As the 2024 electoral cycle moves into full swing, former President Barack Obama filmed an especially cringeworthy fundraising plea on behalf of his former VP, Joe Biden, all at the same time that speculation mounts, as the Independent notes, that his own wife may swoop in to salvage the Democrats' prospects in November.
Despite Obama's apparent support for Biden's re-election bid, the rumor mill continues to churn, suggesting that the former president is the one actually making moves behind the scenes to put his spouse forward for the country's top job.
In an online video spot that lasts under a minute, Obama acknowledges the frequency with which viewers are likely being asked to contribute to political candidates at this stage of the campaign process.
He then goes on to suggest that even “giving five or ten bucks, whatever you can to Joe Biden's campaign makes a real difference.”
The former president then asks his audience, “Can you pitch in and give $5 right now?” and adds, “I know Joe will appreciate it.”
The video, which features a banner announcing a contribution deadline of Feb. 29, then cuts to a shot of an awkward commander in chief saying, simply, “Thanks, Obama.”
Obama's plea for donations to the Biden camp likely comes across as somewhat odd to individuals such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who has asserted for some time that the former president has been “pulling the strings” inside the Biden administration all along and that he harbors hopes of his wife stepping forward to appear on the top of his party's ticket this fall.
As evidence for that theory, as Fox News reported, Cruz has pointed to comments from Obama insider David Axelrod, who has publicly called on Biden to step aside in favor of a replacement candidate.
“I think Obama is the one making the decisions and Axelrod is Obama's right hand,” Cruz opined late last year.
He went on, “I sat on my podcast three months ago, Verdict with Ted Cruz. I predicted that there was a very real chance the Democrats would jettison Joe Biden and parachute in Michelle Obama and that they'd do it at the convention next summer. I think the chances of that are rising every day.”
Though Michelle Obama has not made any public statement of interest in becoming the Democratic Party standard-bearer in the months ahead, a recent Rasumussen Poll suggests that she would garner substantial support if she did, as the Independent explains.
In a survey released Monday, the former first lady took first place among possible alternatives to Biden, topping the likes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and current Vice President Kamala Harris.
Fully 47% of poll participants said it was likely that Democrats will substitute another candidate for Biden ahead of November, with 22% of that tally believing such an outcome to be “very likely.”
If theories from folks like Cruz are accurate, Barack Obama's embarrassing fundraising pitch may turn out to have been little more than a convenient ruse to provide temporary cover for what he is actually planning behind the scenes.
