President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will leave the love bubble of the Swamp to attend the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting in the city of Brotherly Love on Friday, Feb. 3. Democrats plan to showcase how united they are compared to the Republican Party, which they opine is in a constant internal battle for control.
But whatever in the world will they talk about? There’s no conflict for party leadership. Biden has expressed he plans to run for another term, and midterms were not the epic loss pollsters predicted. What is expected to be the topic of conversation is simply changing the rules of the presidential primary game to bolster the black vote. It’s all about optics.
Iowa? Too White
The first three early voting primary states have somewhat dictated how the presidential primary usually ends: A New Hampshire or Iowa win is the party’s nominee. Toss in South Carolina, and the trifecta is complete. Democrats are ready to change that time-honored tradition and alter the calendar to push South Carolina into the first slot. Iowa is out of the February primary kick-off altogether. Biden's desire to reach out to disenfranchised black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ voters appears to be the driving motivation.
Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison emotionally exalted Biden’s plan, painting the imagery of finally being valued at the DNC December 2022 meeting:
“That this president would step into the tradition of the Democratic Party — go into Iowa, go into New Hampshire to say, you know what, it is now time that we elevate the voices of people like my grandfather, like my grandmother, to allow them to get a say in determining who should be president of the United States.”
And the numbers do not lie: Iowa is predominately a state full of Caucasians, while South Carolina is 27% black. So, a win for Democrats in the heavily red state would create rolling momentum. But this trip isn’t only about leveraging a fast-equalizing demographic. It’s about money.
Biden Needs a Lot of Campaign Money
Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign was the first presidential effort to raise $1 billion. And he will need every bit of that and more if there is a cage match between 45 and 46 on the horizon. Trump has already declared and is making the rounds. Mr. Biden is expected to announce officially around the time of the February 7 State of The Union address. Before the Philadelphia stop, the president and vice president will stop in New York City to test the donation waters for likely support. Jeffrey Weber, the uber-wealthy former hedge fund manager, is hosting the Wall Street and tech industry gathering of millionaires and billionaires that the administration constantly berates as horrible people who do not pay taxes. It’s an assessment of whether the president can raise the cash needed. Liberty Nation reached out to Weber for a potential guest list, but the request went unanswered.
Considering the lack of faith by some and an ongoing classified documents embarrassment, a stop in NYC and another fundraiser in Philadelphia could reveal a lack of enthusiasm for the man who many believe bungled his way through his first term. But, then again, maybe he is the beloved Scranton Joe, and all will be forgiven and millions will be raised.
Pulse Check
Not only will the Democratic Party faithful determine at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting the first state to vote in the primary, but they’ll also address whether Joe Biden can keep up. He is the oldest-ever US president and has not had too hard of a job with a pandering protective press. But the administration has taken hits: Afghanistan, a deep recession, the housing industry near collapse, and staggering inflation. And Biden will have to leave the basement and go back to a more traditional campaign style of jetting around the nation incessantly now that there isn’t a COVID pandemic to hide behind. Can he run the country and try for a second term? This meeting, filled with the people that make up the grassroots efforts, will decide if Joe Biden still has a pulse or whether to seek a more energetic and fresher face.
