After bowling an electoral gutter ball in Michigan and getting trounced not just by Biden but also by “uncommitted” — a protest vote over Gaza — presidential candidate and U.S. Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN) asked for a little credit from Joe Biden’s supporters.
Reframing his role as a candidate in the wake of the Michigan results, Phillips positioned himself not as an impediment to Biden’s path but instead as proof of the incumbent’s strength, humorously offering his own failure as proof of Biden’s power.
Phillips launched his insurgent presidential campaign against Biden last year, winning negligible support and plenty of ire from Democratic insiders.While true, appreciation isn’t the first word that comes to mind. pic.twitter.com/M3EZ7z9h5A
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 28, 2024
Democrats determined to circle the wagons around Biden-Harris 2024 and a President -- whose success on jobs, infrastructure, the economy and other metrics is a matter of record -- ridiculed Phillips's campaign as a nuisance and a distraction.
Hand-wringing Democrats warned that Phillips's folly might be especially dangerous given Biden's sometimes alarmingly weak poll numbers and his alleged vulnerabilities on inflation, the border, his age, and the administration's unconditional support of Israel. So far, despite the primary results, Phillips remains in the race.
