About a week ago, I wrote about Democrats in disarray, noting that there was tension between the Obama camp and Biden aides. Barack Obama was reportedly concerned about the strength of former president Donald Trump, that he has so much loyalty from supporters. He also was worried that Biden's top people were in Washington, D.C., and not with the campaign in Wilmington, Delaware, that they could not respond as quickly on the ground as they should be able to as things are now structured. The report also revealed how exaggerated the "bromance" between Obama and Biden was. That report came via the Washington Post.
READ MORE: Report: Obama Worried About 2024 Biden Campaign, Aides Dish on Tension Between Camps
Now there's more on that tension between the Biden and Obama camps from more anonymous Obama aides, bemoaning the weakness of Biden's ground game.
Politico spoke with multiple Obama staff members who commented about their experiences in the 2012 election and how Biden’s campaign is different. Some have already voiced their concerns over Biden’s team having a weaker ground game than Obama’s.
"The vibe was that the campaign didn’t have its s--- together," an anonymous Democrat told Politico. "There wasn’t infrastructure in the states. There wasn’t a beefed-up campaign headquarters. And compared to where Obama was in 2011, the campaign was fairly anemic."
A 2012 state director agreed, "The big issue I have is Biden never had an organization before. He didn’t have much in the Dem primary. Then the general was during COVID and no ground stuff was really done."
The report did get Obama advisor Jim Messina on record to balance out the above concerns a bit by claiming that most voters aren't thinking about the campaign now, as though that minimizes weakness in the campaign structure. He claimed the way that they were trying to "activate the base" was "smart."
However, the way they're trying to activate the base is simply demonizing the right.
Biden spokesperson Kevin Munoz added, "We invite everyone concerned about the existential threat that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to our freedom and democracy to channel their energy toward organizing, donating and talking to their friends about the stakes of this election and President Biden’s commitment to fighting these threats head on."
But that can't replace the structure and effort that Biden doesn't seem to be making.
It also doesn't seem to be working for Biden's poll numbers which have gotten worse as the new ABC poll numbers show with 33 percent approval, 31 percent on the economy, and only 28 percent thinking Joe Biden is mentally capable of the job.
READ MORE: Disastrous, Historically Low Approval Numbers for Biden—Shocking How Many Think He Isn't Capable
I think it's also interesting that the Obama aides are dishing now.
Is it because they're hoping to push for improvement in the campaign before it's too late? Or is it because they're trying to distance themselves from Biden when he loses? Or perhaps it's simply because they think they're better than the Biden team — which they probably are.
Either way, it's good to hear there's more disarray going on there, every little bit helps.
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