Biden Unleashes Populist Card: Millions Voted for Me to Be the Nominee; Nobody Will Push Me Out

I noted earlier that if President Biden digs in, it will be bloody for Democrats to try to remove him, given that he won around 99 percent of delegates. In remarks just now at a rally in Wisconsin, Biden went as far as he has to date in firing back against Democrats who are trying to get him to drop out of the race.

To chants of “Let’s Go Joe,” Biden hollered:

“I am the nominee of the Democratic Party because millions of people just like you voted for me in primaries all across America. You voted for me to be your nominee — no one else. You, the voters did that. Despite that some folks don’t seem to care who you voted for. Well, guess what? They are trying to push me out of the race. Well let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race. I’ll beat Donald Trump. I will beat him again in 2020. And by the way, we’re going to do it again in 2024.”

Putting aside his flub of “again in 2020,” this is a warning shot that he is not going to go gently if Democrats try to pressure him behind the scenes. If he sticks with this line, it’s a nightmare for Democrats. Biden can argue that the voters chose me and now the party elites in smoke-filled rooms are trying to disenfranchise millions of Democratic voters. He would have a very strong case that pledged delegates have to vote for him, as per the DNC bylaws, they “shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.”

And then if they oust him anyway, how do they run as the party seeking to save democracy?

Since the morning of the debate, I have been arguing that Democrats would dump Biden. But that was based largely on the assumption that Democrats would be able to pressure him to voluntarily step aside. If Biden really means what he says and it is not just bluster, I don’t see how they can get rid of him.

Either way, Democrats on both sides are starting to dig themselves into positions that make any exit strategy that much more difficult. Enough Democrats have now raised serious questions about Biden’s mental fitness (either anonymously or, in a few cases, publicly) that it’s going to make it harder for them to forcefully advocate for Biden. It will also be difficult for Democrats running across the country to vouch for Biden’s mental fitness, which they will be forced to weigh in on during their own campaigns. And with each bold declaration that he is staying in and won’t be pushed out, Biden is making any decision to drop off the ticket that much more humiliating.