DV Journal

It was an action that President Joe Biden repeatedly pledged he would not take.

But when he broke his promise and pardoned his troubled son Hunter for crimes he’s pleaded guilty to — and those he may not have been charged with going back a decade — Biden’s fellow Democrats in the Delaware Valley had little to say about it.

Except for Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan and Chester County Democratic Chair Charlotte Valyo, a cone of silence has descended over DelVal Democratic lawmakers asked to comment about Biden’s pardon.

In a statement, Biden claimed his own Department of Justice was tainted by politics, a claim most pundits dismissed as unserious.

“It is clear that Hunter was treated differently,” Biden said. “The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the courtroom – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.”

In fact, the Department of Justice attempted to give Hunter Biden a favorable deal that was only derailed when the judge raised questions about what appeared to be special treatment for the president’s son.

As IRS agents Joseph Ziegler and Gary Shapley wrote in The Wall Street Journal, “President Biden’s pardon is an insult to every honest taxpaying American. He claimed that his own Justice Department unfairly targeted his son. On the contrary, we produced mountains of evidence and testified under oath about the machinations his Justice Department, including (Special Counsel David) Weiss, used to shield the Biden family from a thorough investigation of alleged corruption in Ukraine, Romania, and China.”

The timeline of the pardon, from 2014, dates from when the younger Biden joined the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. It pardons him for any “offenses he has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 1, 2024.

Republicans have accused Joe Biden of benefiting from his son’s business deals with Ukraine and China while he was vice president under President Barack Obama.

Houlahan (D-Chester) said, “While I understand the instinct to protect one’s family and share the concern that President-Elect Trump will use his administration’s powers to punish his personal and political enemies, I am disappointed that President Biden pardoned his son Hunter. I still believe that no one should be above the law and will continue to use my voice to call out this and other examples of unwarranted immunity from our justice system.”

Valyo used the opportunity to criticize President-elect Trump.

“The pardon power exists to undo unjust prosecutions,” said Valyo. “The charges against Hunter Biden would have been dismissed or settled without a criminal verdict if the defendant were anyone except the son of  President Biden. Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, his daughter’s father-in-law, even though he was convicted of much more egregious crimes and has made it clear he intends to pardon the January 6th insurrectionists.”

Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware) declined to comment. Democratic Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey Jr. also refrained from commenting.

And Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), the former state attorney general, also declined to respond to DVJournal’s request for comment. He did the same when Politico asked him about the pardon.

The Democratic Party chairs for Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery Counties did not respond to requests for comment on the presidential pardon.

On the other side of the aisle, neither Republican Sen.-elect Dave McCormick nor Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) responded to requests for comment.

Ironically, Trump is one person who isn’t surprised by Biden’s actions.

In October, Trump told Fox News, “I wouldn’t do anything that would be overt in terms of Hunter. It’s a sad situation. I’ll bet you the father probably pardons him.

“But he’s a bad boy,” Trump added. “No question about it.”

The Biden administration is touting the Inflation Reduction Act as a transformative piece of legislation. The reality tells a different story for millions of seniors relying on Medicare. Rather than prioritizing older Americans, this act has raided Medicare to fund a broader agenda, diverting billions from healthcare to unrelated spending projects. As Americans grapple with higher costs and fewer options in Medicare, it’s essential to expose the effect of these policies.

The staggering $260 billion the IRA raided from projected Medicare savings and funneled to projects like tax credits for electric vehicles and solar energy is at the heart of the issue. According to the Congressional Budget Office, these funds could have been used to strengthen Medicare but were squandered on political agendas that have nothing to do with healthcare. 

In 2023, $10 billion of Medicare spending was paid in electric vehicle and solar energy tax credits. Simultaneously, large subsidies continued to fund prominent insurer-Pharmacy Benefit Managers and other non-Medicare programs.

The administration initially promised the spending bill would significantly lower drug prices for seniors. However, since the bill’s passage, Medicare premiums have surged by more than 20 percent on average, with some states experiencing more than 50 percent hikes. This is only the beginning, as insurers have warned their beneficiaries that hikes will continue to rise. Additionally, the administration has introduced a last-minute “demo” project, which the CBO just revealed would gut at least $21 billion from the Medicare Trust Fund to prop up big insurers— without congressional approval. This leaves seniors with fewer drug plan options and, for many, the uncertainty of whether their current plan will even exist next year.

