Schiff says Biden has to 'win overwhelmingly' or pass the torch, adds VP Harris could win against Trump

[Polybius]

Last edited Sun Jul 7, 2024, 11:31 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: NBC News

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on Sunday said Vice President Kamala Harris could “overwhelmingly” win against former President Donald Trump but that President Joe Biden must decide whether he will remain in the race as the Democratic Party’s nominee amid backlash over his disastrous debate performance.

Asked about polling that showed Harris outperforming Trump if she replaced Biden, Schiff said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that he thought she would be a “phenomenal president.”

Asked if Biden could win the election, Schiff said, “Either he has to win overwhelmingly or he has to pass the torch to someone who can.” Pressed again by Welker on whether Harris could win against Trump, Schiff said he thought “she very well could win overwhelmingly.”

“Before we get into a decision about who else it should be, the president needs to make a decision whether it’s him,” he said.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/schiff-harris-win-overwhelmingly-replace-biden-rcna160591

---

Edit: Here's the interview:

[Irish_Dem]

1. Didn't Biden make it clear he is in?

What's with the confusing messages?

[VeryProgressive]

4. Bingo

I couldn't agree more. It's this mixed messaging that fucking annoys me.

[Irish_Dem]

11. Thanks. I think.

[LisaL]

5. Sure did.

He is not going anywhere.

[womanofthehills]

50. At his age, it has to be exhausting to be out there every day

He could reach a point that it’s just too much day after day.

Kamala’s husband has Covid & Joe was exposed to him -which is concerning.

[LakeArenal]

105. For whom? Schiff? old dump?

Ohhhhhh. You mean Joe?

Throw ya some covid into it too.

When I was 30 I came home from work exhausted. Almost everyday.

Have a great day.

[VeryProgressive]

2. Why?

Why is he answering the question in this manner?
Why does he believe Biden must win overwhelmingly?

This is ridiculous for him to say that. I respect enormously, but when you feed the press that kind of nonsense, it isn't helping. The Democrats have always been horrible on messaging and supporting their own. Biden is going to win. He doesn't, however, need for his so-called allies treating him this way.

[LisaL]

7. Who knows what he is thinking.

And there is no law that someone has to win overwhelmingly, that's absurd.
You just have to win by one vote.
Not that I have anything about winning overwhelmingly, but where does this nonsense come from? Since when is it a requirement?

[Trust_Reality]

76. If we do not win overwhelmingly, Rump and the MAGA court will find a way to overturn it.

The MAGA folks need to be humiliated by the vote numbers.

[NJCher]

93. I think this is what he means

Also, and less important than your point, is that their message is so antithetical to American values, that Biden should be winning by a larger margin. Schiff is saying that the only reason we’re not way, way ahead is Biden’s age.

I see his point.

However, Harris is built into the system. What’s wrong with that?

I don’t have the answer for how to get voters to see that other than having her play an even more visible role, which I read this morning is what she will be doing.

[thesquanderer]

69. re: "Why does he believe Biden must win overwhelmingly?" - The full quote played from June 17 is...

You can't discount the chance that, if he loses again, when he loses again, that he will go to even greater lengths to try to overturn the results. The only remedy, really, is the one in all of our hands. And that is to make sure that Joe Biden wins overwhelmingly, that this is not close.

Schiff was making the point, on June 17, that TFG will contest a loss, and since we can't count on even the Supreme Court to intervene in a fair manner (see Bush v Gore, and this court is worse), the only way we can fight that is to win so overwhelmingly that it is undeniable.

Again, this was what he was saying well before the debate. The moderator of today's program brought it up by playing the tape of that previous TV appearance, putting it now in a different context.

The full original appearance is transcribed with video clips at https://archive.org/details/MSNBCW_20240618_070000_Inside_With_Jen_Psaki

[BadgerMom]

72. Thank you.

That’s really great info. The quote needed framing.

