Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Joe Biden\u2019s return to the spotlight this week is igniting anger among Democrats who wish the former president would ride off into retirement and stay there.<\/p>\n
In a wide-ranging interview on \u201cThe View\u201d with former First Lady Jill Biden on Thursday, Biden owned up to his role<\/a> in Donald Trump\u2019s return to power even as he defended his decision to stay<\/a> in the race as long as he did last year. But if he was expecting a warm reception, he\u2019s not getting it. Many in his party are desperate to turn the page on Biden’s presidency, craving new leaders and fresh faces as Democrats look to find a way out of the political wilderness.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time for Joe Biden to go away with all due respect and let the next generation of Democrats take the mantle,\u201d said Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha. \u201cEvery time he appears on a show or says something, it’s just another week or a month that we have to defend him and remind everybody that we got beat by Donald Trump, again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor those of us trying to rebuild the brand, it does no good when you’re constantly reminded about the old brand that won’t go away,\u201d Rocha said, adding that the only good thing about the interview is that it was quickly overtaken by news of the selection of a new pope.<\/p>\n Biden\u2019s reemergence comes as the Democratic Party works to move beyond its current predicament \u2014 shut out of power in Washington and embroiled in a fierce debate about the party\u2019s direction and strategy against Trump.<\/p>\n However unwelcome for many Democrats, Biden is an unavoidable subject.<\/p>\n The former president\u2019s allies are bracing for the potential release<\/a> of audio of Biden\u2019s interview with Robert Hur, the special counsel who investigated Biden\u2019s handling of classified documents and raised questions about his mental acuity. That\u2019s in addition to an upcoming book by two high-profile journalists that promises to shed light on Biden\u2019s decision to run for reelection \u201cdespite evidence of his serious decline\u201d mentally, according to promotional copy for Original Sin<\/a>, set for release on May 20.<\/p>\n For many Democrats, both events are dredging up past problems\u2014 not just around Biden’s age, but also inflation and the party\u2019s handling of cultural issues.<\/p>\n “Every interview that Biden does drags us backwards and reminds people of the older generation of Democrats that got us into this mess \u2014 when attention is our scarcest resource, we need to prioritize hearing from the next generation of leaders who could excite and rebuild the party,” said Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run For Something, a progressive group that helps young people run for office.<\/p>\n Some Democrats saw value in Biden’s reemergence, even if they said he needed to be more thoughtful about how to present his message.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is an incredible inflection point as a nation, as a world and people like Joe Biden add value to the conversation \u2014 when [he\u2019s focused] on being constructive,\u201d said Democratic strategist Ashley Etienne, who served as a senior advisor to Biden, as well as to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.<\/p>\n \u201cI do believe we\u2019ve got to reconcile what actually happened, be honest about it, confront it and move past it. I think central to that \u2026 would be an autopsy from the party,\u201d Ettiene added. \u201cAbsent that, then you got all these books that are going to fill in the gaps and the holes and it’s going to keep perpetuating the problem and deepening the wound.\u201d<\/p>\n A Biden adviser granted anonymity to speak freely said he had no immediate public events in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n At least some Democrats would welcome hearing more from him. Noting that Biden is the only person to ever beat Trump, Erica Loewe, who served as special assistant to Biden during his presidency, said that as the party tries to rebuild following its November losses, \u201cthere’s no reason why Joe Biden should not be a part of this conversation.”<\/p>\n “There’s no question that Democrats as a whole have a messaging problem,\u201d she said, \u201cbut that can’t solely be blamed on Joe Biden.”<\/p>\n Biden said in his interview that he\u2019s working on his own book and offered his own assessment of Kamala Harris’ loss to Trump, saying Republicans took \u201cthe sexist route\u201d But he acknowledged his contribution to Trump\u2019s victory, saying, \u201cLook, I was in charge and he won, so I take responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Some Democrats appreciated his willingness to say that publicly.<\/p>\n \u201cI think people have wanted to hear him acknowledge some sense of responsibility,\u201d said longtime Democratic strategist Karen Finney, who worked on HIllary Clinton\u2019s 2016 presidential campaign. She also said many Democrats were more upset that Biden, who had cast himself as a transitional figure, ran for reelection anyway.<\/p>\n That, she said, \u201cgoes back to his initial promise, where he said that he would only serve for one term.\u201d<\/p>\n Relitigating the most painful parts of the Biden presidency has been especially frustrating for Democrats who see the party finally showing signs of life. Democrats got their preferred candidate elected statewide in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race in April, and Trump’s handling of the economy \u2014 which had once been a strength \u2014 is quickly becoming a liability.<\/p>\n