlets pounced on the “shocked” comment, with one calling the Holland Democrats “oppressed.”

This is not the case in Ottawa County, say local Democrats, pointing out that Ottawa County has been the focus of national headlines over the past 18 months after right-wing extremist fundamentalist group Ottawa Impact capitalized on frustration over COVID-19 containment measures at the county and state levels to gain a controlling majority of six seats on the 11-member county council.

After taking office in 2023, the group made a series of controversial decisions that led to five lawsuits within 14 months and a brief investigation by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office into alleged violations of the Open Meetings Act, but no charges were brought.

Larry Jackson, chairman of the Ottawa County Democrats, said it is important to understand that, against the backdrop of current politics, a progressive backlash has emerged against Ottawa Impact and its slate of candidates this fall.

“I mean, they just don’t understand,” Jackson said of national political reporters. “Even the work that local media has done to change the narrative about the changing of the guard (Biden’s exit from the race). … Everyone here understands that. People who work here, organize here and live here actually know what’s happening here on the ground.”

Chris Kleinjans, the Democrat who defeated Republican Ottawa Impact Commissioner Lucy Ebel in a May 7 recall election, said it’s important to understand the nuances of what it means to be a progressive in West Michigan — and that he’s more motivated than ever after defeating his opponent by a 20% margin.