[LakeArenal]

106. Joe will win. Overwhelmingly.

See…. It’s just as easy to give a supportive opinion as it is to be a downer. It’s just an opinion.

[LisaL]

3. Biden already made the decision.

He is not going anywhere.

[Sneederbunk]

6. I will be happy with a Biden win that is just whelming.

[LisaL]

9. Whelming is good enough for me too.

I guess if Biden doesn't win "overwhelmingly" but just "whelmingly" is not good enough for Schiff?

[JohnSJ]

28. Schiff said absolutely nothing. Typical political or lawyer answer. In other words he is for whoever can win against

trump. The overwhelming is just hyperbole, whether Biden or Harris.

[NJCher]

94. Not good enough

For the reality that they have the SC in their pocket.

[choie]

8. He's dreaming

Kamala Harris would not win overwhelming against Trump. That is ridiculous. And Rep. Schiff - Biden has already said that it's him. A million times already.

Jesus Christ, these politicians are so disappointing.

[LisaL]

12. I agree. I don't see any evidence suggesting she would do better than Biden.

So he is talking out of his behind.

[PortTack]

21. If we think the shit they are stirring up for JRB is bad think again...the RW media would fry her too!

[Progressive dog]

55. No question about that

It's probably already in Trump's contingency plan.

[Autumn]

10. Biden say's he's staying in. As he should. He has been a "phenomenal president."

and will continue to be so. As for “she very well could win overwhelmingly" I've heard that before. How did that work out?

[doc03]

13. That is why people hate lawyers and politicians. He danced all around the guestion and

didn't give an answer. It sounds to me he wants Biden to drop out but is scared to say it. I have lost a lot of respect for Shiff
after that word salad answer.

[jmbar2]

14. Heritage will sue if Biden drops out. Not to win, but to tie the election up in courts

Another Jan 6 in the making, with a rightwing Supreme Court. No thank you Adam. You know better than this.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/heritage-foundation-biden-replace-1235053325/

[JohnSJ]

34. Heritage has no say in the matter. That is up to Biden period. If Biden drops out, the Democratic Party has rules, and

that has nothing to do with the Heritage foundation

They have no standing. It will never get to the Supreme Court.

[Freethinker65]

15. How about just saying Biden, because of his character and policies, will win?

Trump, because of his character and policies, will lose.

[LisaL]

17. And how would Biden know if he is going to win overwhelmingly or just

whelmingly?
It's just such a bizarre suggestion to make.

[JohnSJ]

35. It is bullshit, he is saying absolutely nothing

[Cha]

79. I know right! Here's another Schiff tweet...

Link to tweet

[thesquanderer]

117. White supremacy and fascism is not the reason Biden isn't handily beating TFG.

Those voters were never going to go to Biden. The question isn't why he's not getting those voters, the question is why he isn't easily getting more of the gettable voters (enough to "mop the floor" with him). And the biggest reason probably is the perception of his being too old.

[Silent Type]

30. For all those reasons Biden should be way ahead, but he's not.

[LisaL]

44. How do you know?

NT

[Silent Type]

47. I might ask you the same question.

[LisaL]

48. I haven't made any claims on how overwhelmingly Biden is winning.

NT

[Silent Type]

49. Good, because that would be hard to prove.

[Cha]

80. NOPE.. Schiff is Wrong and so are you.

Link to tweet

[Silent Type]

82. And I'm OK with that. I want to beat trump.

[58Sunliner]

97. Good to know, otherwise I would wonder what you are doing here.

[Silent Type]

100. Well, you haven't been paying attention. Do you think every Democrat considering an alternative is for trump?

If so, you are badly mistaken.

Heck, for all I know, a few of the people that showed up here during the debate or a day or two afterwards are Russian bots trying to keep Biden in the race because their boy trump's poll numbers look better than they deserve right now.

[LakeArenal]

107. No, I think they are wrong and the negativity is just that.

[Silent Type]

108. That's why they call em "discussion groups."

[LakeArenal]

110. Or as my boss once sad: bitch sessions.

It’s all opinion. Yours mine or Schiff’s.

