The messages to Joe Biden that it’s time to step down from his presidential candidacy are starting to mount. The New York Times editorial board issued a statement July 8, entitled “The Democratic Party Must Speak the Plain Truth to the President” and tell him to step down. “From the grass roots to the highest levels of the party, Democrats who want to defeat Mr. Trump in November should speak plainly to Mr. Biden. They need to tell him that his defiance threatens to hand victory to Mr. Trump. They need to tell him that he is embarrassing himself and endangering his legacy. He needs to hear, plain and clear, that he is no longer an effective spokesman for his own priorities.” Those who have chosen to remain silent, the Times complains, are ignoring the urgency of the moment.
Today, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program with a very carefully-worded message to Biden, with whom she has always had a close relationship. She refused to explicitly endorse him even though he has dug in his heels to say he is definitively running for reelection. When the host pointed out that Biden has indeed confirmed his candidacy, Pelosi ignored that and said, “It’s up to the President to decide if he is going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.”