Happy birthday, America!

Uncle Sam is turning 248 years old today. The bones are getting a bit creaky, the muscles sore, but he’s still the coolest one in the room.

Speaking of cool, it is going to be a scorcher across much of the United States today. So stay hydrated and watch yourself with those sparklers and fireworks.

If Joe Biden’s going to be watching the annual fireworks extravaganza from the White House balcony, will he wonder if all the commotion is a going-away party for him? Because it’s looking increasingly likely he will not be the Democratic presidential nominee, and the pieces are being arranged for Kamala Harris to take over.

Biden to DNC: No One Is Pushing Me Out!

In a “surprise,” both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris jumped on a Democratic National Committee call Wednesday, assuring the DNC staff they are in the fight for reelection together, The Associated Press reported.

According to one aide, Biden declared, “I am running. I am the leader of the Democratic Party. No one is pushing me out.”

However, according to The New York Times and CNN, Biden is, indeed, thinking of getting out if his political crisis does not improve.

NYT/CNN: Biden Considers Ending Campaign If Candidacy Proves Unsalvageable in Coming Days

These next few days are crucial for Biden, and he knows it. According to The New York Times, Biden told a close ally he can’t afford any more displays like the one in last week’s presidential debate if he wants to salvage his campaign. “He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place,” the source allegedly said.

The White House immediately labeled the Times story “absolutely false.”

However, CNN reported nearly the identical thing. Biden shared with an ally what would prompt him to accept that “it is not working.” Those signals? “The polls are plummeting, the fundraising is drying up, and the interviews are going badly,” this Biden ally told CNN. “He’s not oblivious.”

Well, the polls after the debate are showing that even some solid blue states are now in play, Trump has opened up a 6% lead, and donors are bailing. As for interviews, Joe Biden is sitting down with ABC News host and Clinton operative George Stephanopoulos for an extensive interview soon, parts of which will air starting Friday.

Crucial? This is as crucial as not standing over a launching firework. If this goes badly, Biden’s whole presidency can blow up in his face by Monday.

The big question: Will Stephanopoulos be gentle and the interview edited in post-production to make Biden look good? Or will Stephanopoulos do his job and show what needs to be shown, warts and all?

Biden should also be factoring his impact on the party into the decision. He is scheduled to appear in the swing state of Wisconsin on Friday ,but Biden is currently so toxic that Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is running for reelection, won’t appear with him. Instead, according to her campaign, she’s heading to two Fourth of July parades five hours away on Friday. Sure, the events were scheduled in advance, but she couldn’t switch things around and attend Fourth of July parades on … well … the Fourth of the July?

Get Ready for Kamala

One of the Biden camp’s arguments for keeping Joe in the race are polls showing he’s still the DNC’s best bet to beat Trump. Just in time to take out that argument, CNN – which has been increasingly critical of the Biden situation lately – released a new poll showing Harris outperforming Biden in a head-to-head race with Trump. Trump is up 6% in national polling over Biden, but Harris is only trailing Trump by 3% (48% to 45%).

Also, just in time, Politico has a warm and fuzzy story about how Harris is meeting the moment.

For the first time in years, VP Kamala Harris seems to be having a genuine moment — fueled by speculation that she, not Joe Biden, would be the more competitive presidential nominee.

The latest in Playbook: https://t.co/hxgTduBO8f

— POLITICO Playbook (@playbookdc) July 3, 2024

Biden campaign officials are also leaking the idea that she’ll be the choice if Biden steps down. And even more telling, The Associated Press is reporting that Biden has been drawing Harris “closer,” and the VP was “belatedly added to the schedule for his Fourth of July celebration at the White House.”

As bad as Harris has been in her current gig, she is the only practical option the Democrats have at the moment. Unlike any of the other potential candidates, she’d have full access and use of Biden-Harris campaign funds that have been raised so far. Logistically, it’d be extremely difficult for the DNC to run anyone except Harris. And how would they even get to someone else without blowing up the party in the process? Would they really toss aside the first female VP and first VP of color? Especially since the CNN poll shows she’d do better against Trump than any of the bench warmers in waiting? And how could they continue to say they were “saving democracy” by running someone for whom no Democrats voted?

Good luck with that.

Put Aside the Michelle Obama Option

But what about Michelle Obama? you may be asking. A Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates she’s the only Democrat who could beat Trump. However, once again the former First Lady is saying, “I’d rather stick needles in my eyes.” Actually, she was more eloquent than that. “Politics is hard,” she said in again rejecting the notion of running. “It’s got to be in your soul, because it is so important. It is not in my soul.”  

But enough on this … it’s Independence Day! Go light a sparkler, praise God, and celebrate the freedoms we still have. He isn’t done with us yet.

Along The Stream

Coming up at 9 a.m., Tom Sileo posts a very powerful Independence Day piece about his visit last weekend to the Flight 93 memorial in Pennsylvania. “4^th of July: Fields of Freedom.”