Despite the White House’s talk about reforming the practices of big insurer-PBMs, the IRA quietly slipped in a provision that extended a little-known exemption these health cartels have from federal anti-kickback corruption laws. Although it may seem insignificant, these integrated conglomerates can legally pocket significant drug pricing rebates initially intended to lower patient costs. Instead of promoting savings for Medicare beneficiaries, they are being consumed by PBMs, which gives insurance oligarchs more reason not to oppose the IRA. While the White House publicly criticizes the influence of large corporations, the IRA’s provisions speak volumes about its priorities.

Perhaps the greatest betrayal comes from the so-called Medicare “negotiations” the administration has championed. With $260 billion already siphoned off for non-healthcare spending, President Biden proudly publicized drug price “negotiations” as one of the most significant milestones in healthcare. The reality is that 67 million seniors enrolled in Medicare will only save $1.5 billion collectively. Not only are these savings minimal, but they will also likely lead to intense Part D premium spikes. For millions of older Americans, this delayed relief means more waiting and financial strain.

The administration has claimed a victory on drug prices, but for many seniors, it feels more like a swindle. The IRA’s windfalls have gone to corporate interests, while seniors are left with higher costs, fewer options, and no real relief. This isn’t the Medicare reform Democrats promised older Americans — it’s a raid on Medicare, and America’s seniors are counting on Republicans in Congress to reignite their fight against the disastrous spending bill.

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According to a chilling report from the House Judiciary Committee released Monday, at least 99 illegal aliens on the FBI terror watchlist were released into the United States after being arrested by Border Patrol at the southern border, and another 34 aliens on the list are currently in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody.

This information was reported to the committee by DHS.

Those actions were taken under policies administered by the Biden-Harris administration and are likely to add heat to the debate over border security in November’s elections. GOP U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick has already called out his opponent, three-term incumbent Sen. Bob Casey.

“Bob Casey and Kamala Harris should be putting terrorists behind bars, not releasing them into our communities,” McCormick posted on X in response to the findings.

According to the Judiciary Committee report, the Biden administration “allowed millions of illegal aliens to enter the United States, including [from] terrorist organizations and other bad actors looking to harm Americans. In three and a half years, the Biden-Harris administration has released more than 5.4 million illegal aliens into the United States, with an additional at least 1.9 million known ‘gotaways’ escaping into the country.”

Among those are 250 people on the terrorist watchlist who Border Patrol encountered on the southern border between 2021 and 2023. The report said the Department of Homeland Security released at least 99 of them, with some 34 others in DHS custody.

The illegal aliens in question came from at least 36 different countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

During the fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol encountered thousands of illegal immigrants from countries that “could present national security risks,” including 2,134 Afghan nationals, 33,347 Chinese citizens, 541 Iranians, 530 Syrians, and 3,104 Uzbek nationals, the report said.

Of eight Tajik nationals released despite potential ISIS ties that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested in June 2024, three had been released into the country using the Biden-Harris administration’s CBP One phone application to schedule an appointment at a port of entry. Four were encountered by Border Patrol while crossing the border without scheduling an appointment.

One of the eight Tajiki men was arrested in Philadelphia.

Polls show Americans are very concerned about the impact of illegal immigration, which set multiple records during the time Vice President Harris was tasked by Biden to address “root causes” of migration from Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras).

While Harris allies reject the label “border czar,” illegal crossings from these four countries were 140 percent higher than during the Trump presidency.

Critics of the Biden administration hold the president and his team responsible for the violent crimes committed against lawful American residents by those who cross the border illegally. They point to cases like Rachel Morin, the Maryland mother of five who was beaten, raped, and strangled to death, allegedly by an illegal alien from El Salvador earlier this year.

Todd Bensman of the Center for Immigration Studies argues that “all crimes committed by illegal aliens represent an unnecessary and preventable burden on American society and its criminal justice system.

“To state what should be obvious: Illegal aliens blocked at the border or who are quickly removed from the country cannot inflict harm on Americans because they are not present. That means every single crime committed by an illegally present immigrant was preventable and should never have happened.

