While some Congressional Democrats have called on Biden to step aside, others have shared opaque statements, deflected or avoided responding to questions about the president altogether.
Republican House and Senate members eluded questions from the Congressional press corps for years when former President Trump said or did something outrageous – or at least just made news.
“I don’t read the tweets”, was a famous reply from former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., when a reporter posed a tough question about comments the former President posted to Twitter.
Others would provide boilerplate answers. Or some might just avoid answering altogether.
“Call my office”, is a refrain you’ll hear from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., to this day.
Others made themselves scarce to reporters. But if you spoke frankly to those GOP members – circa 2016-2022, many would say they candidly they didn’t like former President Trump or didn’t support him. But they had to finesse the politics in public.
Suddenly congressional Democrats face a similar dilemma. Most Democrats LOVE President Biden. But privately, many just believe he’s no longer up to the task. It’s significant that two Democrats with major foreign policy portfolios – Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee – both called on Mr. Biden to hang it up. But many others are left in a state of political purgatory. Even if their own political future might depend on it.
So they give opaque statements about President Biden. Or, they don’t directly endorse Mr. Biden’s bid but declare “I’m with Joe.”
Such was the case in recent days when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., deployed that phrase three times in less than a minute. Even when asked different questions which didn’t pertain to “who” Schumer may “be with.”
Art of the deflection is one tool.
Another option is to not respond to questions at all.
Such was the case when Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., strolled from the Capitol to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Thursday. That’s where aides and officials close to President Biden huddled with panicked Democratic senators about the state of the race and the campaign.
