Democratic Congressman Worries His Party Is in 'Denial'
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Democratic Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts says he is concerned that lawmakers in his party are in "denial" over "how badly we've lost," in the aftermath of November's presidential election defeat to Donald Trump.
The remarks come after excerpts from CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson's new book Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, were published by multiple media outlets this week.
Newsweek reached out to Moulton's office via email Wednesday night for comment.
Why It Matters
Then-President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race in late July, following a disastrous debate performance against then-Republican presidential nominee Trump. Biden repeatedly stared at Trump and made halting statements where he appeared to lose his train of thought. Biden later said he had "a bad, bad night."
Biden's vice president, Kamala Harris, replaced him as the Democratic nominee after he announced his departure from the race, but she faced an uphill battle with less than four months to assemble a team and energize grassroots organizations and donors.
Harris and the White House also had to field repeated questions about Biden's cognitive abilities, as well as allegations that the administration intentionally hid the extent of the former president's decline from American voters during the primary.
Newsweek previously reached out to Joe and Jill Biden's office via online form for comment regarding Tapper and Thompson's book.
What To Know
While speaking to Politico, Moulton said that "It's OK for us to come to grips with our failures so that we can make the changes necessary to win." He then expressed his worry: "And while I am very much focused on the future, I'm concerned that there's still a lot of denial in our party about how badly we've lost."
"Some of the same people who just want to move on are the same people who are basically in denial that we lost," Moulton said.
In Tapper and Thompson's book, they spoke with numerous Democratic officials. One was David Plouffe, veteran Democratic strategist and ex-adviser to former President Barack Obama. Plouffe revealed to the pair that he believed Biden's delayed exit from the race "totally f----- us," according to an excerpt published in The New Yorker.
Plouffe added that "We got so screwed by Biden, as a party."
After Trump's inauguration, Republicans have pointed to the chaos within the Democratic Party, highlighting that their counterparts can't seem to find a new leader or a cohesive message that resonates with U.S. voters.
A new poll from the Associated Press (AP) and NORC at the University of Chicago released on Wednesday shows that only 35 percent of Democrats are optimistic about their party's future. In July 2024, 57 percent of Democrats felt hopeful, a 22 percent plunge.
The poll was taken from May 1 to May 5 among 1,175 adults, with a margin of error of 4 percent.
Then-President Joe Biden, left, talks with U.S. Representative Seth Moulton after the State of the Union address on February 7, 2023, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images)
Then-President Joe Biden, left, talks with U.S. Representative Seth Moulton after the State of the Union address on February 7, 2023, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images)
What People Are Saying
Representative Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, to Politico: "Look, most Democrats ... had no idea that Biden had lost some of it — not all of it — but he lost some of it. It's one of those things that happens in all aspects of life. You don't want it to happen at that level, but it does."
Cleaver continued, "I think some people in the White House who were trying to be helpful, didn't talk to the right people who ... could have addressed it a little better. But it's not like that's going to destroy the Democratic Party."
Democratic Representative Adam Smith of Washington, also to Politico: "Joe Biden clearly just was not capable of delivering the message we needed to deliver in 2024."
Smith added, "Why did it take so long? Why was it so hard to recognize that and make the change? So I guess to some degree it is helpful to have that conversation."
A Biden spokesperson responding to Tapper and Thompson on Biden's behavior at a Democratic fundraiser, The New Yorker reported: "No one has been able to point out where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or make a presidential address where he was unable to do his job because of mental decline. In fact, the evidence points to the opposite—he was a very effective president. Evidence of aging is not evidence of mental incapacity."
Former George W. Bush adviser Scott Jennings on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday: "After Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, he essentially disappeared. His own WH knew he was unfit to serve in office — and yet, monumental policy decisions were being made. This question might reveal the biggest scandal of all: Who was really making those decisions?"
What Happens Next
As Democrats lick their wounds following the presidential election defeat and subsequent loss of the House and Senate, it is immediately unclear who will break away from the pack as a leader the party can rally behind.
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