The committee report, presented by the GOP majority, claims the Biden administration downplays the possibility of terrorist threats. It also calls out Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his management of the illegal immigrant issue.

“There is a more than 3,000 percent increase of watchlisted alien encounters compared to all four years of the Trump administration,” the report said. “With the border in chaos under the Biden-Harris administration, the terrorist threat to the homeland has skyrocketed.”

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Not since LBJ in 1968, who faced public anger over his handling of the Vietnam War, has a sitting president decided not to seek a second term.

But Sunday, with pressure growing from dozens of congressional Democrats in the wake of his disastrous June debate against former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden announced he’s dropping out of the race.

“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” the 81-year-old Biden wrote in a letter posted on X.

Congresswomen Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester) praised Biden’s decision to withdraw. He “prioritized everyday Americans, guided the United States into pandemic recovery and enacted some of the most consequential legislation in a generation,” Dean wrote.

“The country, and in fact, the world, is a better place because of him,” Houlahan said.

After announcing his withdrawal, Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris.

Harris, 59, thanked Biden for his “extraordinary leadership” and “decades of service to our country.”

“With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else,” Harris said in a statement.

Harris promptly announced she would be seeking her party’s nomination, and she’s already been endorsed by one of the most frequently-mentioned potential Biden replacements: Gov. Josh Shapiro.

“The contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania – where this collective work began. I will do everything I can to help elect @KamalaHarris as the 47th President of the United States,” Shapiro posted on X.

Shapiro is widely reported to be on the short list as a potential Harris running mate.

Chester County Democratic Committee chair Charlotte Valyo is also on board.

“Now we will unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the candidate President Biden has endorsed and elect the first woman president. This is our focus and the goal for which we will work for the next 106 days and nights,” Valyo said.

Biden’s decision caught many Pennsylvania Democrats by surprise. Just hours before he withdrew from the race, Pennsylvania state Democratic Party chair Sharif Street signed a letter declaring his support for Biden’s reelection. And Sen. John Fetterman continued to promote another four years of a Biden presidency.

However, some Delaware Valley political observers claimed they saw Biden’s departure as inevitable.

“It was absolutely the right thing to do. I wish he had done it three weeks ago,” said Neil Oxman, Democratic strategist with The Campaign Group.

“The Biden announcement comes as no surprise. His own party abandoned him. Now they are saddled with the prospect of putting ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris at the top of their ticket,” was the take from GOP strategist Charlie Gerow.

Jeff Jubelirer, vice president with the Bellevue Communications Group, said that while Biden’s decision was “no surprise,” he hasn’t left his party much time to mount a national campaign for a new nominee.

Biden “finally saw the writing on the wall about no path to victory, especially without full support of Democratic legislators, donors and most importantly, voters in swing states.”

Can Kamala Harris carry Pennsylvania?

As of Sunday afternoon, one Delaware Valley congressional Democrat, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlan, had already endorsed her.

Veteran Democrat public relations pro Larry Ceisler says not only can she win, “I doubt Trump will even debate her.’

“Of course, she can win Pennsylvania,” Ceisler said. Democrats have won the state a majority of the time [in the recent presidential elections]. You’ve got to believe that a state that’s elected Democrats is in a very good position.”

In 2016, Trump became the first Republican to win Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Trump lost to Biden in 2020.

While local Democrats are hopeful about Harris’ candidacy, Republicans note that Trump has consistently led in the Keystone State for months and they don’t see that changing.

While Republicans are “totally united behind our candidates,” said Bucks County GOP Chair Pat Poprik, “the Democrats are in such disarray that they are going to be battling among themselves as they decide who their presidential candidate should be.

“Even though President Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris, I don’t know that their party will accept her, knowing all the mistakes that she has made, how she’s been so unsuccessful as the ‘Border Czar’ and how she’s terrible at public speaking.”

“On the other hand, the Republican party, after its hugely successful convention, is totally united behind our strong candidates, President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance. I am looking forward to the great victories we will have in November with this great slate, including Dave McCormick for Senate and, in Bucks County, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick,” she said.

Local Republican operative Guy Ciarrocchi agrees.

“Kamala Harris owns the Biden record—plus, she failed at her only assigned duty: securing our border. The politics of 2024 haven’t changed one bit.”