[Silent Type]

111. Exactly, and I think the more opinions the better.

[LakeArenal]

112. I'm not into negativity. Especially when it's just opinion.

The fact is Biden had one bad debate.

He declares he’s staying in.

Those are what we are working with.

Lots of people don’t like it. It’s opinion.

An Opinion that isn’t going to change any of the above.

[TheCowsCameHome]

16. The next couple of weeks will be very interesting.

There's a lot going on here.

[LisaL]

18. Fighting for power.

Only we already had primaries, and it's a bit late for that.

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. Nothing is set in stone.

This could get interesting very quickly.

[madaboutharry]

19. Why isn't winning good enough?

I respect Schiff and I think he is a great patriotic American, but why are democrats buying into needing some kind of a landslide? “Win overwhelming” is bullshit. Winning means getting more votes. (Well, except in America where you need more votes in the right places).
We can’t allow Trump to control the narrative and bully us.

I think there could very well be a disconnect between Washington and voters. Trust is a two way street. The politicians need to trust the voters on this one. Democrats aren’t stupid. Democrats know this election is about democracy and the future of the republic.

[Silent Type]

31. Probably because we are behind running against the most incompetent, criminal candidate in history

If that were not the case, this would be different l

[HandmaidsTaleUntold]

68. Because They Cheat Not Us

We always would have bigger margins if they didn’t suppress votes.

[Cha]

81. Yeah, that's ridiculous. I'm So Disappointed in him.

Link to tweet

[Blue Owl]

20. Those who support Kamala aren't going to vote for tRump

And was his victory in 2020 overwhelming enough? If we all just do the same thing we did in 2020, we will defeat tRump and the nazi platform he rode in on

[PortTack]

23. No..but surprisingly there would be enough that just wouldn't vote. Yes, the 2020 victory was good and our

Candidate, chosen during the primaries is the candidate!…that will be President Biden

[LisaL]

25. Exactly.

I guess she is from Ca, Schiff is from Ca, is that why he is saying this?

[Cha]

83. And.. has Schiff or anyone else Asked VP Kamala

Harris how she feels about running instead of Pres Biden

She's with Pres Biden.

Link to tweet

[LakeArenal]

109. No electable Democrat is going to replace Biden. The

Insistence is soo moot.

[flamingdem]

24. He could have kept his mouth shut

Not okay to pump Kamala's chances. We need Biden. See Alan Lichtman's 10 Keys to the Presidency for the science on running incumbents.

[Cha]

84. Yeah, And has Schiff or anyone else asked VP Harris How She Feels about that?

Link to tweet

TY

[flamingdem]

87. Exactly Cha!

Joe and Kamala know what they're doing!

[Cha]

88. They're A TEAM! So Don't

Anyone Try Splitting Them UP!

[JohnSJ]

26. In other word words Schiff said absolutely nothing.

[stonecutter357]

27. cool story bro !

[FloridaBlues]

29. Please explain how can he win overwhelmingly before the election?

Biden has told everyone he will not step down. What part of that don’t people get?
I see Jerry Nadler from NY not backing the Pres.
If these people feel they can not win their race they need to put on sneakers and GOTV for themselves and stop infighting.

[LisaL]

32. Exactly right.

At least Schiff didn't demand that Biden has to walk on water.
Although winning overwhelmingly before the election comes close.

[FloridaBlues]

57. I was wondering when someone caught that statement as well

[Cha]

85. lol

[Bengus81]

46. I thought Biden was supposed to be the senile one...sounds more like Schiff. n/t

[The Magistrate]

61. Thank You!

This incoherent stupidity....

[Bobstandard]

33. I shoulda voted for Katie nt

[peacebuzzard]

36. Schiff knows better than those statements what a letdown. n/t

[ColinC]

37. He has to win overwhelmingly or pass the torch? There's a serious issue ofchronology here.

If he won overwhelmingly the election already happened. If he passed the torch, he would not give himself the opportunity to win overwhelmingly.

