Biden Critics On Capitol Hill Settle In For Potentially Long Fight Over Nomination

With President Joe Biden’s fitness to run for reelection up for debate, he’s set to have the most widely anticipated NATO press conference ever on Thursday evening.

But while the press conference has been seen as a capstone to a week of furious White House lobbying to shore up Biden’s support in the party and on Capitol Hill, it likely won’t end the discussion even if he does well.

Some congressional Democrats have remained cautious about defining any one event, or even a timeline, as the final word on the issue.

“Look, it’s getting late. But it’s never too late to do the right thing,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) said when asked if there was a deadline for Democrats to replace Biden or unify behind him.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), the first Democrat to call for Biden to not run again, said “the sooner the better” but did not offer a timeline.

Politically, the longer the discussion trundles on, the more damaging it will be for Biden. It also cannot go on indefinitely, as congressional Democrats have to strategize for their own campaigns on how to handle the issue.

If Biden stays, some may want to run away from him and sell their candidacies as a needed bulwark against a resurgent Donald Trump, a strategy that worked well for Democrats in 2018. If Biden goes, they may choose a different tack, depending on the nominee.

Either way, there was little clarity among House Democrats on when the discussion should be wrapped up or what conditions Biden critics would demand be met for him to stay on.

“Unfortunately, I think there’s a public bloodletting right now that’s going to take a while. So I don’t know of a deadline,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), a supporter of Biden.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.),