The most ‘devastating argument’ against Joe Biden’s re-election has come not from a politician or analyst but from a film star.
But George Clooney is not the only one to express his sharp opinion in the New York Times. The voices of opposition to Biden from the Democrats seem to be getting louder, due to which the President’s hopes may be dashed.
These statements have come at a time when it seemed that President Biden’s position was getting stronger. Because the influential Black Caucus of the US Congress and prominent liberal members of Congress had expressed their support for him.
But now the situation seems to be changing once again. And all this is happening during the high-profile NATO summit in Washington.
On Wednesday evening, Peter Welch of Vermont became the first Democratic senator to openly ask Biden to withdraw his name ‘for the good of the country’. He expressed these views in a newspaper editorial.
The impact of the waning support makes Biden’s press conference at the end of the NATO summit on Thursday afternoon even more important. This will be the biggest test for Biden after his flop TV debate two weeks ago.
Biden is also scheduled to do an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt on Monday. Any missteps in the coming days could strengthen the views of actor George Clooney, who funds the Democratic Party.
Clooney has expressed his views in the New York Times about Biden’s re-election.
In his article, the actor writes that the president’s decline is not an illusion; it is a reality. Clooney points to a fundraiser organized for the president in Los Angeles last month.
He writes, “The Joe Biden I was raising funds with three weeks ago was not the Joe Biden of 2010. He was not the Joe Biden of 2020, either. He was the same person we all saw in the TV debate two weeks ago.”
George Clooney’s deep penetration in the party
Clooney further said, “Will the President be able to defeat Donald Trump in November?”
In his article, George Clooney calls Biden’s campaign’s claim that he is the first choice of Democratic Party voters a ‘deception’.
He says that every prominent Democrat he has spoken to knows all this, whether they are willing to admit it publicly or not.
Clooney wrote, “We can bury our heads in the sand and hope for a miracle in November or we can tell the truth.”
Biden’s supporters are opposing Clooney’s article.
They argue that in the last few days, President Biden attended George Clooney’s fundraiser after the G-7 summit in Italy.
Biden’s team also says that the President has recently had a serious disagreement with George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, about his administration’s Gaza policy.
But Clooney is not just a movie star.
He is a powerful fundraiser for the Democratic Party. California and its film industry play an important role in raising funds for the party.
Clooney’s views have come after Netflix chairman Reed Hastings and IAC chairman Barry Diller expressed dissatisfaction with Biden.
The actor has deep penetration in the party and has a good relationship with Barack Obama.
It is difficult to believe that some big names of the party do not agree with what Clooney has written in the New York Times.
Democrats are constantly making such statements on hearing which Biden should give some reply.
Many leaders expressed doubts on the candidature in gestures
Before Clooney’s article on Wednesday, former Speaker of the US Congress and senior party leader Nancy Pelosi also almost said that Biden should not contest the election again.
Pelosi said that critics of President Biden should hold their tongues until the end of the NATO conference.
She said, “Whatever you are thinking, do not make it public until this week is over.”
She said that Biden should decide about his candidacy soon.
When she was told that the president had said that he would stay in the race, she said, “I want him to do what he wants to do.”
After this, another senator of the party, Tim Kane, said something similar. He said that the president will do what a patriot should do, and he will decide soon.
Congress member Pramila Jayapal, elected by the party, has directly said, “As long as Biden is our candidate, I am with him with full force.”
Meanwhile, some staunch supporters of Biden are also considering what will happen if Biden has to withdraw.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said that he still stands behind Biden, and if Kamala Harris is nominated, he will not go against her.
Democratic senators are meeting with Biden’s campaign team to get clarity on the future of the campaign.
Party leader Hakeem Jeffries has said that he is going to ask President Biden a direct question on this on Friday.
Will the discussion lead to a solution?
The discussion is going on within the party, but it is not known whether the discussion will solve the situation or complicate it.
It is not clear at the moment what will happen if Biden steps back.
Some people suggest that Vice President Kamala Harris should replace him.
But according to George Clooney, the solution to the problem is that the party should unite and present a new candidate. However, he has not shed any light on how this process will be completed.
He suggests that the opposition will not be able to do much research about the new candidate, and the party will benefit from it. But his idea is quite simple.
In the last 24 hours, the atmosphere in Washington has taken a new turn against the President, but the math is still in his favor.
Biden still has the support of a large number of the delegates to the party’s national convention. These delegates will ultimately decide who will be the party’s candidate.
While these delegates are not explicitly bound to support Biden, Biden can replace anyone who shows insufficient loyalty.
Opinion polls indicate that Biden is trailing Trump, but there has been no dramatic change since their TV debate two weeks ago. Some surveys show the current vice president and leading Democratic governors performing better than Biden.
Even Biden’s critics admit candidly that the decision ultimately rests with him.
All in all, that TV debate two weeks ago may prove to be a wound he has inflicted on himself, and that wound does not seem to be healing.