WASHINGTON—At a press conference Thursday night, a determined President Joe Biden vowed to stay in this year’s race against presumed Republican nominee Donald Trump, even as calls for his withdrawal increase, especially from lawmakers worried about the effect of his problems on down-ballot races.
In the main part of his press conference, when discussing the just-concluded NATO summit, Biden showed that he was completely in command of himself – unfortunately that command was in the area of explaining his commitment to the aims of U.S. imperialism around the world.
He outlined, for example, a projected industrial war economy in which prosperity here at home is linked to building armaments used in battles around the world. He described NATO, arguably the most dangerous military alliance anywhere in the world, as a force for democracy and peace.
“I think I am the most qualified person to run for president and the most qualified to be president,” Biden told the first reporter he called on from a prepared list. He then stated, without releasing data or identifying predecessors, that “at least five presidents had lower poll numbers” at similar points in their terms “than I have now.”
Biden answered questions after extolling what he saw as NATO’s goals and accomplishments. A relic of the Cold War, the alliance is responsible, by some estimates, for policies leading to as many as four million deaths since its founding 75 years ago.
One Biden objective was to show his widely-panned performance in the debate two weeks ago against Trump was an aberration, in an attempt to settle divisions about whether he should remain in the race. “It’s important they see me out there,” he said.
“I’m not in this for my legacy,” Biden said to a follow-up query about why he does not step down now to preserve his achievements, rather than risk a drubbing in the fall. “I’m in this to complete the job I started,” he said, to an NPR reporter who asked him about his promise, when he ran last time, to be a “transitional” president to a new generation.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, perhaps, more than others, summed up major concerns about Biden after the press conference. Himes said he wanted Biden to step aside because he believed the president could not win in November and, even more important, he would depress vote totals for candidates in down-ballot races, raising the possibility the White House, the House of Representatives, and the Senate could all be lost.
“This is not the time for poetry,” Himes said. “It’s not time for the Charge of the Light Brigade where we all go down as heroes. Winning the next election is a must.”
We hope you appreciated this article. At People’s World, we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, please support our work by donating or becoming a monthly sustainer today. Thank you!
CONTRIBUTOR
Comments