Two Ohio Democrats play it safe on Biden

Like most Democrats, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is in a tough spot when it comes to questions about whether President Joe Biden should continue his reelection bid. Asked Monday about whether Biden should stick it out, Brown punted. "I'm not going to judge people in my party, what they're saying or what Republicans are saying. I'm not a pundit," Brown said. "I've talked to people across Ohio. They have legitimate questions about whether the president should continue his campaign, and I'll keep listening to people." Brown, of Cleveland, isn't the only one taking a wait-and-see approach. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, who represents part of Vermilion, did much the same when The Washington Post asked her about Biden's status in the race. "I know Joe Biden loves this country," Kaptur said. "And I have faith that he will do his very best for our nation. Now, I have my own race to run. He has a race to run. … I have faith that he will make the right decision." What she thought the right decision was, she didn't say. Although there have been calls for Biden, 81, to step aside following his awful showing in the first presidential debate last month, most Democrats in positions of power have avoided joining those calls. There are good reasons for them to remain circumspect. Democrats can't force Biden to drop out, which means he would have to step aside willingly. Biden has forcefully insisted that he will remain in the race, and were Brown, Kaptur and others to call publicly for his exit, that could hurt the incumbent's chances in November if he remains at the top of the ticket. GOP campaign ads showing Democrats denouncing Biden as unfit for the presidency practically write themselves. If Democrats and others inclined to back Biden aren't enthusiastic about his candidacy, they might stay home. That would hurt not only Biden, but down-ballot Democrats like Brown and Kaptur, imperiling the party's chances in state and federal races across the country. Brown, who will face Republican businessman Bernie Moreno in November, is widely considered among the most endangered Democrats running for reelection, so he needs voters to turn out. So does Kaptur, who will face off against state Rep. Derek Merrin, R-Monclova, in her swing district. On the other hand, Democrats might face a rout anyway. So far, Biden's efforts to tamp down worries haven't quieted the chorus of concern. Biden should make more unscripted appearances and release more information about his health. Whether or not those steps reassure his allies, the American public deserves transparency from him to judge whether he's up for one more campaign and another four years in the White House. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that replacing Biden would improve Democrats' prospects against former President Donald Trump, the 78-year-old presumptive GOP nominee. (Trump's debate performance consisted largely of energetically spewing lie after lie.) Biden's departure from the race would bring its own set of problems, including what would likely be a bitter fight over who should replace him atop the ballot. Vice President Kamala Harris is the obvious heir apparent, but other possible candidates have been bandied about, including, to name but a few, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. None of them, however, commands the national name recognition that Harris enjoys. Nor did any of them win a presidential primary, as Biden did. What's more, although Democrats are united in opposition to Trump, they have a broad coalition, which means that different factions could favor different candidates. Those differences would be on full display if Biden stepped aside and Democrats had to fight it out over a replacement at their convention, which is scheduled to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago. That's if Biden isn't named the official nominee during a virtual roll-call vote, set for Aug. 7. For that early-bird special, you can thank the GOP-controlled Ohio General Assembly, which spent weeks refusing to amend the filing deadline for presidential candidates to accommodate the timing of the Democratic convention. (Ohio lawmakers had previously moved the filing deadline when it impacted both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates.) Although state lawmakers eventually pushed back the deadline, Democrats set up the early virtual convention in case that didn't happen. Thus far, they haven't canceled it, in part, Axios reported, because of concerns that Ohio Republicans might to try roll back the deadline change, something we wouldn't put past them. Conservative organizations also are preparing to challenge replacing Biden on the ballot, The New York Times reported. Who knows what the outcome of a legal fight would be, especially if it ended up before the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. Given those variables, Brown and Kaptur are wise to remain noncommittal … at least for now.