President Joe Biden’s age and cognitive issues appeared to be the topic of the day on several Sunday morning shows. Former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” discussed the ongoing fallout from Biden’s abysmal performance during his debate with former President Donald Trump.
During the conversation, Ryan suggested that the blowback against President Biden could also be directed at other Democrats seeking office as discussions surrounding supporting the president or trying to convince him to drop out of the race continue.
Ryan predicted that there would be “a significant amount of pressure whether it’s today or tomorrow, sometimes this week, as the members come back that this may be untenable for them to run under a Biden ticket.”
He indicated that “it’s going to drag everyone else down, and I think that’s a major concern for [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)], who’s a phenomenal leader.”
Ryan, despite being a Biden supporter, acknowledged that the president’s debate performance has only intensified doubts about his ability to serve in the White House.
“If this is a sporting event, and you throw three interceptions, the coach pulls the quarterback,” Ryan continued. “If you’re a pitcher that’s not getting the job done and they’re hitting home run dingers left and right, the manager goes in and pulls the pitcher out.”
Former Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan on Biden’s denial of reality: “It’s not just the polls. I’m here in Ohio, you can’t go to a coffee shop, you can’t go to a bar, you can’t go to a soccer game where people aren’t talking about this in a negative sense.” pic.twitter.com/hzMXQCTy1y
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) July 7, 2024
Ryan’s comments come amid widespread calls on the left for Biden to leave the race and allow another contender to challenge Trump in November. The issue has created something of a rift among Democrats, with many who still back the president.
Even several left-leaning media outlets have pushed the idea of replacing Biden, which is where much of the talk about pushing Harris is coming from.
Ryan’s comments raise an important question: Will Biden’s issues translate into less support for other Democrats running for office? It is possible but not likely. Most of the focus is on Biden as he is the one exhibiting cognitive issues while running the country.
However, one way that this issue could impact Democratic politicians is if they come out in favor of keeping Biden on the ticket. Several polls show that even Democrat voters believe Biden is too old to be president. This percentage grew considerably after the debate when it became impossible to continue ignoring the issue.
If Democratic politicians continue backing Biden and he loses in November, they will likely be blamed for losing the White House because they chose not to join the chorus of voices calling for Biden to step down.
It is certainly a precarious tightrope that many Democrats seeking office must walk. While they don’t want to appear hostile toward the leader of the party, they also can’t keep pretending that everything is hunky dory, which is why so many are peddling the same line: They respect Biden but think it is time for him to drop out. Perhaps this is how they plan to remain in the good graces of the Democratic voting base even if Biden can’t pull off a win.
