thenews2.com / Depositphotos.com
Former President Barack Obama and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi join several Democratic lawmakers who have publicly or privately said Joe Biden should drop out of the presidential race due to concerns about his mental capabilities. ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross says, “I think as the pressure heats up, it’s very likely that he’ll come to a crisis and he’ll have to make a decision. It’s unclear what direction he’ll decide.”
Cross thinks Democrats could consider pressuring Biden to drop out soon to distract from the popularity boost former President Donald Trump will get after the Republican National Convention wraps up.
“If Biden decided to step down and the Democrats announced a new policy or a process to pick a leader, it would certainly steal the thunder of the Republican National Convention,” he adds.
A recent AP-NORC poll found that almost two-thirds of Democrats think Biden should drop out of the race. Several prominent Democratic lawmakers have also questioned Biden staying in the race, such as Obama, Pelosi and five Democratic members of Congress. Cross says it will be hard for Biden to recover in time for the Democratic National Convention in August.
“His current chances are one in five of getting re-elected,” he explains. “With those kinds of odds, he said, ‘I’m a fighter,’ but he may decide, ‘well, better to retire on top,’ so to speak.”
Though Biden has said publicly he has no intention of dropping out of the race, reports from Biden campaign staffers indicate he’s considering entertaining the idea.
Comments