Despite popular belief, you cannot actually know for a fact whether he will win overwhelmingly before any votes are cast.

[Polybius]

38. Maybe he means that he has to poll overwhelmingly?

As in 10-15 points ahead?

[ColinC]

40. Perhaps. But that would be unreasonable. Not even Obama had that much of a lead often -or at all.

[paleotn]

41. I love her, but there's no way in hell Harris polls that far ahead of the orange jackass.

Schiff is out of his fucking mind.

[LisaL]

43. Does Harris poll 10-15 points ahead?

Obviously not.

[NYC Liberal]

59. No one has won by 10+ points since 1984

It’s just moving the goalposts. For some reason Biden now has to win “overwhelmingly” even though literally no presidential candidate in 2024 could win that kind of margin.

I don’t give a damn if he wins by one vote. Winner takes all; that’s how the system works. Bush only won by 537 votes in Florida and it didn’t make him any less president on January 20, 2001, than if he’d won by 5 million.

[paleotn]

39. Well, that didn't make a hell of a lot of sense.

And Adam......shut the fuck up.

[ImNotGod]

42. Dr rep Schiff, please let president Biden borrow your crystal ball so he can see if a landslide happens. nt

[LisaM]

51. Right?

How can he win overwhelmingly if he doesn't run?

[Bengus81]

45. So...when Biden wins but not by enough votes to satisfy Schiff then he steps down? ROFLMAO!!!!

Did Schiff think he just had to issue "something" because he's a US Rep?!?!?

[JohnSJ]

52. Sounds like it, because he actually didn't say anything. I am not sure why anyone is getting particularly upset by this

idiotic statement.

[jpug]

53. Be careful ...

Schiff sitting so hard on the fence he's gonna hurt his taint.

[wryter2000]

127. Welcome to DU

[Progressive dog]

54. The President made that decision

and reaffirmed it.

[onandup]

56. "Either he has to win overwhelmingly or he has to pass the torch to someone who can."

Huh?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

58. So what's the threshold that makes it an overwhelming win?

That's a pretty asinine comment from a guy I've usually respected.

[yorkster]

60. I heard a clip of this on MSNBC. I wish

Schiff has worded things differently.
I also hadn't realized that it was Kristen Welker who used the words win overwhelmingly, first about Biden, then about Harris.
It would have been easy to push back.
So, kristen raises the bar using overwhelmingly and Schiff goes along with
It. ...aaarrgh.

[thesquanderer]

115. Welker got the word "overwhelmingly" from a Schiff TV appearance back in June, which she played. (n/t)

[yorkster]

118. Ah, ok. Only saw the brief clip on MSNBC

showing the excerpt from Sunday.

[moonbeam23]

62. Et tu, Schiff?

i want my $10 back....so disappointed in you...thought you had a spine!

[manicdem]

63. Things back to normal In a month

People are panicking and overblowing it. Give it a month and things will settle down and Biden will be back up in the polls

[thucythucy]

64. Isn't it odd how a Democrat has to "win overwhelmingly"

but Republicans like Bush II and Trump can lose the popular vote by millions, and that's just fine and dandy?

I'm surprised to see Shiff plugging this line.

[usonian]

65. Interesting thread here.

[JT45242]

66. Had hoped for him after the senate, now I hope he rots

No way should the likely senator from California being saying this shit.

I hope it has repercussions when it comes to committee assignments and the like.

The likely future junior senator from California will hopefully never again hold a position of leadership. If you come for the top dog, you better take him down.

[slightlv]

67. I am really surprised... and disappointed in this

if it actually is a direct quote from Schiff. I thought he had more common sense and intelligence, not to mention empathetic capacity, than that. It's truly disheartening to me, because I liked him so much during the impeachment hearings and afterwards. He seemed to really have a finger on the pulse of the constituency. Maybe it's only Californians and that's why he's pushing for Harris?

