Biden and Harris staff members assign fault for defeat to Trump – Axios
Democrats have faced challenges in articulating the reasons behind Donald Trump and the Republicans' decisive victories in the US presidential and congressional elections. Read Full Article at RT.com
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Some Democrats are reportedly grappling with the aftermath of their defeat in the US presidential election.
According to Axios, staffers for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are placing blame on one another following the Democrats' loss. Republican candidate Donald Trump secured a decisive victory, winning all swing states and the popular vote. The GOP has regained control of the Senate and is poised to maintain its majority in the House of Representatives.
“We dug out of a deep hole but not enough,” David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and is a senior adviser to Harris, commented on X on Thursday, describing the outcome as “a devastating loss.” He later deleted his account after facing backlash from the Biden camp.
“The 107-day Harris campaign was nearly flawless. The Biden campaign that preceded it was the opposite,” a member of the Harris team shared with Axios, a Washington-based political news platform.
“We did what we could. I think the odds against us were insurmountable,” remarked another individual involved in the Harris campaign.
Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates pointed to “the same trend that incumbent parties have all over the world,” asserting that anyone who criticized the Harris campaign was “at odds” with his boss.
During a conference call on Thursday night, campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon urged staff not to speak to reporters, according to four participants on the call. She reportedly became emotional, stating the team had “done a great thing” and “came really close.”
However, one staff member noted that such feelings were “detached from the reality of what happened,” referencing the narrative that democracy itself had been at risk.
One Democrat indicated that some of Biden’s aides felt resentment toward Harris for not leveraging the president's presence more in the campaign. Meanwhile, Harris aides pointed fingers at Biden’s shortcomings regarding economic issues, inflation, and immigration. A former administration official stated that the problem was less about communication and more about how the government was run.
“It’s very clear we got it wrong on economic policy. People feel squeezed and when they do, they pick change. Our policy position and execution wasn’t palpable to voters,” the former official explained.
Another former official suggested that the party had been “lied to” about Biden by the same leadership that failed to listen to constituents, “or why the Biden economy wasn’t working for them even if it looked good on paper.”
A former staffer for Biden dismissed criticism from the Harris team as a way to make excuses for her loss, questioning, “How did you spend $1 billion and not win? What the f***?”
The Harris campaign reportedly raised record amounts of money in the three months leading up to the election, surpassing Trump's fundraising, yet ended the campaign in debt, according to PMG.
Harris took control of Biden’s financial resources when he exited the race in July, a decision reportedly influenced by fellow Democrats, after a disappointing debate performance and just a week following Trump’s survival of an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
One individual involved in the Harris campaign described its organization as “a Rubik’s cube,” indicating a complex blend of original Biden campaign staff, trusted individuals of Harris, and veterans from former President Barack Obama’s campaigns and administrations.
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
According to Axios, staffers for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are placing blame on one another following the Democrats' loss. Republican candidate Donald Trump secured a decisive victory, winning all swing states and the popular vote. The GOP has regained control of the Senate and is poised to maintain its majority in the House of Representatives.
“We dug out of a deep hole but not enough,” David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and is a senior adviser to Harris, commented on X on Thursday, describing the outcome as “a devastating loss.” He later deleted his account after facing backlash from the Biden camp.
“The 107-day Harris campaign was nearly flawless. The Biden campaign that preceded it was the opposite,” a member of the Harris team shared with Axios, a Washington-based political news platform.
“We did what we could. I think the odds against us were insurmountable,” remarked another individual involved in the Harris campaign.
Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates pointed to “the same trend that incumbent parties have all over the world,” asserting that anyone who criticized the Harris campaign was “at odds” with his boss.
During a conference call on Thursday night, campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon urged staff not to speak to reporters, according to four participants on the call. She reportedly became emotional, stating the team had “done a great thing” and “came really close.”
However, one staff member noted that such feelings were “detached from the reality of what happened,” referencing the narrative that democracy itself had been at risk.
One Democrat indicated that some of Biden’s aides felt resentment toward Harris for not leveraging the president's presence more in the campaign. Meanwhile, Harris aides pointed fingers at Biden’s shortcomings regarding economic issues, inflation, and immigration. A former administration official stated that the problem was less about communication and more about how the government was run.
“It’s very clear we got it wrong on economic policy. People feel squeezed and when they do, they pick change. Our policy position and execution wasn’t palpable to voters,” the former official explained.
Another former official suggested that the party had been “lied to” about Biden by the same leadership that failed to listen to constituents, “or why the Biden economy wasn’t working for them even if it looked good on paper.”
A former staffer for Biden dismissed criticism from the Harris team as a way to make excuses for her loss, questioning, “How did you spend $1 billion and not win? What the f***?”
The Harris campaign reportedly raised record amounts of money in the three months leading up to the election, surpassing Trump's fundraising, yet ended the campaign in debt, according to PMG.
Harris took control of Biden’s financial resources when he exited the race in July, a decision reportedly influenced by fellow Democrats, after a disappointing debate performance and just a week following Trump’s survival of an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
One individual involved in the Harris campaign described its organization as “a Rubik’s cube,” indicating a complex blend of original Biden campaign staff, trusted individuals of Harris, and veterans from former President Barack Obama’s campaigns and administrations.
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