Fetterman responded to the news of Biden’s announcement with an expression of frustration–and irony.

“People pushed out an honorable man, loving father, and a great president before an absolute sleazeball like Menendez. Congratulations.”

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was convicted on corruption charges last week.

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Pennsylvania Democrats are featured in a new ad pushing President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign.

A group called Pass the Torch is spending $36,000 to air an ad on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Monday in both Washington, D.C. and Delaware. Morning Joe is reportedly must-watch TV for Biden.

The ad follows a #PassTheTorch Saturday rally outside the White House featuring chants of “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Thank you Joe, it’s time to go.”

On Sunday, Democrat-turned-independent U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia echoed the rally’s message. “I came to the decision with a heavy heart that it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin told CNN.

The TV ad airing Monday morning “features Democratic voters from Pennsylvania urging President Biden to step aside for a new nominee,” according to Pass The Torch.

Pass the Torch calls itself a network of “activists, organizers, and voters” who believe that it’s imperative for Democrats to have a ticket that can beat Donald Trump. Democratic activist Charlie Bulman, who worked as a Biden campaign organizer in Pennsylvania in 2020, attended the #PassTheTorch White House rally.

“I just think it’s clear that the president is not going to be up to do the job for another four years, that his candidacy is not putting us in the best position to win,” Bulman told the progressive news site Mother Jones. And, he added, he has concerns about what backing Biden will do to down-ballot candidates.

Bulman worries about the impact of Biden’s campaign on down-ballot races and the party’s credibility. “I think it puts other folks in a tough position defending his competency,” he said. “And I think that they might lose trust among voters if they’re forced to do that.”

Biden has lagged behind Trump in the polls for months while other Democrats have polled better. The RealClearPolitics average puts Trump ahead of Biden by 4.5 percent in Pennsylvania. That includes an Emerson College poll released last week giving the Republican a five-point lead, which is outside the margin of error.

The super PAC’s website cited a “stunning crisis of faith” in Biden after his terrible showing at last month’s debate against Trump.

Biden gave rambling answers at the debate, then failed to alleviate concerns during an interview on NBC. Earlier this month, he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “President Putin” and Vice President Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump” at a NATO press conference.

A Philadelphia radio show host who interviewed Biden after the debate later resigned after it was revealed she used questions given to her by the Biden campaign. A Milwaukee radio show host also said Biden’s campaign supplied him with questions for an interview.

That’s enough for Pass the Torch leaders, who include Rhode Island state Sen. Tiara Mack and Public Citizen Senior Climate Policy Counsel Aaron Regunberg. They blame Biden’s team for protecting him “for years” from live and unscripted interviews.

As of Sunday morning, 36 congressional Democrats have publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 campaign. But Biden’s campaign insists he’s not leaving, releasing a letter from the Democratic state party chairs in seven swing states — including Pennsylvania’s Sharif Street — urging Biden to stay in the race.

“As we enter the final 100-day stretch, President Biden has proven he can beat Donald Trump if we all do the work,” the party chairs wrote.

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(This article is reprinted from Broad + Liberty. It first appeared in PoliticsPA.)

If the Republicans seem more united around their presidential candidate than in recent memory, the Democrats are in the opposite camp.

The hue and cry among Democratic ranks for President Joe Biden to step aside has not subsided in recent days, even after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump stole the news cycle for the past three days.

Now, as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) prepares a virtual roll call to solidify the nomination of Biden as the party’s candidate, some Democratic members of Congress are voicing their objections and considering putting them in writing.

A letter is being circulated by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) that argues there is “no legal justification” for an early virtual roll call, now that the state of Ohio has enacted legislation that allows Democrats to nominate its candidate in person at its convention in Chicago in mid-August.

“At this point, there is no serious threat to the Democratic ticket nominated in regular order at next month’s DNC convention appearing on the ballot in Ohio or any other state. Simply put, there is no longer any legal reason for moving forward with the extraordinary step of an early nomination by way of a “virtual roll call,” as even many DNC members have admitted.

