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Culture War Roundup for the week of July 15, 2024

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Reports are coming out that Biden will step down from the race this weekend.

ETA Here is a link https://www.axios.com/2024/07/18/president-biden-drop-out-election-democrats

Your own linked article doesn't say what you claim it says.

The very first paragraph of the Axios article is-

Several top Democrats privately tell us the rising pressure of party congressional leaders and close friends will persuade President Biden to decide to drop out of the presidential race, as soon as this weekend.

On its very own grounds, the framing of 'will persuade' (future action) indicates that President Biden has not already been persuaded, or else it would have been presented in past tense (has persuaded) to indicate success. Further, this action is to be taken by the Party congressional leaders and close friends (to persuade Biden). Biden is not the subject acting in this sentence, Biden is the object being acted upon.

Further, the grammatical structure of the claim is deliberately ambiguous in what, specifically, is supposed to occur by this weekend: you perceived it that Biden will drop out by the weekend, but the post-comma clause also refers to the persuaders, as in 'congressional leaders and close friends will persuade Biden as soon as this weekend.'

Which- from external context- we know they have to, because Biden has been pursuing and pushing forward a virtual roll call to affirm the nomination, which is supposed to kick off... Monday. Which is to say, if he didn't resign this weekend, it would be too late to convince him to drop out before he locked in the nomination. Hence this week's media reporting on the virtual roll call, and the internal party rebellion.

This puts the time suspense less in the 'he's agreed and waiting to announce it!' space, and more in the 'this is a last-minute effort we hope will succeed' space.

Which is why the article later acknowledges-

Reality check: Biden can't be forced out. He has the delegates. No one can physically pry them away. He needs to do it by choice and on his terms.

Which is to say- we're in the same position as before the article. Biden has to choose to not be the candidate, and there is no claim he's been convinced.

What there is a claim of if the attempts to try to do so-

A panic pressure campaign is pounding Biden. It has been relentless — and coordinated.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Biden in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Saturday — the day of the assassination attempt on Trump — that it would be best if he dropped out, ABC News first reported. Dems on Capitol Hill want him out, and worry they'll lose winnable seats if not.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a mastermind of the campaign to get Biden out, told him that he could destroy Democrats' chances of taking back the House. We're told she's also worried about donations drying up.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) delivered a similar, if more subtle, message to Biden.

Former President Obama has spoken loudly with his silence — and his former aides trashing Biden in public.

Bill and Hillary Clinton are doing what Obama's doing. So are their former aides.

We increasingly hear top Biden aides, including ones who initially urged him to fight on after his disastrous debate on June 27 — 21 days ago — are saying it's now when, not if, Biden announces he's not running.

-but, again, we go back to the point that no one is claiming Biden has been convinced to not run.

Note, further, the absence of references to key counter-actors who would have to be overcome to convince Biden. There is no mention of Hunter or Jill Biden- who have been shaping access to Biden, and have been key advocates influential to him. There's no indication of change in, or pressure by, the Black Caucus leaders who are his key pillar of support. There isn't even a claim that Obama or the Clintons have asked him to- rather, their non-position is taken as a position by inference, which is assuming a conclusion of what their silence means (such as, for example, helping Biden by not joining in / bolstering the anti-Biden crowd).

In summary, this is a pressure piece trying to shape Biden's decision on whether to withdraw, not a claim that he has decided to withdraw. The only claim on his withdrawal made is that of the belief that the pressure efforts will work by this weekend- a confident claim, but you'd expect confidence from a pressure-piece.