Another Democrat Demands Joe Biden Go ‘for the Good of the Country’

Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) is the latest Democrat to call on President Joe Biden to step aside, asking him to do so for the “good of the country.”

According to reports, Ryan does not believe that Biden, 81, is able to soundly defeat former President Donald Trump, the latter of whom he referred to as an “existential threat.”

“I’d be doing a grave disservice if I said he was the best candidate to serve this fall,” Ryan said, according to the New York Times.

“For the good of our country, for my two young kids, I’m asking Joe Biden to step aside in the upcoming election and deliver on the promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders,” he said, adding, “I really hope, with all my heart, that he will listen.”

Ryan is one of a handful of congressional Democrats who have called on Biden to step down following his lackluster debate performance against Trump in Atlanta. The debate immediately sparked widespread panic among Democrats and chatter of replacing the 81-year-old in a last-ditch effort to win the election.

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Ryan is not alone. On Monday, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) called for Biden to step aside, citing the president’s “healthcare concerns” and the fact that he does not believe Biden is an “effective messenger at this point.”

“We have a great message. I think the president’s done a good job the last four years. … But what we saw in the debate and what we’ve seen since then and also, in some instances before that, he is not an effective messenger for that,” he said, adding that the “stakes are too high.”

And, earlier in July, there were reports that Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) was assembling a group of Democrats to demand Biden withdraw from the race. However, Biden wrote a letter to concerned congressional Democrats, making it clear to them that he would absolutely not step aside.

“The Democratic Party have voted. They have chosen me to be the nominee of the party. Do we now just say this process didn’t matter?” Biden asked, making it clear. “I decline to do that.”

Since then, many Democrats have also come out with weak statements, such as Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), who simply stated that she intends to “continue to keep my focus on conveying that proactive agenda and the contrast between Democrats and Donald Trump,” largely sidestepping the Biden issue.

Most recently, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) made waves after not taking a solid stand on Biden either, simply stating that it is “up to” him if he wants to remain in the race.

“We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short,” she said.

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