{"id":2290091,"date":"2024-07-06T23:40:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-07T03:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/black-democrats-rally-behind-biden-and-talk-up-harris-at-essence-festival-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-06T23:42:40","modified_gmt":"2024-07-07T03:42:40","slug":"black-democrats-rally-behind-biden-and-talk-up-harris-at-essence-festival-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/black-democrats-rally-behind-biden-and-talk-up-harris-at-essence-festival-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Democrats rally behind Biden and talk up Harris at Essence Festival &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fblack-democrats-rally-behind-biden-and-talk-up-harris-at-essence-festival-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2290091&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses \u200bhow Black \u200bDemocrats\u2063 are rallying behind President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala\u200b Harris at the Essence Festival. Despite concerns about Biden&#8217;s reelection bid, \u2063Harris \u2062emphasized the importance of preventing another Donald\u200d Trump presidency. The article highlights the challenges faced by\u2064 the White House and the campaign in addressing questions about Biden\u2019s performance. Black leaders and voters expressed\u2064 support for Biden\u200d while also emphasizing \u200dthe\u200c significance of elevating Harris if he were to step aside. The article underscores the debate within the Democratic \u2064Party about \u200dthe\u2062 future leadership and the importance of defeating Trump in \u2062the upcoming election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">\n<div class=\"tdb-search-form-inner\"><input class=\"tdb-head-search-form-input\" placeholder=\" \" type=\"text\" value name=\"s\" autocomplete=\"off\"><button class=\"wpb_button wpb_btn-inverse btn tdb-head-search-form-btn\" title=\"Search\" type=\"submit\"><span>Search<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Black Democrats rally behind Biden and talk up Harris at Essence Festival<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> <a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/associated-press\/\">Associated Press<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-07-06T23:28:22-04:00\">July 6, 2024 11:28 pm<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1695881\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>NEW ORLEANS (AP) \u2014<\/strong> As President <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> tries to revive his embattled reelection bid, Vice President <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris<\/a> led a parade of Black Democrats who warned Saturday that the threat of another <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> presidency remains the most important calculation ahead of November.<\/p>\n<p>Yet in more than 20 minutes on stage at the Essence Festival of Culture, Harris did not acknowledge Biden\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-fettermans-dismal-debate-performance-didnt-hurt-us-too-much\/\" title=\"Schumer: Fetterman\u2019s Dismal Debate Performance \u2018Didn\u2019t Hurt Us Too Much\u2019\">dismal debate performance<\/a> or calls for the 81-year-old president to end his reelection bid. In fact, she barely mentioned Biden at all \u2013 a stark contrast to the Congressional Black Caucus members who forcefully and repeatedly defended the president by name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is probably the most significant election of our lifetime,\u201d Harris said, before riffing on Trump musing about being a dictator, pushing the Supreme Court rightward and promising retribution on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-purge-has-begun-where-it-stops-nobody-knows\/\" title=\"The Purge Has Begun. Where It Stops, Nobody Knows.\">political enemies<\/a>. \u201cIn 122 days, we each have the power to decide what kind of country we want to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harris\u2019s appearance at the nation\u2019s largest annual celebration of Black culture underscores what a difficult task it is for the White House and campaign to navigate questions about the president\u2019s aptitude. The dynamics are especially fraught for Harris, the first Black woman and person of south Asian descent to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-gov-gavin-newsom-met-secretly-with-prince-harry-meghan-markle-ahead-of-election\/\" title=\"California Gov. Gavin Newsom Met \u2018Secretly\u2019 With Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Ahead Of Election\">elected <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">vice president<\/a><\/a>, and for the Black Democrats who were so instrumental in electing Biden and her in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>On one hand, Harris fills the traditional role of loyal lieutenant, a job she did enthusiastically \u2014 and on the fly \u2014 in television appearances immediately after Biden\u2019s lackluster debate ended. Yet should Biden ultimately decide to step aside as presumptive nominee, she would be among the favorites, if not the favorite, to carry the Democratic banner against Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Black leaders and voters who gathered in New Orleans, meanwhile, walked the line Saturday between backing Biden and insisting that, if he does end his campaign, the party should elevate the barrier-breaking vice president rather than consider governors like Gavin Newsom of California or Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, both of whom are white.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe purpose of a vice president is to be a No. 2, to be able to step in,\u201d said Glynda Carr, who leads the Higher Heights political action organization that works to elect more Black women. \u201cIf this was an all<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-not-every-republican-running-in-2024-has-sights-set-on-the-presidency\/\" title=\"ANALYSIS: Not Every Republican Running in 2024 Has Sights Set on the Presidency\">-white male ticket<\/a>, would we be talking about other people who have less experience, less qualifications?