Discomfort at Biden’s Withdrawal: Discussion To Respect Will of the People Is Not Increasing

Published in Sankei Shimbun
(Japan) on 14 August 2024
by Kazuyuki Sakamoto (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Dorothy Phoenix. Edited by Patricia Simoni.

 

 

 

Democratic President Joe Biden withdrew his bid as a candidate in the upcoming presidential election after pressure from party decision-makers. The Democrats are seeking support for Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidate, but there is a sense of discomfort at the “Biden's removal.”

The pressure for Biden to drop out of the race erupted after his lackluster debate performance. In an editorial, The New York Times, which is known to for its pro-Democratic stance, demanded his withdrawal. One after another, party officials made their demands for withdrawal public.

There was concern that Biden would be defeated by former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, and that at the same time, the Democrats would be at a disadvantage in the elections in both houses of Congress. The withdrawal debate swept throughout Washington.

However, there were no frequent demonstrations of party members and the general electorate calling for Biden to drop out. Biden himself strongly refused, claiming that “elites in the party” were trying to drag him down. He had earned the presidential candidacy bid by winning over 14 million votes in the primaries.

There was no discussion or reporting of how to respect the voting results, and reporters were caught up in the party members' drive to pressure Biden out of the race. Trump turned the tables on his opponents, using the lack of respect for the voters' decision to criticize the Democrats as a “threat to democracy.”

When a reporter confronted Democratic supporters about the discomfort over Biden's withdrawal, the respondent held his head and said, “It's hard to explain.”


バイデン降ろしの違和感 民意尊重の議論盛り上がらず

米大統領選で民主党のバイデン大統領が党議員からの撤退圧力で出馬を辞退した。民主党はハリス副大統領を大統領候補とし支持を求めるが、「バイデン降ろし」に違和感を覚えた。

撤退圧力はバイデン氏が討論会で言葉に詰まるなど精彩を欠いたことで噴出した。民主党寄りの報道姿勢で知られるニューヨーク・タイムズ紙が社説で撤退を要求。党議員が次々と撤退を公に求めた。

共和党のトランプ前大統領に敗れることと、同時実施の上下両院選で民主党が不利になることへの懸念だった。ワシントンには撤退論が吹き荒れた。

しかし、党員や一般有権者が撤退を求めデモが頻発する状況ではなかった。バイデン氏は自身を引きずり降ろそうとしているのは一部の「党エリート」だと強く反発した。予備選などで党員らが投票した1400万票超によって大統領候補の地位を得ていたからだ。

投票結果をどう尊重するかといった議論や報道は盛り上がらず、議員の圧力でバイデン氏を追い込んだことに記者は引っかかった。トランプ氏は、民意を重んじない議員の対応を逆手に取り「民主党こそが民主主義の脅威だ」と批判する。

記者がバイデン降ろしへの違和感を民主党支持者にぶつけると、彼は「説明するのは難しい」と頭を抱えてしまった。(坂本一之)
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

Venezuela: Vietnam: An Outlet for China

Israel: Trump’s National Security Adviser Forgot To Leave Personal Agenda at Home and Fell

Russia: Political Analyst Reveals the Real Reason behind US Tariffs*

Germany: Absolute Arbitrariness

Mexico: The Trump Problem

Topics

Germany: Absolute Arbitrariness

Israel: Trump’s National Security Adviser Forgot To Leave Personal Agenda at Home and Fell

Mexico: The Trump Problem

Taiwan: Making America Great Again and Taiwan’s Crucial Choice

Venezuela: Vietnam: An Outlet for China

Russia: Political Analyst Reveals the Real Reason behind US Tariffs*

Poland: Meloni in the White House. Has Trump Forgotten Poland?*

Related Articles

Germany: Absolute Arbitrariness

Mexico: The Trump Problem

Taiwan: Making America Great Again and Taiwan’s Crucial Choice

Russia: Political Analyst Reveals the Real Reason behind US Tariffs*

Poland: Meloni in the White House. Has Trump Forgotten Poland?*