Opinion Today: It’s not all Joe Biden’s fault

What is the Democratic Party for, if not this?

View in browser|nytimes.com July 1, 2024 By Patrick Healy Deputy Opinion Editor Over the weekend, Democratic Party leaders continued to circle the wagons around President Biden after his poor debate performance on Thursday, defending him in the face of arguments that he should step aside as their 2024 nominee. A big part of their defense had a personal quality: "I'm not abandoning Joe Biden right now, for any speculation," Nancy Pelosi said on MSNBC on Sunday. Her comment reminded me of that of Gov. Gavin Newsom of California after the debate: "We gotta have the back of this president." I came out of the weekend with two questions: Are Democrats acting in the best interests of the party and the country or the best interests of Biden? And are they really one in the same for Democrats, as party leaders seem to be saying? My colleague Ezra Klein published an important podcast and column grappling with some of these questions on Sunday. He had a searing response to the defenses of Biden, including this other post-debate comment from Governor Newsom: "You don't turn your back because of one performance. What kind of party does that?" Klein writes: "Perhaps a party that wants to win? Or a party that wants to nominate a candidate that the American people believe is up to the job? Maybe the better question is: What kind of party would do nothing right now?" As Klein notes, the Democratic Party had strong success in the 2018, 2020 and 2022 elections against Donald Trump and some of the most Trumpist candidates on the ballot. "There is no lack of talent or capacity in the Democratic Party. But there is a lack of coherence and confidence. What is the party for?" Klein asks. For all of Democrats' electoral success in recent years, they knew they would have a problem in 2024, running a president for re-election who had low approval ratings and was viewed as too old for another term by many members of their own party. In last week's New York Times/Siena College poll — before Thursday's debate — nearly half of registered voters who are Biden supporters said they wished someone else was the Democratic nominee. That is a staggering figure. Yet Democratic leaders have followed Biden's lead in lock step as if his bid for re-election was the first, last, best and only idea for the party in 2024. As Klein writes, "What do political parties do? One thing they do — perhaps the most important thing they do — is nominate candidates. We have a two-party system. Voters will have two viable options in November. The Democratic Party is responsible for one of those options. It needs to make that choice responsibly. What is its job if not that?" "But rather than act as a check on Biden's decisions and ambitions, the party has become an enabler of them. An enforcer of them. It is giving the American people an option they do not want and then threatening them with the end of democracy if they do not take it." Klein concludes by making that case that parties should be about what's in the best interests of their voters, not just in their own leaders: "So to go back to Newsom's question," Klein writes, "what kind of party would be trying to make a change after Thursday night? A party that was doing its job." Biden's performance in the debate and where the Democrats should go from here is also the main topic of The Conversation this morning between Gail Collins and Bret Stephens, and it was also the focus of columns over the weekend by Maureen Dowd and Ross Douthat and a guest essay by Stuart Stevens. What happens next for the president and his campaign will say a great deal about his party and its priorities, not to mention the future of America beyond November. READ MORE ON BIDEN AND THE 2024 ELECTION The New York Times The Ezra Klein Show This Isn't All Joe Biden's Fault What is the Democratic Party for if not for dealing with a situation like this? 17 MIN LISTEN Damon Winter/The New York Times The Editorial Board To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race The president's inadequate performance in the debate made it clear he is not the man he was four years ago. By The Editorial Board Damon Winter/The New York Times Maureen Dowd The Ghastly vs. the Ghostly Do the Democrats really want to stop Trump? What are they prepared to do? By Maureen Dowd Damon Winter/The New York Times Ross Douthat The Dramatic Dangers of a Second Biden Administration A second Biden term would be unusually dangerous for the country in a very significant way. By Ross Douthat Damon Winter/The New York Times Guest Essay Democrats: Stop Panicking The president had a bad night, but the fundamentals of this race have not changed. By Stuart Stevens Here's what we're focusing on today: Editors' Picks David Brooks My Unsettling Interview With Steve Bannon On the eve of going to prison, populism's grand strategist talks about what another Trump presidency would look like and the rise of MAGA-type movements around the world. By David Brooks More From Opinion Guest Essay Bill Maher: Why I Want an Open Convention An open convention wouldn't be a disaster for the Democrats. It might even help them win. By Bill Maher The Conversation Will One Bad Debate Night Mean One Bad Election Day? Americans are owed better from the Democratic Party. By Gail Collins and Bret Stephens Guest Essay Why It's So Hard to Find a Pediatrician These Days Why shortages could get even worse. By Aaron E. Carroll Katherine Miller The Victory Lap Trump Didn't Take Mr. Trump keeps being the person we know — statically supported by somewhere between 44 and 49 percent of people on any given day, with or without enthusiasm. By Katherine Miller Guest Essay Want to Do Something Patriotic This Year? Ditch the Fireworks. It would be so easy to find a new and less harmful way to celebrate the founding of a nation. By Margaret Renkl A Crucial Week Ahead for Trump's Case and Biden's Future The president is still in the race. The picture of what voters think about that may become clearer this week. By Katherine Miller Guest Essay The Future of Eating Out Is Lining Up Money-strapped millennials, inflation and the tough economics of the restaurant business have birthed a wait-in-line dining culture. By Karen Stabiner Guest Essay How to Help Americans Eat Less Junk Food It's time to use warning labels to steer people away from food that's bad for them. By Kat Morgan and Mark Bittman David French The Supreme Court Puts the Pro-Life Movement to the Test Rarely has a case had less legal meaning and greater moral weight. By David French Guest Essay The Pride March Doesn't Have a Place for Me The intolerance in the LGBTQ+ community for nuanced views of the war in Gaza is not what the rainbow flag stands for. By Amichai Lau-Lavie Damon Winter/The New York Times letters Should Biden Heed Calls to Drop Out? Readers offer a range of views after an editorial that called on the president to leave the race after his poor debate performance. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Games Here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. Need help? 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