'He screwed us': the background to Biden's downfall and Harris' failure
In Original Sin, former Obama and Democratic advisors accuse the former president of ignoring his own cognitive decline and compromising the 2024 election, later won by Donald Trump
3' min read
3' min read
Behind the Democrats' 2024 election wreck lies an internal drama that is now exploding in public. In the book Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, journalists Jake Tapper (CNN) and Alex Thompson (Axios) reconstruct the crisis that has shaken the White House and the Democratic Party, pointing the finger at a decision that many believe compromised the election:Joe Biden's choice to run again despite clear signs of cognitive decline.
David Plouffe, former strategist of Obama's historic victory in 2008 and later advisor to Kamala Harris's race, does not mince words: "Biden has completely screwed us". She is referring to the former president's unwillingness to step aside in time. The withdrawal came on 21 July, after weeks of pressure and a disastrous televised confrontation with Donald Trump, when by then, according to Plouffe, it was too late. Harris's blinkered candidacy, which lasted just 107 days, thus turned into a total nightmare.
The silence machine around Biden
According to the book, dozens of insiders - including members of Congress, White House officials and campaign staffers - had been aware for months of Biden's worsening mental condition. Some were even trying to shield him from their own staff, fearing that the extent of his decline, already visible since 2022, would leak out: difficulty with speeches, loss of logical thread, amnesia about the names and roles of senior aides. Apparently, to cover up the gaps, video recordings were edited from two angles to mask the cuts.
Donors and strategists were sounding the alarm. Ari Emanuel, well-known Hollywood mogul, implored chief of staff Ron Klain: "He can't run again! We need a plan B!" But the plan was not there. Not even when Barack Obama, in a private interview, had warned: 'Just make sure you can win'.
The Late Surrender
.The 27 June debate in Atlanta was the coup de grace. Faced with a faltering performance, with Biden unable to articulate coherent answers, an internal surrender took place. Chuck Schumer, leader of the Senate Democrats, confronted Biden directly at his home in Rehoboth Beach, appealing to his historical legacy: 'If you stay in the race and lose to Trump, you'll throw away fifty years of work. But it's worse: you will be remembered as one of the darkest figures in American history." Biden, smiling, dismissed him, saying: "You have more balls than anyone I have ever met".