I mean, I have nothing at all against Harris, personally. I think she's really good for what the press has allowed her to be shown. It seems most everyone has kept her underwraps most of the term. Only lately has she come out strong and on her own. I didn't agree with everything, law-wise, I saw when she was running prior to this. But I sure didn't see any deal breakers. Still, surely Schiff understands at a deep level what kind of trouble it would cause if Harris was pushed as our nominee?! My god, we broke the country with Obama being elected. That blew the racists minds so much it opened up the door to what we have today. We can't stop progress simply because their too backward and stupid to move forward, but how about giving life a chance to rest and regroup before we start pushing the barriers even further? I don't know. I hate myself for saying that. Truth is, I'm dead tired and tired of the frustration of seeing Biden thrown to the four winds by so many people who ought to know better. And maybe it's just that it's Schiff this is coming from. That one really hurt, even tho he's a long way from having me as a constituent, being stuck in a red state as I am. But one does see some people as role models, and I guess I kinda took Schiff that way. No Democrat is going to come out of this election unscathed. We'[re going to have to fight tooth and nail for absolutely every win, everywhere. What happened to Stacey is going to be the "norm" in the states, I fear. And pushing a black woman... or really, any woman at this point, for prez is asking for four more years of sheer running terror. I'd just like to have a breather, where we common people can buy food, pay our bills, and take care of family without worrying about the Maga idiot across the alley who has anger management issues and a gun.

[Polybius]

71. Here's the full interview

[slightlv]

119. Thanks for making this easily available, Polybius!

While I don't have time at the moment to sit down and pay attention while listening, I appreciate the fact it's right here where I can easily access it when I do have time to pay attention. Many thanks!

[Polybius]

120. Anytime!

I also edited the OP and put it in there too.

[EastBayGuy]

73. I too am very disappointed in Schiff,

no more like disgusted. - from NorCal

[Deek1935]

70. Dems would want a CONTESTED primary, and the media and MAGATS would chew Kamala to shreds.

[SunSeeker]

74. Well Adam, you only got 31.6% to Republican Steve Garvey's 31.5% in CA's primary!

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-primary-elections/california-senate-results

There are no "overwhelming" wins any more in our divided, propaganda drenched country, even in a deep blue state like CA.

Please get that through your head Adam, and get on board with helping our presidential nominee win. Any win is a win. Right now, you're not helping, Adam.

[LisaL]

75. Interesting.

Somebody should ask him why that was good enough for him, and why he didn't pass the torch after such an underwhelming win.

[Trust_Reality]

78. Administrators - I tried to send an alert that several commenters are bashing Adam Schiff

I think I did not do it correctly.

[WA-03 Democrat]

86. There is only one democrat that

Has beaten Trump. His name is Joe Biden. Adam, so unbelievable disappointed. He needs a cognitive test,

[Cha]

89. Ooops...

Really.. saying things like this and saying Pres Joe Biden needs one?

Come ON!!

[BlueMTexpat]

90. Biden will do just fine.

What is WRONG with YOU, Schiff?

[Roy Rolling]

91. Stop It!

Why the fuck are we even discussing this among enlightened individuals? Replacing Biden is virtually impossible, and a gigantic clusterfuck at this date in the election calendar—do it at the risk of history, it’s never been successfully performed.

Even so, discuss it privately. Publicly talking about Biden’s brain capacity should always and only be discussed as it relates to specific brain-damaged utterances that spew from Trumps mouth.

Once in my career I was on the negotiating team for a multimillion dollar motion picture/television union. I learned to negotiate with reality, not among ourselves. Because the best contracts were always negotiated in the “war room” among union members, but sometimes torn to shreds by opposing producers and studios.

So the saying “the best contract is always agreed to among the negotiating team” became a rule.

Same here. Negotiate a dream scenario among friendly folks, but sometimes those concepts are virtually impossible—experiment at your, and every Democrats, risk.

