Democrats Are Paralyzed About How to Handle Biden

Other Senate Democrats echoed those worries on Wednesday. “I am deeply concerned about Joe Biden winning this November because it is an existential threat to the country if Donald Trump wins,” Senator Richard Blumenthal told reporters, although he added that “Joe Biden, as the Democratic nominee, has my support.”

Senator Tim Kaine, who is up for reelection in Virginia this year, told reporters that he has “complete confidence that Joe Biden will do the patriotic thing for the country.” This echoed Kaine’s comments from earlier this week, when he said on Monday that he believed Biden would make a patriotic decision, and “that decision is going to be one that I’m going to support.”

Another Democrat, Senator Peter Welch, told reporters that “the president and his team have to really evaluate the evidence that’s out there with a cold, analytic eye” to determine “what’s the best course to achieve the goal of saving our democracy from a catastrophic Trump presidency.” Senate Democrats’ caution could indicate an appreciation that public criticism may only further entrench Biden in his position.