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Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democratic Party commission seem prepared to make Joe Biden an offer he can’t refuse: One way or another, he’s dropping out of this race, they say, either with his consent or with his legacy destroyed.
Just when Biden thought his candidacy was safe, after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump quieted talk of a swap at the top of the ticket, they pulled him back in, and now the pundits tell us that his campaign won’t survive the weekend. We’ll see.
For the bosses of the Democrat family, ending Biden’s political career is a three-step process. First they ask him to leave, then they tell him to leave, and finally they threaten to destroy him if he won’t wise up. We are almost at step three.
SOURCES CLOSE TO BIDEN ‘FURIOUS’ ABOUT GROWING CALLS TO GET HIM TO EXIT RACE
The advantages of step one are very clear. Had Biden selflessly and magnanimously put his own interests aside for the betterment of the party, if not the country, by dropping out, he might have seen the kind of double-digit approval bounce Lyndon Baines Johnson got in 1968. That boost would accrue to the benefit of the new candidate, likely Kamala Harris.\
President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Likewise, he would secure his legacy as the caretaker president who saved the nation from the evils of the Trump Family and bestowed power upon the new, young generation.
That ship has sailed now, and we are squarely on step two. But Biden has already rejected team Obama when they told him, “that’s a nice legacy you got there. It’d be a shame if something happened to it.”
The threats from the editorial boards of The New York Times and Chicago Tribune, the consiglieres of the Democratic Party, have been ignored by an obstinate sitting president who for some reason, thinks he’s in charge.
Now Biden seems poised to wake up with a bloody equine head in his bed, and the Democrats have no shortage of horses to choose from.
Perhaps the tape of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur will be released. If the audio wasn’t humiliating to Biden, we would have it already, so not for nothing, it can’t be good. Attorney General Merrick Garland could have a sudden change of heart. These things happen.
Then there is his prodigal son, Hunter, who hopes to beat the rap and go legit with his art career. If Joe declines to run, there is no reason he can’t pardon the family Fredo, especially after the election, win or lose.
Marlon Brando in the Godfather (CBS via Getty Images)
Finally, there is the 25th amendment, the ultimate play, in which Democrats would remove Biden from office, his legacy in tatters. He would be the only president ever kicked out of office for losing his marbles.
Basically, the Democrats have politely asked Joe, Jill and Hunter to leave the establishment. Soon the door will lock, and they will hear the words, “now youse can’t leave,” before the punches start flying.
So the Democrats don’t lack the cards to get Joe off the ticket, but at the same time, the big guy is not without his own moves. If he chooses not to go gently into the night, if he refuses to endorse Kamala Harris, then the Dems have a whole new contested convention headache.
Biden could also flip and turn state’s evidence, spilling tea on the Democrat’s family secrets, essentially burning down the party trying to throw him under the bus.
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No, this is still up to Joe, even if he is mumbling and drooling as he stumbles around in his bathrobe. He is still the boss for now, and if an attempt to topple him fails, the Bidens will be taking care of all the family business.
And if you think that isn’t possible, I’d ask you, now who’s being naive?
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The next few days will prove decisive, as Biden’s enemies reveal themselves. Can Joe Biden still hang on? Even win? Yeah, he can, and hell hath no fury like a boss betrayed.
Will Joe leave the presidency and take the cannolis? We will know soon, and either way, it could change everything in the race just three months from the finish line.