By CASEY HARPER | THE CENTER SQUARE
House Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas publicly called on President Joe Biden to “withdraw” from the race Tuesday, the first elected Democrat to do so publicly.
“Having devoted his life to public service, President Biden has achieved much for our country at home and abroad,” Doggett said in a statement. “Stepping up to lead a Nation in crisis, President Biden helped rebuild our country from the devastation of a pandemic, an insurrection, and years of Trump wreckage. Yet, for more than a year, many Americans have indicated dissatisfaction with their choices in this election.”
Doggett’s bold move comes after a disastrous debate performance from the president last week sent Democrats into a panic and speculation on who could replace Biden, possibly in time for the Democratic convention this summer.
According to media reports, Democratic Senate and House candidates have expressed concerns that Biden will cost them their own election by affecting Democratic turnout.
“President Biden has continued to run substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and in most polls has trailed Donald Trump,” Doggett said. “I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not. Instead of reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies.
“Our overriding consideration must be who has the best hope of saving our democracy from an authoritarian takeover by a criminal and his gang,” he added.
While the media has widely reported on Democrats’ concerns since the debate, Doggett’s public call could start a chain reaction among Democrats to put even more pressure on Biden.
So far, Biden has waved off calls to drop out.
“I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious,” Biden told supporters at rally in North Carolina in an apparent response to his debate performance. “I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t talk as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong, and I know how to do this job.
“I know, as millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up!”
Biden stumbled, paused, and lost his train of thought several times during the CNN-hosted debate, drawing jabs from former President Donald Trump and widespread concern among the CNN panel, which panned Biden’s performance despite their liberal leanings.
Doggett echoed some of those concerns in his statement.
“Too much is at stake to risk a Trump victory – too great a risk to assume that what could not be turned around in a year, what was not turned around in the debate, can be turned around now,” he said. “President Biden saved our democracy by delivering us from Trump in 2020. He must not deliver us to Trump in 2024.”
Doggett is dogged in his delusion. Biden’s life devotion to ‘public service’ was a devotion to the governement gravy train and his own striving for power and money. His complete failure as a president has drug our nation down to almost third world status with the border invasion, economic dive, increases in crime and homelessness, etc. Sorry, none of that was on Trump’s watch. The pandemic yes and that was a mess but it was Biden’s party and left leaning colleagues that worked hard to keep us all locked up in our houses wearing double masks long after we knew effectiveness was limited.
I remember Watergate. It began like this, then, too.
The difference being Nixon had the common sense to recognize he was doomed. And the GOP had the common sense to not prop him up.
Those pesky tapes got in the way. His paranoia got the best of him. Probably after suffering a stolen election by Kennedy.
lol, just looking for relevance in a corrupt party of psychopaths and lunatics . Now his name made a article , he’s famous lol!
“Our overriding consideration must be who has the best hope of saving our democracy from an authoritarian takeover by a criminal and his gang,” he added.
PROJECTION IS PROTECTION!
His stated words are exactly why I’m voting for the other guy.
Grandpa Bloodstains is the criminal authoritarian I’m worried about.
There is an expression: the drum begins to roll.
Its often associated with the events starting WW1. Meaning the events build so fast and furious the end becomes unavoidable.
The drum has actually been rolling for Grandpa Bloodstains for some time. The press knew, his people knew, everyone with a pulse knew he was unfit for office. But they lied and lied to cover the lies, because icky Orange Man. And 10% for the Big Guy.
And now the drum is rolling faster than they can. It will either end up with Grandpa Bloodstains out and Kamala in, or with Grandpa Bloodstains out of office and Trump in.
It wasn’t because of Orange Man, it’s because of power and its ability to corrupt that these people thought they could gaslight the American public to no end because at every step they were able to gaslight the public with the assistance of a compliant media. The end was in sight and all they had to do was cross the finish line and a few more lies would get them there. So they trotted out a feeble old man who has a few hours each day wherein he is capable of maintaining small thoughts and put him on a stage and told him to dance and they figured they’d be able to explain it all away. Hell, they are still doing it he’s now blaming his travel schedule from two weeks before the debate, it’s completely asinine. First it was a cold, then it was his six day prep at Camp David, then it was Trump lied, then it was just a bad day, then it was he’s usually good from 10am until 4pm (what kind of defense is that, he’s worthless for 18 hours a day is supposed to be acceptable?), then it was nothing to see here you get knocked down you get up again, now somehow a travel schedule from two weeks before where he couldn’t even have dinner with world leaders at 5pm was too much?
This isn’t about Trump at all, it’s about retaining the illusion of “democracy” while the figurehead has been exposed due to the hubris of those who have taken over our government.
Great, get Whitmer with Shapiro as vp on ticket. Should wrap up Michigan and Pennsylvania. Maybe Warnock for vp to dominate black voters. Now you see why MAGA’s keep hoping Biden refuses to drop out. Any of the these potential candidates would be able to destroy Trumps insistence that the United States is a 3rd World country that is an embarrassment. Our economy is the worlds strongest post Covid. If Trump returns get ready for the removal of the affordable care act. That translates to being turned down for pre-existing conditions and no more young adults covered by parents plan to age 26. I am guessing quite a few commenters have some health issues that would make insurance unaffordable. Have a great 4th!
Child, adults are talking.
Don’t you have some coloring books somewhere?
Remember Woodrow Wilson and his stroke? Who cared for the national duties then? Is it possible we are seeing something like that today? Nowhere did the founders of our creational national document expressly state an unelected which of a medically mentally deficient President powers transition to a random unelected “wife”. Show me the exact “letter” of the law that this is the Constitutional process.
You may be onto something.
Because someone(s) failed to act in the past does not nullify current action(s). Here’s the “letter” of the law that this is the Constitutional process.
Article V. off the US Constitution states:
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
As such the 25th Amendment was ratified and states:
Section 1.
In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.
Section 2.
Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.
Section 3.
Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.
Section 4.
Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.
It’s pretty clear what should happen and how it should happen, spelled out literally to the hour of when it should happen.
And yet Nero fiddles…
I wish we still taught civics.
But to be fair, with the quality of today’s educational system they’d get it wrong.