Florida Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz dismisses worries about President Biden's age and debate performance, claiming they stem from the media and political elites, not the general public.
Florida Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz has downplayed concerns about President Biden's age and debate performance, asserting that they are primarily driven by the media and political elites rather than voters.
In an interview with CNN, Schultz brushed aside questions about Biden's fitness for office, arguing that her constituents are more concerned with his accomplishments than his age or debate performance.
Elites Fueling Concerns about Biden's Age, Not Voters: Wasserman Schultz
"This is a conversation, honestly, John, that is taking place among elites," Schultz told CNN host John Berman. "My constituents at home, voters across this country, are not going to be focused on what The New York Times or The Atlanta Journal-Constitution talks about. They‘re not focused on what the political elites are hand-wringing about. They‘re focused on making sure that we can have a president like Joe Biden."
Schultz's comments come amid growing calls from some Democratic voices for Biden to drop out of the race following his widely panned debate performance last week. However, Schultz maintains that voters in her district support Biden's record and want the party to focus on organizing and mobilizing without being sidetracked by concerns about the debate.
Elites Fueling Concerns about Biden's Age, Not Voters: Wasserman Schultz
"When I talked to voters in my district, they want to make sure that we can put our heads down, move forward, and organize and mobilize. That’s what we need to be doing right now," she said. "At the end of the day, we got to stop. We don‘t have time for this hand-wringing."
Schultz's position contrasts with that of other Biden supporters, such as former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, who has urged the party to be honest about Biden's chances of winning without more voters supporting him.
Elites Fueling Concerns about Biden's Age, Not Voters: Wasserman Schultz
"Biden is at the lowest point right now, I think, in terms of his campaign, so you've got to think he can grow from here," Plouffe told MSNBC host Jen Psaki. "Can Joe Biden overcome that?" he asked. "I think he can. But we should be honest about where we are, which is, without more voters saying, 'actually, I think he’s up for this,' we won't win."
A CNN poll found that debate watchers felt former President Trump had won the debate against President Biden. More than two-thirds believed Trump won, compared to 33% who favored Biden.
Elites Fueling Concerns about Biden's Age, Not Voters: Wasserman Schultz
