Prominent progressive Van Jones has openly declared himself a “bedwetter,” an apparent reference to what Joe Biden’s campaign has dubbed the “bedwetter brigade” for panicking over his performance in the first debate.
Jones, whose bosses have included both Barack Obama and Prince, made the admission on-air on CNN, where he has worked as a contributor for more than a decade.
This comes days after the 55-year-old Tennessee man could not hide his disappointment with the president and his weak and lethargic performance, which he categorized as “painful” for the Democratic Party.
On Monday, he redoubled his efforts, despite being a devout Democrat.
He then referenced the new term used by the Biden team to criticize those who cower, before challenging the commander in chief to sit down for an unscripted interview to prove him wrong.
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Political commentator Van Jones (right) made the admission on CNN on Monday, as more and more Democrats begin to distance themselves from the president on the campaign trail.
The prominent progressive expressed his displeasure minutes before Biden addressed the nation (see here), and days after his disastrous performance in the debate.
“I’ll tell you this: People are talking about bedwetters,” he said, quoting part of the scathing line first used by deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty in a campaign speech to supporters.
“I’m sitting here where I have Pampers, Huggies and Depends diapers, OK?” Jones continued jokingly.
‘Call me jerky’.
The political commentator then turned more serious, appearing remotely from Los Angeles minutes before Biden addressed the nation.
“I’m scared, I’m worried, I’m nervous,” he admitted. “And a lot of people are.”
“Everyone has the party line,” he continued. “But behind closed doors, what people are worried about is what the polls will show in the battleground states a week from now.
The former special adviser on green jobs in the Obama White House insisted that those polls, along with the waning confidence of Democratic donors, will be key to whether Biden will occupy a seat in the Oval Office for four more years.
He said that outlook remains uncertain, telling his CNN colleagues: “We don’t know what that will look like.”
Last week, the 55-year-old Tennessee resident could not hide his disappointment with the president’s performance in the debate, which he described as “painful” for the Democratic Party.
He went on to outline the next two steps that will decide the fate of the commander-in-chief, before launching his own provocation to see where the president’s mental capacities currently lie.
He went on to outline the next two steps that will decide the fate of the commander-in-chief, before launching his own provocation to see where the president’s mental faculties currently stand.
“First of all, what will the polls say in a week?” he said.
‘Second, can Joe Biden survive an unforeseen scenario?
“Can you sit down for an interview?” he said, apparently speaking directly to the former senator.
“Can you do one? Can you do two or three? If so, then they’re right: it was a bad day.”
“But if you can’t,” he continued, “it’s not a bad day: it’s a bad situation.”
“If you’re in a bad situation, that’s different.”
Days earlier, Jones said the moment Biden lost the debate — which also aired on CNN — came in the “first three minutes,” when he appeared weak and hoarse on camera.
“It was painful. I love Joe Biden, I worked with Joe Biden, he did not do well at all, he did not do well at all,” she said.
He also framed the debate as “the old man versus the hustler” and tried, as he himself put it, to speak to the heart of a “good man, who loves his country, who does the best he can.”
“He had a test tonight to restore the confidence of the country, of the base, and he failed.”
Jones said there is now a belief among Democrats that “they want to see him consider taking a different tack now” and said the party needed to “find a different way forward” in time for the convention in August.
“There is time for this party to find a different way forward, if he will allow us to do so, but that is not what we needed from Joe Biden and it is personally painful for a lot of people,” he continued.
“It’s not just panic, it’s pain for what we saw tonight.”
Although he did not respond to calls for him to step aside during his own speech later in the day, Biden continued to defend his praise for her performance in Friday’s debate, while speaking at a rally in North Carolina.
There, he told viewers he remained the party’s best bet to defeat Trump, despite what millions of people saw on television.
‘I know I am not a young man, I do not walk as easily as I used to, I do not speak as softly as I used to, I do not debate as well as I used to.
“But I know what I know,” he continued, to a round of thunderous applause.
“I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.”
“I know, as many Americans know, that when you fall, you get back up,” he concluded.
While he did not respond to calls for him to step aside during his own speech later in the day, Biden continued to defend his recognition for his performance in Friday’s debate, while speaking at a rally in North Carolina.
Biden has had to defend his candidacy not only among concerned Democrats, but also in the media.
In a weekend editorial, the New York Times pleaded with Biden to step aside.
Additionally, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that “retirement is now necessary” for the 81-year-old incumbent, calling on him to pass the torch to a more competent candidate.
Meanwhile, several concerned advisers told Axios on Saturday how the commander in chief should step down.
“This is no longer about Joe Biden’s family or his emotions,” one fed-up adviser told the publication. “This is about our country. This is a complete mess that needs to be addressed.”
Meanwhile, experts have said the decision is ultimately up to the president at this point in the game, even though he is reportedly too tired to work after 4 p.m. and struggles to wake up before 10 a.m.
In a weekend editorial, the New York Times pleaded with Biden to step aside, and several concerned advisers told Axios on Saturday how the commander in chief should step down.
A Democratic House member who spoke to NBC News on Saturday said they are among many who believe Biden should step down, even though none have publicly called for it.
They said three colleagues expressed the same sentiment during House votes on Friday as Biden continued to defend himself in North Carolina.
House members have also not wavered publicly, and aides have also rejected the idea that they are having second thoughts behind closed doors.
“Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi has full confidence in President Biden and looks forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025,” said Ian Krager, spokesman for the former House speaker.
“Any suggestion that she has taken a different course of action is simply not true.”
Christie Stephenson, a spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also added that her boss “has made it clear publicly and privately that he supports President Joe Biden and the Democratic ticket from top to bottom.”
Brianna Frias, a spokeswoman for South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, said the representative “has complete confidence in President Joe Biden and the Biden-Harris ticket.”
“Any report that the congressman has expressed anything other than strong support for President Biden is completely false,” he told NBC News.
A subsequent email from Biden’s team to supporters went on to defend the president, claiming that his withdrawal would only “lead to weeks of chaos,” along with the email blitz that gave rise to the “bedwetting term.”
That said, Democrats could be giving the president some space as he mulls his next steps, with Camp David appearing to be a critical moment in this decision-making process as insiders say First Lady Jill has the most influence outside of her husband’s inner circle.
“The decision makers are two people: the president and his wife,” one of the sources familiar with the discussions about this familiar dynamic told NBC News.
They added: “Anyone who does not understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be is uninformed about the situation.”
But the politician’s strongest defense came Saturday from deputy campaign manager Flaherty, during which he coined the phrase “bedwetting” now so openly used.
He also said Biden’s withdrawal from the race would only “lead to weeks of chaos,” describing Democrats’ concerns as the work of a “bedwetting brigade.”