Rep Jamie Raskin says Democrats won’t react to Biden's debate fiasco like 'authoritarian religious cult’
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: In response to Rep Lloyd Doggett’s suggestion that President Joe Biden should "step aside" before the August convention, Rep Jamie Raskin stated during an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes that "the Democrats will not act like an authoritarian religious cult the way the Republican party operates now."
According to The Hill, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on July 2 revealed that 32 per cent of Democrats believe Biden should abandon his reelection campaign, this coming just days after he went head-to-head with Trump in the first presidential debate of the 2024 general election season last week.
Jamie Raskin says defeating Trump the main focus
Raskin emphasized that the main focus within the party is defeating Donald Trump.
"There will be lots of discussion and lots of people weighing in, and I know this is a moving target," he told Hayes, indicating that conversations about Biden's future will progress swiftly.
“It’s got to happen quickly, but I can guarantee you, Chris Hayes, there will be massive unity and focus on that task when we get to the end of this process, and it’s happening very quickly, I think,” he added.
Raskin admitted that the party "has taken some hits" but rejected any sense of pessimism about the November election.
To highlight his optimism, he quoted his father, "Well, we’re growing up when everything looks hopeless, you’re the hope."
“And I’ve been in the 21 states now for President Biden and for the Democratic ticket up and down, and there’s tremendous enthusiasm and commitment on the Democratic side to winning this election everywhere.”
Kamala Harris defends Biden's record in fiery CNN interview
Biden reportedly seemed to struggle with his words and often paused, appearing to lose his train of thought during the 90-minute debate,
His performance triggered immediate concern among some Democrats, who worried about Biden's capability to defeat Trump in November and effectively serve another four-year term.
In a fiery interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Vice President Kamala Harris responded, “I got the point you made about a one-and-a-half-hour debate tonight. I’m talking about three and a half years of performance in work that has been historic” and “I’m not going to spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes when I’ve been watching the last three and a half years of performance."
The Reuters/Ipsos poll indicated that Biden may not have lost support since the debate, as both he and Trump continued to maintain 40 per cent of registered voter support.
In scenarios where pollsters suggested various top Democrats as potential replacements if Biden were to step aside, only former First Lady Michelle Obama surpassed Biden. In a hypothetical match-up, she led Trump 50 per cent to 39 per cent. However, Obama has consistently stated that she is not considering a presidential run.
