A lackluster view of the vice president raised the possibility that the house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was not the one Democrats were prioritizing with a new nominee.
After initially withdrawing without a word on who he would support as a successor, President Joe Biden’s social media account released a statement endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the ticket. While it remained to be seen who the party would run with, Fox News’ Chad Pergram posited ousting the incumbent may have more to do with vying for congressional control
“The Senate will be tough to hold. But this strategy may be all about flipping the House,” wrote the senior congressional correspondent Sunday.
While many Democrats had thrown their support behind Harris after the withdrawal announcement, the vice president’s record left her with an approval rating that ranged from barely better than Biden to worse, prompting Pergram to suggest the switch would be all about messaging to “salvage seats.”
This is a big problem for Democrats: Harris is no good alternative to Biden. Her approval rating is even worse. pic.twitter.com/1Uf61F5ROx
— Jaco Kleynhans (@JacoKleynhans) July 18, 2024
Highlighting the voting marathon it took to elect then-California Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R) as House Speaker to begin the 118th Congress before he was ultimately ousted, and how the lower chamber took over three weeks to elect Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson (R) as his successor among other points of legislative contention, the Fox News correspondent suggested, “So, Democrats thought that pandemonium gave them a great chance to win the House. But Biden was nothing but a dead weight. In other words, this maneuver might prove to be more about the House versus the presidency.”
“The House returns to Capitol Hill tomorrow,” he went on. “And expect a flurry of questions for Democrats about whether they support Vice President Harris to step into the void or someone else.”
Pergram indicated that the list of endorsements, with Biden’s own initially delayed backing, included the Congressional Black Caucus, the “New Dems Coalition,” as well as Squad members Reps. Cori Bush (MO) and Ayanna Pressley (MA).
Notably, the Clintons came out in support of Harris while Democratic leaders in Congress, Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY), and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) remained mum, “They want to see how this plays out and not tip the scale in favor of any individual.”
Of course, with the House having the barest of margins in favor of the GOP following the 2022 midterms and the momentum behind former President Donald Trump following Biden’s disastrous debate performance, a senior House Democratic leadership source told Fox News after the matchup, “this was not sustainable.”
That unnamed source blamed those within the president’s inner circle and contended they had “not served him well,” as Pergram noted Democrats had the luxury of selecting their ticket off of who they believed would be the best match against Trump and newly-minted running mate Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
Meanwhile, with a number of Democratic Senate seats on the line in battleground states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, members of the Republican Party were taking aim at the administration, allies in Congress, and corporate media as all part of covering for Biden’s inability with calls for the president to step down entirely and others positing the idea of impeaching Harris as responsibility for the “coverup” was attached to the entirety of the Democratic Party.
At this unprecedented juncture in American history, we must be clear about what just happened. The Democrat Party forced the Democrat nominee off the ballot, just over 100 days before the election.
Having invalidated the votes of more than 14 million Americans who selected Joe…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) July 21, 2024
All this clamoring NOW about the 25th amendment? OK, but Dems will rally around Kamala Harris, or they won’t. She will not invoke the 25th b/c she becomes Brutus. If it’s in their interest, he will resign to give her incumbency. Only question now? #ImpeachKamala b/c #KamalaKnew
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) July 21, 2024
Biden’s choice to step down
Was neither heroic nor brave
He was backed into a corner
After lying to the country
For at least a year
Probably much longer
He acknowledges only what he must
Ignoring the fact that
If he’s not fit to run
He’s not fit to be president
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 22, 2024
Democrat party bosses just proved that they have absolutely no respect for their own voters. After lecturing others about democracy, they just forced Joe Biden off the ticket—trashing the primary choice of 14 million of their own voters.
For years, Democrats and their partners…
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) July 21, 2024
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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