“Proceeding with the “virtual roll call” in the absence of a valid legal rationale will be rightly perceived as a purely political maneuver, which we believe would be counterproductive and undermine party unity and cohesion. Moreover, it would contradict what President Biden himself has repeatedly said to members of Congress in recent days, telling us that anyone who wants to challenge his nomination should do so “at the convention.”

The draft letter is critical of those who want to stifle debate and shut down any possible change in the Democratic ticket, citing morale and unity of the party at “the worst possible time.”

Axios is reporting that Rep. Susan Wild (D-07) will be signing the letter. Wild’s seat is considered one of the targets for Republicans as the GOP makes plans to defend its House majority. A request for comment from Wild received no response.

The move comes three days before the Democratic National Convention rules committee is scheduled to meet, when they are expected to vote on setting up the rules and dates for a virtual roll call vote.

David Winkler says he believes he has a good chance of beating three-term  incumbent Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) in November.

Winkler is running for Congress because he cares “deeply about America.”  He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. After leaving the Marines, he joined the Army.

“A lot of people died to preserve our freedoms and way of life,” said Winkler. “I feel like right now our government is failing the people. And that it’s my duty to stand up and fix it.”

His changes have improved because of the rising popularity of former President Donald Trump, whose coattails might lift down-ballot Republicans.

And, the first-time Republican candidate notes that Dean’s far-left votes against Israel and pro-Palestinians have alienated a sizable portion of the area’s Jewish voters. According to the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia, Jews comprise about 10 percent of Montgomery County residents.

Dean is “one of the most divisive people we have in the government,” said Winkler, 38. “Everything she’s done has torn America apart, from her volunteering to be an impeachment manager to her voting record, even at what’s happened with the Jewish community, the blatant antisemitism. We need people in D.C. who bring people together, not divide… She only caters to the far left.”

Commentary magazine editor John Podhoretz wrote in June that Trump is poised to get more support from Jews than any Republican presidential candidate in modern history due to Biden’s lukewarm support of Israel. He noted a drop in votes for Democrats from Pennsylvania Jews “may be the game right here.”

Rabbi Matthew Adelson, a Conservative rabbi and member of the Philadelphia Board of Rabbis, supports Winkler for Winkler’s position backing Israel.

“David is a wonderful person,” said Abelson. After he met Winkler, “it became very clear to me that he’s someone who is capable of leading on that very critical issue.”

In the months since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, Dean has “made it very clear she is not a supporter of Israel,” said Adelson, who cataloged a long list of Dean’s pro-Palestinian votes.

“On Nov. 7, there was an opportunity to censure (Rep.) Rashida Talib (D-Mich.) for promoting false narratives regarding the Oct. 7 attack, and (Dean) voted no,” said Adelson. “She allowed funds to go to Iran, and voted against putting sanctions on Qatar.” Iran funds Hamas, and Qatar has given money and sanctuary to its leaders.

“In December, she did not condemn antisemitism on university campuses amid the testimony of university presidents to Congress,” Abelson said. “She voted no on the Israel security supplemental Appropriations Act on Feb. 24.  She called for a ceasefire with Hamas on Feb. 29.”

On April 5, Dean voted with members of the “Squad” to cut U.S. military aid to Israel.

“And she wrote a letter asking Biden to ‘use all the tools’ there are to prevent Israel from going into Rafah,” he said. “When the IDF did go into Rafah, they found tunnels between Rafah and Egypt, which is a grave concern.”

“On April 16, around Passover, she voted present when there was an opportunity to condemn the slogan ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ which is clearly genocidal,” he added. In May, she backed Biden’s withholding of offensive weapons from Israel.

And in July, Dean “rose on the House floor” to say the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), which is anti-Israel with employees who took part in the Hamas terror attack, “is doing ‘God’s work,’” said Abelson.

“It’s very obvious she doesn’t have the back of her Jewish constituents,” he said.

Christian Nascimento, chair of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, said, “Whether it is her doubling down on support for Joe Biden after the recent debate debacle or her one-sided approach to the Israeli-Hamas conflict, Rep. Dean has shown that her far-left views are outside the mainstream of Montgomery County voters. In David Winkler, we have a candidate that has a commonsense approach and a different perspective as a person of color and a veteran – a perspective that better aligns with the majority of residents of the 4th Congressional district.”