" title="made at imgflip.com"/>from Imgflip Meme Generator

[NJCher]

95. Being in union negotiating teams

I not only see your point, I’ve lived. Appropriate analogy.

[Think. Again.]

92. HIGH-RANKING RNC ....

...PARKING ATTENDANT SAYS 72.9 REPUBLICANS ADMIT TO DREAMING ABOUT TRUMPS DEMISE

Unrecognized sources say GOP top brass aren't actually of voting age yet, raising concerns about the viability of trump's Presidential bid.

"We really don't know anything about the candidate's platform, so we're expecting a huge win", said the Florida mother of 3 non-citizen republican donors. The legal gaurdians of the RNC's treasurer have made calls recently for the party to "Dump Trump!", which they hope will set the stage for motorists on I-95 to honk once or twice.

This is a developing story, read more of our advertisers messages on home healthcare here and here.

[Bettie]

96. Does Rep. Schiff have a time machine?

Because before the election happen, no one knows if he will "win overwhelmingly".

President Biden did indeed win the primaries overwhelmingly. Giving up the advantage of incumbency is not a great idea, but maybe he has a time machine.

[58Sunliner]

98. Another previously respected rep who should STFU.

Harris would not win "overwhelmingly" , they would tear her apart. I don't think she can win. Millions have already voted for Joe. We need to win, I don't care if it isn't a landslide. These comments sound like stupidity. How could he be so disconnected from reality?

[Linda ladeewolf]

99. Trump is going to contest this anyway

Might as well accept the fact that tRump will contest the win no matter the numbers. Even a landslide bigger than before will be contested. He will know he lost, but he just will. One thing though, they can request the national guard this time to quell the riots and get it!

[samnsara]

101. then we have to vote over whelmingly and people like adam

..even tho i love him...is making it harder for joe and the voters...so THEY are the intervening variable here

[PSPS]

102. "the president needs to make a decision" -- Hello? Adam? How's your acuity these days? Hello? Are you awake? Hello?

[NoMoreRepugs]

103. Not Schiff's finest hour - how can one prove he can win convincingly unless he runs? Please don't tell me decisions

should be based upon pundits or polls.

[Squaredeal]

104. The nation will not elect a woman.

Just look at the 2016 election, a highly qualified female and an idiot male.
Too many Americans just dont like “pushy “ women. They’ll say things like “There’s something that I just don't like about her”, without being able to articulate why .

[Bengus81]

113. Hillary received nearly 3M more votes than Trump. So yeah....they will.

The idiotic Electoral system is at least 150 years out of date and should be tossed just like eight track tapes.

[republianmushroom]

114. But they would elect a convicted felon for a second term. Think about.

That shows just how stupid Americans are with their bias. They will elect a woman in time. The bias is fading and the new generations come along will end it.

[thesquanderer]

116. A lot of people were saying the nation would not elect a black man. (n/t)

[ucrdem]

121. Biden just overwhelmingly won the primaries.

He won in every state; it was not an uncontested primary. As for passing the torch: there was and will be a time for that. Four weeks before the convention is not that time. Congressman, respectfully, what did they put in your root beer float?

[TexasBushwhacker]

122. STFU pencil neck!

[Aussie105]

123. Passing the torch!

Way too late to go for a panic attack motivated swapping of Biden out.

And all those who say that Harris would be a better chance than Biden, why do you say that?
Are you prepared to bet your political career on it?
If not, STFU!

[Aussie105]

124. Dupe.

Dupe dumped!

[raccoon]

125. I thought a lot of Schiff. What has he been smoking? Or are the Democrats being taken over by pod people?

[JohnSJ]

126. This makes me wonder who has Cognitive issues? Hint, it isn't President Biden.

[choie]

128. Schiff is dreamin'

What is with him?

[cilla4progress]

129. Doesn't even make sense

Uh, I'm sure if he loses in November he will "pass the torch"...