Since the presidential debate, Black Congressional leaders have held public and private meetings to discuss President Joe Biden’s widely panned debate performance which has led to a growing list of Democrats, donors and voters who think the 81-year-old is not fit for the job and needs to remove his name from the ticket.
But members of the Congressional Black Caucus remain steadfast in their support of Biden’s campaign, with only one member of the CBC publicly calling for Biden to reconsider.
Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” Friday and encouraged his party to focus the conversation on “the record of this administration, on the alternative to his election and let Joe Biden continue to make his own decisions about his future,” adding that Biden has earned that right.
Clyburn, a respected and influential South Carolina Congressman, provided key support to Biden during the 2020 presidential election.
“Those of us who are real close watchers of Joe Biden, we do know that he sometimes mangles words and phrases, but all of that is almost natural for people who grew up stuttering, and they do focus a little more, and when you focus more, you lose the flow,” Clyburn explained. “He has one of the best minds that I’ve ever been around … I would hope that we would focus on the substance of this man rather than these, sometimes, misspoken words and phrases, and how he has run this country.”
Longtime Missouri Congressman and former president of the CBC, Emanuel Cleaver said, “I have loyalty to Biden, no question about it. As things stand, I want him to win. But if he says, ‘You know, I’ve been listening and chatting with people and I don’t want to go any further,’ or something like that, I am ready for somebody who can win.”
Despite the public support of most CBC members, there are some fissures. Congressman Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “The narrative that the President simply had one bad debate performance reflects a continuing pattern of denial and self-delusion.”
The latest polls indicate that the race between Biden and Trump remains unchanged: it is still a close call although a majority of voters are concerned about Biden’s health. The Biden campaign points to the polls showing that the debate had little impact on the voters’ support for Biden as president.
Where do African American Voters Stand?
Voting rights advocate and former candidate for Georgia Governor, Stacey Abrams, repeated her endorsement for Biden in a post touting the administration’s achievements.
The attention for many African American voters will turn to Las Vegas next week where the NAACP, the country’s preeminent civil rights organization, will hold its convention. The keynote address will be delivered by President Biden.
In a press release, NAACP President Derrick Johnson said, “Ahead of this crucial election, the NAACP has worked fervently to educate our members and our community on the importance of exercising our right to vote. The rights of Black Americans are under rampant attack – from efforts to limit access to education, the mass absolving of diversity programs, and officials at every level actively working to dilute voting rights. There is no better time than now for our presidential candidates to reassure our community our voices are heard, and our concerns are a priority.”
It’s been more than two weeks since the June 27 presidential debate, and what some call “the debate about the debate” continues despite the Biden campaign’s efforts to quell it. The president’s supporters hope he will be able to quiet some of the discussion with more public events like the NAACP convention while his Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump, prepares to accept his party’s nomination at its July 15 convention in Milwaukee.