Winker also holds Dean, who sits on the foreign affairs committee, partly responsible for the disastrous American withdrawal from Afghanistan, where 13 U.S. troops died in a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate near the Kabul airport.

“She should have been able to push back on Biden to keep Bagram Air Base open,” he added. He noted military equipment worth billions was left behind, but more importantly, so were American citizens and Afghans who helped Americans.

“One of those was my interpreter,” said Winkler. “This was a complete failure of the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense.” His interpreter is still trapped in Afghanistan.

That withdrawal is “one of the reasons I’m running. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Semper Fi. We don’t leave people behind.”

Winkler was a biracial foster child who was adopted by “two loving White parents.” His father was an engineer with Raytheon, then a merchant marine. Winkler grew up in Canada, southern California, and Northern Ireland. Winkler joined the Marines when he turned 18. He also worked as a police officer in Murfreesboro, Tenn. and led a nonprofit, Wings for Warriors. He moved to Montgomery County in 2021 after marrying his wife, Kay, who grew up here. She is a first-generation American whose family came from Sierra Leone. The Winklers, who live in Elkins Park, are raising a stepdaughter and a baby son. David Winkler currently employed as a property manager.

“I’m just a pissed-off veteran,” said Winkler. “You can call it MAGA. You can call it whatever you want. I’m just very commonsense.”

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GOP U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick is campaigning hard on the fact that his opponent, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, supports another term for President Joe Biden.

While Casey’s position isn’t popular — a huge majority of Keystone State voters believe Biden is too old — it appeared the three-term Democrat might get a reprieve. Prominent Democrats like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have been working behind the scenes to push Biden out, which would let Casey off the hook.

A chorus of  Democrats and donors have called for Biden to bow out of the presidential race, fearing a Trump victory. Vermont Sen. Peter Welch was the first senator to ask Biden to withdraw for the “good of the country.” At least 20 House Democrats have called for Biden to drop out of the 2024 race.

That all changed Saturday when an assassin’s bullet narrowly missed former President Donald Trump. The Republican nominee survived, but it appears any hopes of getting Biden off the ticket didn’t.

“Everything is on pause for the moment given the gravity of the moment in time we’re in,” said Jeff Jubelirer, vice president with Bellevue Communications. “I haven’t heard any new Democrats saying anything about Biden since Saturday. It seems like this will remain on pause for at least the short term. However, I don’t know if this will change the overall calculus that many Democrats want Biden to drop out for a new candidate. I suspect the grave attack won’t change their positions.”

Jubelirer is right regarding the political math. A New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday found Biden losing Pennsylvania to Trump 48 to 45 percent. Worse, campaign professionals say, is the fact that around 60 percent of Keystone State Democrats say Biden it too old. And Democrats are split on keeping Biden on the ticket, with 48 percent sticking with Biden and 46 percent wanting him gone.

But Democrats like Casey and his colleague, Sen. John Fetterman, are backing Biden. “I refuse to join the Democratic vultures on Biden’s shoulder after the debate. No one knows more than me that a rough debate is not the sum total of the person and their record,” Fetterman said.

And it appears the national party is falling in line, too. Former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile told The New York Times that after Biden’s debate fiasco, “it’s been hysteria on steroids. But now Biden’s not going anywhere.

“If he is not going to buckle under the weight of what has happened over the last two and a half weeks, I don’t know why anyone else should,” she said.

Republicans are delighted. They see Biden as a weak candidate, and Casey’s embrace of a candidate most voters believe is clearly unfit to serve.

McCormick has billboards around Pennsylvania that say “Same Old, Tired Ideas” with pictures of Casey and Biden. They went up last week in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, and Bloomsburg. Casey and Biden are both from Scranton, while McCormick grew up in Bloomsburg.

McCormick’s campaign launched a digital ad after the June 27 debate titled “Bob Casey Knew,” a reference to the fact that, due to his relationship with Biden and the White House, Casey had to be aware of Biden’s declining cognitive skills.

“There’s nobody in the Senate closer to Joe Biden than Bob Casey,” McCormick told DVJournal. “As a veteran, I’m worried about Biden’s ability to keep our troops safe. How can Casey, one of Biden’s closest friends in Washington, continue to ignore what’s at risk with a weak commander-in-chief? The commonwealth deserves better than their failed leadership and tired, old ideas.”

