Dem
51
GOP
49
Yesterday, Joe Biden made a very interesting move. In an effort to move past his debate/mental infirmity issues, and to give his campaign a shot in the arm, he announced his backing for significant Supreme Court-related reforms: a more substantive ethics code (with teeth), term limits for justices, and a constitutional amendment establishing that presidents are not immune to prosecution from crimes.
This is a pretty savvy move by the President. His main focus has been on the evils of Donald Trump. And while one might think that would be a compelling argument, the fact is that it didn't work for Hillary Clinton (admittedly, under somewhat different circumstances), and it hasn't been working especially well this cycle. If Biden makes Supreme Court reform a major part of his pitch, then he gives voters a forward-looking reason to vote for him, as opposed to "I'm better than the alternative" or "I already did stuff and should be rewarded."
At the same time, it speaks to a level of desperation on the part of Biden. He knows full well that, even if he's reelected, the legislative reforms he proposes are longshots, while the constitutional amendment is an even longer shot. On the whole, Democratic candidates do not like to over-promise and under-deliver. But when your back is up against the wall, you do what you gotta do.
On that point, some of the Democratic natives are still restless. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is reportedly working the phones in hopes of getting Biden to step down. Many of her colleagues in the House are circulating a letter asking the DNC to postpone plans to nominate Biden prior to the Democratic National Convention. And pollster Stanley Greenberg has prepared a series of memos providing evidence that Biden is not only slipping in the polls, but he's at risk of taking other Democrats down with him.
We've had several readers write in to point out that if Biden WAS going to leave the ticket, the very best day for him to announce that would be Thursday, so as to steal most of the RNC's thunder. Those readers make a good point, but Biden definitely does not seem like someone who is 48 hours from bowing out. Or who is inclined to bow out at all. (Z)