Do Democrats Really Have a Biden Problem?

A look at the polling around the former President amidst allegations of a cover up.

For weeks now, the political discourse has been dominated by discussion of Joe Biden, his decision to run for reelection, and his capacity to serve as president. The release of Original Sin sparked this conversation — Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s #1 New York Times best-selling book that alleges a coverup of Biden’s cognitive decline. The book took official Washington by storm, sparked a huge debate within the Democratic Party, and forced President Biden’s return to the public stage to rebut the allegations.

Like almost everyone else in Democratic politics, I have read the book. It is thoroughly reported, well-written, and raises essential questions worth addressing. The book has also put most elected Democrats in an awkward position, forcing them to ask what they knew about Biden’s capacity and whether they regret defending him so aggressively. Needless to say, it hasn’t been a fun few weeks to be a Democrat.

The underlying assumption in all of this is that Democrats have a Joe Biden problem. Therefore, to rebuild our coalition and get back to the business of winning elections, Democrats MUST address their Biden problem. The potential 2028 Democrats are being pushed to answer tough questions about Biden.

Do Democrats really have a Biden problem? Do they need to explain why they enabled an 82-year-old to run for reelection despite obvious warning signs and overwhelming public opposition? Or is this just the media holding Democrats to a higher, unfair standard?

Well, the answer is somewhat complicated.

I know this is a topic where people have very strong feelings on both sides. My goal here is not to relitigate the past. Instead, I want to look at where we are politically and try to chart a path forward so that Democrats are in the strongest position possible to take on Trump and the MAGA Republicans destroying this country.