Why won’t Casey, caught in a tough re-election campaign in a state Biden is losing, cut the president loose?

“The relationship that Sen. Casey and the president enjoy transcends politics,” says longtime Democratic strategist TJ Rooney. “The president has enjoyed exceptionally close relationships with both Sen. Casey and Gov. Casey [Sen. Casey’s father]. Bob Casey is a faithful servant who believes his word is his bond. I don’t see his support for President Biden changing anytime soon.”

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With Democratic politicians and now actor George Clooney, a major fundraiser, calling on President Joe Biden to drop out of the race, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s name has been mentioned as a viable presidential or vice presidential candidate.

And if the octogenarian president were to bow out, Vice President Kamala Harris would be next in line. Harris is slated to speak at an Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote Presidential Town Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday.

And if Harris moves to the top of the ticket, various wags have said Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, 51, as her vice-presidential running mate would enhance the Democrats’ chances of winning Pennsylvania, which is now trending toward Trump.

The latest Emerson poll has Trump at 46 percent and Biden at 43 percent nationwide and shows Trump at 47 percent to 45 percent for Biden in Pennsylvania. The 538, which averages polls, has Trump at 44.3 percent and Biden at 41 percent in the Keystone State as of July 11.

Biden released a letter on Tuesday saying he will stay in the race for reelection.

“This type of baseless speculation is just a distraction – and it is unhelpful to accomplishing what we need to do this November: defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box,” said Shapiro’s spokesman Manuel Bonder.

Shapiro, who grew up in Abington, has risen steadily through Pennsylvania political offices. He started as an assistant to former Montgomery County Congressman Joe Hoeffel (D-Montgomery), then successfully ran for state representative. After that, he served as chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, then served two terms as attorney general. Shapiro was elected governor in 2022.

Republican Bruce L. Castor Jr. served as a Montgomery County commissioner with Shapiro and praises him, although they had and have policy differences.

“Josh was a tremendous county commissioner,” said Castor. “A master at the organization, excellent at arriving at a consensus and one of the best administrators I have ever seen.”

“In fact, I used to tell people, I thought he was a better commissioner than me,” said Castor. One of Shapiro’s trademarks is being “well-prepared.”

Which is why Castor believes it’s unlikely that Shapiro would suddenly agree to run for president or vice president.

“It’s unlike the man I know to do anything without carefully planning,” said Castor. “And putting an organization together and having his ducks in a row.”

Shapiro planned his run for attorney general a year in advance “so this would be inconsistent with the man I know,” said Castor.

“I think the Democrats are playing with fire trying to swap out Biden this late in the game,” said political consultant Albert Eisenberg, principal with BlueStateRed. “The downside of Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket could be lower than sticking with the guy they’ve got, however enfeebled he obviously is. A hypothetical Harris-Shapiro ticket could be a strong one in Pennsylvania, theoretically, but with so many factors in play this late in the game, and voters gobsmacked by Biden’s performance and the Democrats’ covering for him, I don’t think there’s an easy path to winning or even a guaranteed way to stop the bleeding at this point.”

Guy Ciarrocchi, a political commentator who writes for Broad +Liberty, said, “It says a lot about today’s Democrat Party. The president is old and confused—and, now abandoned. They fear the vice president isn’t able to actually be president. So, they’re left considering the most unsuccessful governor in California’s history and Pennsylvania’s freshman governor who’s yet to actually achieve any policy goal.”

While Castor believes Shapiro is unlikely to jump into the race, he added, “There is the caveat to that. When the president asks you, it is very hard to say no. And having had that happen to me, I can attest to that, directly. So that would be the only thing that I think might tip the scale, if President Biden asked him to do it, otherwise I don’t see the carefully prepared, thoughtful man that I know, doing something so spontaneous.”

“He’s a thinker and a planner and he doesn’t go off half-cocked,” said Castor, who added he’s seen very few people like Shapiro in his 40 years in public life.

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Pennsylvania politicians are divided on President Joe Biden’s political future.

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is an unapologetic ally, telling his fellow Democrats, “There is only one guy that has ever beaten Trump, and he’s going to do it twice and put him down for good.” His colleague, Sen. Bob Casey, says he has no concerns about Biden’s ability to serve four more years as president.

