President Joe Biden on Sunday euthanized his presidential campaign and handed party bigwigs—George Clooney, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi—what they were demanding: the right to embark on an experiment to put up a candidate whose odds of winning in November are better than Biden's.
Nobody knows how this venture into the unknown will end. Perhaps Americans will come to appreciate Kamala Harris's long-hidden charm and political acumen. Call it the Democratic Party's version of "Right to Try," the 2018 measure signed into law by then-president Donald Trump expanding access to experimental treatments for terminally ill patients.
Democrats would like to believe that Biden was the problem and that Trump's strength at this moment—he leads the RealClearPolitics polling average in top battlegrounds, which now include states like Georgia and Arizona, by 4.4 points—is purely a reflection of Biden's weakness.
They bolster their case by pointing to tight Senate races across the country, which have not broken in the GOP's direction as Biden's numbers collapsed. They tell themselves they have a deep bench, from Harris to Sen. Mark Kelly (Ariz.) to governors such as Josh Shapiro (Pa.), Gretchen Whitmer (Mich.), and Andy Beshear (Ky.).
Those propositions will be put to the test over the next three and a half months. It is, of course, possible that Pelosi, Schumer, and their friends in the media are, you know, wrong. It is possible that voters disapprove of Biden not only because he can't get out a coherent sentence but also because of the policies of his administration.
A Gallup poll in March found that majorities of Americans—55 percent and 53 percent—say they worry "a great deal" about inflation and crime and violence, respectively, on a daily basis. Race relations, the quality of the environment, and unemployment, meanwhile, ranked dead last. And immigration is Americans' top "unprompted" concern, the one they raise before they are presented with a list. Biden's approval ratings on those kitchen-table issues are dismal.
Finally, it is also possible that Trump is not strong only because Biden was weak and that each move the Democrats have taken to kneecap the former president and drive him out of politics has served only to fortify his position—that the Kamala coronation will prove to be just the latest of many self-deceptions.
See the Sunday New York Times report that revealed Trump is dominating not just the polls but also the money race—and that "Republicans were able to gain that upper hand largely because of Mr. Trump's felony conviction."
Thanks to Trump, the Republican National Committee is rolling in cash, "a downstream effect of an enormous spike in small-dollar fund-raising after Mr. Trump's conviction," the Times reported. "Mr. Trump and allied Republican groups raised roughly $69 million from May 30—the day of his conviction—to May 31. The $34.5 million or so raised on each of those days more than doubled the record for the best online fund-raising day of the entire campaign by either party."
That is the result of one of the Democrats' best-laid plans. Perhaps Sunday's Hail Mary will turn out differently. But there is ample reason for doubt.