Finley: GOP should pray Biden sticks it out
Nolan FinleyRepublicans gathering in Milwaukee this week for their national convention should enlist their religious right delegates to convene a non-stop prayer circle in a quiet corner of the Fiserv Forum to plead for President Joe Biden's health and well-being.
Anything the GOP can do to keep Biden politically alive and stumbling and mumbling through Election Day, they ought to get busy doing.
I'm puzzled by the number of Republicans who have joined the cheering section to convince the president to step aside and let another Democrat carry the campaign torch. They seem not to understand the only Republican path to the White House runs through Joe Biden.
Former President Donald Trump, who presumably will be confirmed this week as the GOP nominee, understands this. Addressing the possibility Biden might withdraw, Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity, " ... he has all the power. He has the delegates. He doesn't have to get out. There's nothing they can do to get him out. So, he'll get the nomination."
Trump is whistling past the graveyard. He's terrified Biden will drop out, and for good reason. Since Biden's disastrous debate performance last month, the entire focus of the presidential campaign has been on whether the president is mentally and physically capable of winning the election and serving another four-year term.
The stories we would expect to see leading into the GOP convention about all the evil things Trump has planned for a second term haven't been able to break into a news budget dominated by speculation about Biden's future.
Every day, another Democratic congressman, major party donor, or Hollywood actor/activist weighs in on the president's fitness, capturing headlines and hours of airtime. Politically, no one is talking about anything else.
Meanwhile, Trump creeps further ahead in the polls. That changes the moment Biden steps out of the race, should he do so.
Once the Democratic nomination goes up for grabs — or if it's handed to Vice President Kamala Harris — the news cycle resets, and the bulk of the attention will shift to touting the virtues of the new Democratic standard bearer.
I don't believe Trump can beat any Democrat other than Biden. I used to add with the exception of Harris. But I'm no longer convinced. Think about the boost Harris will get from having the chance to be the first woman president. She'll be on television yucking it up with the Jimmys, Stephens and Seths non-stop. Her photo will grace every magazine cover. The social media universe will mobilize in boosting her approval rating.
The popular wisdom that other Democrats would do better against Trump than Harris isn't borne out by the recent Emerson poll. In that survey, which has Trump ahead of Biden by three points, the former president is leading Harris by six points. His lead stretches to eight points against California Gov. Gavin Newsom and 10 points against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Republicans are starting to recognize Harris wouldn't be a push-over. The party is gearing up attack ads aimed at the vice president in preparation for her possible candidacy.
Should Biden try to upstage the Republican convention by dropping from the race while they're schmoozing and boozing in Milwaukee this week, delegates should hold their cheers and get on their knees.