But U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, a Lehigh Valley Democrat, has publicly expressed her “concerns about President Biden’s electability at the top of the ticket.”

With Biden, who insists he will not drop out, facing another major test Thursday when he participates in what the White House is calling a “big boy” press conference, DVJournal asked Keystone State voters to weigh in on whether Biden should end his campaign for a second term or stay the course.

“It’s not good to have a divided party,” said Cassandra Willard of Warrington. “A lot of people think he’s too old to run for reelection.”

“I feel bad for him,” said Jeff Wimer of Penn Township. “I don’t think he’s capable.”

Willard and Wimer live in opposite corners of the state, but they seem to speak for millions of voters. And the chair of the Washington County Democratic Party declined to comment when reached by phone.

Berwood A. Yost, director of the Floyd Institute for Public Policy Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College, said that Democrats hoped voters would be reminded of why they gave former President Donald Trump the boot four years ago. Biden’s debate performance “likely buried that hope,” he wrote in a recent newsletter.

“In reality, the Democrats’ theory was more magical thinking than critical thinking considering what the polls have shown over time, starting with the way voters have judged President Biden’s performance and the stability of those judgments,” Yost said. “As we wrote in a review of state polling last July, President Biden’s average approval rating in the state aligns him more closely with first-term incumbents who have lost than those who have won.”

On June 27, the day of the debate, national polling averages between the two men showed a tie. Nearly two weeks later, those numbers are shifting. Trump has a 2.3-point lead, according to FiveThirtyEight.

There are similar trajectories in the battleground states where Trump is leading in Michigan and Wisconsin. In Pennsylvania, where the Biden campaign has been relentlessly pounding voters with TV ads since March, Trump is leading.

Still, some Keystone State voters said they’re prepared to stick with Biden — if they have to.

“He’s the lesser of two evils,” said Sean Clark of Penn Hills, PA. “It’s one person’s policies versus another person’s popularity.”

Marie S., who lives in Montgomery Township, PA, did say that Biden should consider dropping out of the race, but that she would still vote for him if he remains on the ballot.

“He’s better than the other one,” she said.

Requests for comment by Inside Sources from the Allegheny County Democratic Party, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, and Allegheny County Executive Sarah Innamorato were not returned.

Radnor resident Prachi Soni said that while Biden has done a lot for the country, he should spend his remaining time with his family.

“I would not want him to run again, definitely,” Soni said. “He’s getting to a point where his age is affecting him.”

But others say it’s past time for Biden to give up the presidency.

Eldores, a northeast Philadelphia man who declined to give his last name, was making deliveries in Huntingdon Valley.

“I think he should quit right now because he’s not healthy,” he said. “Even my 5-year-old daughter knows this. He was a good politician, more than Clinton or Obama, but now it’s time to quit.”

Debbie McGinley of Skippack said, “He needs to drop out. I  look at Biden as a grandfather or my father. He would be in a home for dementia. He cannot serve our country. Jill Biden should be held responsible. She is his wife and caregiver. If this was Trump, he would’ve been out of office by now. Doesn’t matter if it’s Democrat or Republican, this is an issue about mental health.

“What they are doing to Joe Biden is elder abuse. His (late) son, Beau Biden, fought against this very thing.”

Since the debate, the national media has been publishing stories about deep, lingering concerns from Democratic lawmakers, operatives, and donors about Biden’s condition. The articles reflect a sense of shock that he had deteriorated from even just two years ago, but the stories also lay out in detail the lengths senior White House, campaign officials, and even Biden’s family have gone to isolate him.

Some Democratic lawmakers have gone on the record calling for Biden to step aside and allow the party to move Vice President Kamala Harris into the top spot on the ticket or initiate a process by which convention delegates could choose another nominee. Wimer of West Moreland County said that a candidate other than Harris would be preferable to Biden.

But Chalfont resident Jamie Walker warned against such a move, giving voice to what countless other voters are thinking.

“The leaders of the party clearly knew Biden’s flaws and they did not want their voters to have the opportunity to pick a new candidate in the primary,” Walker said. “The Democratic Party taking out their candidate elected by the voters is the total opposite of democracy, which is their entire platform.”

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