The Biden campaign team has more flip-flops than a teenager on a beach vacation. From claiming that “Bidenomics” is, or maybe isn’t, a strong platform for President Joe Biden to calling his advanced age a “strength” while encouraging Democrats to ignore the issue, there seems to be no reliable message from Team Biden.
The latest flip centers around the potential for a third-party candidate to disrupt Biden’s smooth sail to the Democratic nomination.
The potential for a third-party upset initially had Democrats quaking in fear. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wasted no time joining other Democrats to express concern over the potential emergence of a third-party “unity ticket” from No Labels.
Rumors are circulating about possible candidates, including Senator Joe Manchin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy, a former Democrat, who pose a threat as a “spoiler” candidate with support from various political affiliations. In an unhinged critique, Pelosi labeled No Labels as “perilous to our democracy.” A successful No Labels candidate could disrupt the electoral college, leading to a House decision on the presidency. Despite the slim chance of a third-party candidate winning the White House, their potential to influence the election outcome adds an unwelcome plot twist to Biden’s predictable political fairy tale.
Team Biden has gone to great lengths to remove all Democratic competition, but a third-party candidate remains a wild card. Last October, Democrats launched an all-out assault on independents and third-party candidates, endorsing a multi-million dollar offensive that would make Putin blush. The campaign had garnered support even from the President, who stated that a No Labels candidacy would benefit the opposition.
The extensive initiative included collaboration with party strategists to disseminate negative information about potential outsider candidates and legal efforts to explore ways to restrict ballot access or increase qualifying costs.
American Bridge, the Democratic Party’s leading opposition research organization, is expanding its role in 2024 to include that of a “third-party suppressor.” The organization has enlisted prominent election attorney Marc Elias to help counter outsider campaigns, focusing on legally derailing “all third-party threats to President Biden.”
With popular moderate Senator Joe Manchin (D-VA) considering a potential third-party run, it could be assumed that Team Biden worries are just starting. Other contenders include Senator RFK Jr, an intriguing figure who might siphon votes away from the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, and Biden. No Labels is rumored to be considering a unity ticket that includes former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. After being frozen out of the race in every deplorable way imaginable, even Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN) isn’t ruling out a third-party run.
After months of trembling in fear and attempting to eliminate “all third-party threats to President Biden,” team Biden has reversed course and now dismisses the potential of an outsider disrupting the President’s pre-determined path, claiming bizarrely that voters won’t be “fooled by these options.”
Biden campaign manager Quentin Fulks told ABC news anchor Martha Raddatz that there were only two parties with the ability to claim 270 electoral votes, and that would be Democrats, led by Biden, or “whoever emerges from the extreme Republican primary that’s going on right now.”
But while Democrats are now swatting away concerns over a third-party disruption to their carefully orchestrated Biden domination, the President still has no legitimate campaign platform to run on. Despite renewed calls for Biden to run on Bidenomics, the average American isn’t feeling the love.
Biden is also marked by weak approval ratings and widespread voter sentiment suggesting concerns about his age, mental sharpness, and physical health. But Fulks is ready to reframe the President’s dementia as “age equals wisdom.”
Another potential hurdle is an anticipated underperformance with Black and younger voters, crucial components of the Democratic Party’s base, as polling indicates both blocs are abandoning him in droves.
Of course, the one thing Democrats can campaign on is abortion. Vice President Kamala Harris has taken to the campaign trail to caution that a GOP victory will mean back-alley abortions for millions and millions of American women who have no other concerns than the ability to get an abortion on demand.
Team Biden was right to be concerned over a third-party candidate, and this dismissive reversal is a flip-flop that endangers their chances even more than running Biden as the nominee does. Voters don’t like Biden, and many don’t like Trump, but polling shows that an independent or third-party candidate threatens Biden more.
Team Biden is relying on the mainstream media to carry its new message: “Third-party candidate? Nothing to see here. All is well.” But it seems Democrats are waking up, and Biden’s sudden decision to discount a third-party candidate is one he makes at his peril.
