by Paul Dame
Earlier this week Sen. Peter Welch wrote an op-ed calling on President Biden to step down. VTGOP Chairman Paul Dame issued the following statement in response:
“I am surprised to agree with Senator Peter Welch on this, but many Republicans also believe that ‘for the good of the country’ President Biden should withdraw from the race for President. It is rare to have this kind of bipartisan support on such a significant and urgent issue, but when Senator Welch is right he ought to be recognized. While I, and other Democrats like Jared Golden of Maine disagree with Sen. Welch’s more provocative claims, I have to agree with his conclusion: Biden’s continued campaign is problematic, and he is unlikely to win.”
“It’s easy to write off the debate as a single bad performance, but President Biden continues to decline, and this time doing so on the world stage at the NATO meetings. President Biden’s confusion of Vladimir Putin as the President of Ukraine, and his comment about “Vice President Trump” being qualified have made America an embarrassment to our allies and a target to our enemies.”
“Unfortunately Democrats like Peter Welch have sat by for the past nine months and allowed the DNC to change the rules of the primary to sideline challengers to Biden, like Robert F. Kennedy, by changing the rules of qualification in states like New Hampshire and outright cancelling primaries in states like Florida. While Democracy was being smothered in the Democrat’s Primary, Sen. Welch sat by idly because he didn’t want to rock the boat. It has been very on-brand to watch Democrats advocate for Biden to abort his campaign this late in the term”
”If Sen. Welch, or any other single Democrat anywhere in the country, had displayed this kind of courage earlier in the primary process, the Democrats may have been able to avoid the incredibly awkward and painful predicament they find themselves in. Instead Democrats kept on pretending that that the flaws in their candidates could be ignored out of existence the same way that the flaws in their economic policies could be wished away.”
“But despite our differences, we join Senator Welch in calling for Biden to step down. We also encourage the other members of Vermont’s Federal Delegation to join us and Senator Welch in asking Biden to step aside for the good of the country.”