Democrats are playing a blame game of sorts in the aftermath of Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to President-elect Donald Trump.
And it appears President Joe Biden has become the scapegoat as the Democrats try to pick up the pieces in wake of defeat.
Monday morning quarterbacks are now listing a litany of reasons Biden is at fault in an effort to prove their case.
And the evidence is stacked against the president — his age, mental acuity and unpopularity, per a report in Politico. Plus, he left the race too late in the game for Harris to enjoy a lengthy campaign.
“He shouldn’t have run,” Jim Manley, an aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said. “This is no time to pull punches or be concerned about anyone’s feelings. He and his staff have done an enormous amount of damage to this country.”
Instead of trying to pass the torch to Harris, he stayed in the race until his campaign imploded on the debate stage in June. This left his heir apparent with little like to form a successful campaign herself, according to those interviewed by Politico.
“We ran the best campaign we could, considering Joe Biden was president,” one Harris aide, who was not named, told Politico. “Joe Biden is the singular reason Kamala Harris and Democrats lost tonight.”
Mark Longabaugh, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), agreed with that assessment.
“She ran an extraordinary campaign with a very tough hand that was handed to her,” Longabaugh, said. “The truth of the matter is, Biden should have stepped aside earlier and let the party put together a longer game plan.”
As Biden held on to the Democratic nomination, he became more weary and constituents became more weary of him, one Democrat said.
“There was a Biden weariness,” James Zogby, a 30-year veteran of the Democratic National Committee. “And he hung on too long.”
This, in turn, will affect Biden’s legacy and will now include opening a path of Trump to return to the White House, supporters and critics agree.
Biden congratulated Trump during a phone call Wednesday and plans to address the nation Thursday.
He also praised Harris by stating “under extraordinary circumstances, she stepped up and led a historic campaign.”
In the end, it also didn’t help Americans were disgruntled with the Biden administration and remembered better times when Trump was president.
“People, for whatever reason, feel it was better four years ago — and I don’t think we could fight that,” one longtime Democratic operative said.
That operative pointed to the growing number of Latinos and Black voters jumped to Trump’s side. “We just have a bad brand right now.”
Marty Walsh, Biden’s former Labor secretary, said the Biden administration “just didn’t resonate with people.”
He also blamed the party as a whole and not one candidate or faction as the party itself was unable to educate voters of its policies.
“It’s not a pointing fingers day. It’s a reflection day,” he said.
