Some Biden Advisers Struggle to Embrace Democracy

They want to deny Americans exposure to Gavin Newsom and guarantee Donald Trump is the GOP nominee.

In an NBC News report about a potential November debate between California Governor Gavin Newsom and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, there’s remarkable reporting about how some Biden advisers perceive the event (emphasis mine):

Some Biden advisers have complained privately that the planned debate, which Fox News host Sean Hannity would moderate, could make voters think Newsom is running a shadow 2024 campaign at a time when most Democrats say they’d prefer a different candidate at the top of the ticket. They also argue that it could elevate DeSantis, whom White House advisers initially perceived as a greater threat to Biden’s re-election hopes than the GOP front-runner, former President Donald Trump. (Others have insisted that there is no harm in their debating and that, in fact, it could be a net positive.)

Let’s unpack what “some Biden advisers” believe:

1. First, they are concerned that, because most Democrats want Joe Biden to be replaced as the nominee, exposure to Newsom debating a leading GOP primary candidate could lead to louder demands for Biden stepping aside. That is a shocking thing to admit and reflects, as I’ve discussed before, a serious democratic deficit in the Democratic Party.

2. Second, they worry that the debate could elevate DeSantis, who they apparently believe could be stronger against Biden than Trump in the general election. Given Trump is an authoritarian politician with four indictments, it’s incredible that some Biden advisers prefer him to a more mainstream GOP nominee. How did it work out the last time Democrats attempted to elevate Trump in order to try and make it easier for their unpopular nominee to win?

The Biden advisers rejecting this debate, because they think it could lead to demands for more choice and competition in the Democratic Party — or lead to a more responsible, small-d democrat as the GOP nominee — are essentially rejecting democracy out of concern for a single man’s political prospects. This kind of cynical thinking should be rejected by all Democrats and democrats.

Compare how these Biden advisers think about Trump to Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

As a Democrat, we hope that Donald Trump is the nominee, but as an American we hope that Donald Trump is not the nominee. So, I, as an American, obviously country above party, hope that it's somebody else.

That is a responsible way to analyze the 2024 election. And, yes, it does follow that if Trump isn’t the nominee, Biden would probably need to be replaced in order for Democrats to have the best shot at beating a generic Republican.

Democracy means listening to citizens. Some Biden advisers are apparently concerned that a debate between Newsom and DeSantis could lead to the current front runners — perceived by voters as too old and too corrupt — being replaced by different, more popular politicians. They don’t seem to care that this would reflect the will of voters, because they are privileging Joe Biden’s fragile electoral viability over the interests of their party and country.

Some Biden advisers are afraid of a debate between Newsom and DeSantis.