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Antjuan Seawright, a Black Democratic consultant who is close to House Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Biden ally, put it more plainly. \u201cJoe Biden isn\u2019t going anywhere,\u201d he said. But if he does, \u201canyone other than Kamala would be malpractice \u2014 and it would tear the party apart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Seawright argued that the pressure on Biden to step aside is coming only from white Democrats so far, at least publicly. He said that divide is mostly about Black voters\u2019 trust in Biden and their recognition of his record. But he said it\u2019s also about what\u2019s good for the party as a whole, including Black politicians. Risking a contested convention, even one that nominates Harris, could ensure widespread losses, and in turn, make it less likely than ever to see Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries become Speaker or Harris or another Black woman sit in the Oval Office.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and her colleagues echoed some of those sentiments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople say Joe Biden\u2019s too old. Hell, I\u2019m older than Biden!\u201d said the 85-year-old congresswoman. \u201cIt ain\u2019t gonna be no other Democratic candidate, and we better know it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, played up the power Harris already holds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe got a Black vice president of the United States of America, a sister who came here to be with us today,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, let\u2019s not get it twisted. I know who I\u2019m voting for. I\u2019m with the Biden-Harris team, because we\u2019re still going to have a sister in the White House fighting for us and making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Waters said Biden\u2019s support of Black communities and the contrast with Trump should be enough. She called the former president \u201ca no-good, lying, despicable human being\u201d with a white nationalist agenda. \u201cWho the hell do you think he\u2019s going to come after?\u201d Waters asked, noting Trump\u2019s support from groups like the Proud Boys. \u201cYou know he means business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In more than a dozen interviews with Essence attendees, opinions varied on Biden\u2019s strength as a candidate and his abilities to serve another four years. But there was a clear consensus on several points: Only Biden can decide his fate; if he does step away, he should back Harris; and defeating Trump is the top priority.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m with him, absolutely,\u201d said Erica Peterson of New Orleans. \u201cHe\u2019s delivered, and one debate is not going to change my mind. \u2026 And if it\u2019s not Joe Biden, I\u2019m with her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Star Robert, a 37-year-old nurse in New York City, said if there\u2019s a shift, then Biden and Democrats could not credibly choose anyone other than Harris, given that the president, party and voters already chose her as second-in-line. Still, she was skeptical about Harris\u2019s prospects.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure that she\u2019s done enough to generate the trust of enough voters,\u201d Robert said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s all her fault, I just haven\u2019t seen enough of her, we haven\u2019t. I don\u2019t know what her angle is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Regardless, Robert added, \u201cI\u2019m not sure the country is ready for another Black president, and if we were ready for a woman, Hillary Clinton would have beaten the clown (Trump) the first time he ran.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Harris, for her part, answered that kind of skepticism even as she studiously avoided the immediate campaign drama.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmbition is a good thing. We do not need to step quietly,\u201d she said of being a woman of color in powerful circles. \u201cPeople in your life will tell you it\u2019s not your time. It\u2019s not your turn. Nobody like you has done it before. \u2026 I like to say that I eat \u2018no\u2019 for breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1695881\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1695881\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Black Democrats at the Essence Festival rallied behind Biden and praised Harris, emphasizing the importance of preventing another Trump presidency in the upcoming election. Harris did not directly address Biden&#8217;s debate performance or calls for him to end his reelection bid, but instead focused on the threat of Trump&#8217;s potential return to power. The Black leaders and voters at the event expressed support for Biden, but also indicated that if he were to step aside, Harris should be the preferred candidate to lead the Democratic party against Trump. The consensus among attendees was that defeating Trump was the top priority, and if Biden were to step aside, Harris should be the next choice. Harris, in her remarks, addressed skepticism about her candidacy and emphasized the importance of ambition and breaking barriers as a woman of color in politics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2634,"featured_media":2290092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Joe-Biden-Kamala-Harris.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3620,34129,4433],"class_list":["post-2290091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-biden","tag-black-democrats","tag-rally"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Joe-Biden-Kamala-Harris.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2290091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2634"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2290091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2290091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2290092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2290091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2290091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2290091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}