House Democrats gathered Tuesday morning for a consequential meeting, kicking off a day of closed-door discussions where the focus centered on whether President Joe Biden is still the right candidate to face Donald Trump in November.
Inside the meeting, some Democrats aired concerns and grievances about Biden’s viability, others called for unity behind his nomination, and the caucus left without a clear plan for how to proceed beyond continuing the conversation among themselves as news develops, according to a Democratic member.
Biden has made progress in recent days by securing support from the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and left-wing “Squad.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has stood by him as well. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, declared “he is our nominee right now, until he’s not our nominee” and suggested attacking him was counterproductive.
“Joe Biden is, will be and should be our nominee,” Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz told reporters after the meeting, echoing similar comments from other members.
The president’s continued support from key leaders raised hopes among his supporters that Democrats might give up on discussions about alternative nominees as soon as today. But his public appearances and interviews since his disastrous debate have also done little to restore confidence among members, some of whom described the caucus as depressed and divided.
“The morale of the caucus is at historic lows” one member said. Told that others had compared the mood to a funeral, they replied: “That is an insult to funerals.”
Lawmakers’ cellphones were collected as they entered the Democratic National Committee headquarters, a sign of how sensitive the conversation was expected to be.
Heading into the meeting, there were signs that Biden’s absolute insistence that he will not drop out — leaving Democrats with the ugly prospect of weakening their nominee if they kept up their criticisms — may have saved him for now. New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, a longtime and influential member who had privately said Biden should step aside, told reporters “he is going to be our nominee,” rendering further concerns “besides the point.”
Hopes for a buoyant “rally around the flag” moment out of Tuesday’s caucus discussions did not materialize, though.
“I’m concerned about him dragging the ticket down,” Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley said as he exited the meeting. “I don’t think he should stay in the race.”
He also suggested that others shared his view, but wouldn’t say it out loud — and that he was sworn to secrecy as to who. They were “already off the Christmas card list,” he said.
Massachusetts Rep. Lori Trahan, a member of the Democratic leadership, struck a sour note after the gathering as well.
“While President Biden has made clear he feels he is the best candidate to win this election, nothing that has happened over the past twelve days suggests that voters see things the same way,” she said in a statement, according to Politico.
