Peter Daou called Saturday for former vice president and presumptive 2020 Democratic nominee Joe Biden to drop out of the race.
Citing new evidence of possible sexual misconduct, Daou — who had previously advised both former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry — argued that the party could not afford for Biden to not take the accusations of former aide Tara Reade seriously. (RELATED: Biden Accuser Tells Us New Video Evidence Proves Her Allegations Are True)
Daou began by saying that “BIDEN SHOULD WITHDRAW,” noting that, while he respected the will of the American people, “Credible rape accusations are disqualifying or we have NO moral standards.”
DIFFICULT THREAD — #BIDEN SHOULD WITHDRAW
1. I respect the will of the voters.
2. But new information has emerged supporting #TaraReade‘s account of being sexually assaulted by #JoeBiden.
3. Credible rape accusations are disqualifying or we have NO moral standards.
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) April 25, 2020
Predicting “potential catastrophe in Nov.,” Daou went on to suggest that any number of candidates who had already bowed out of the race could come back to replace Biden — or that Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders could simply press play on his paused campaign.
4. Defeating Trump is NOT OPTIONAL.
5. To avoid potential catastrophe in Nov., #Biden should withdraw.
6. #Warren, #Harris, #Klobuchar, #Buttigieg, #Castro, etc. could replace Biden.
7. #Bernie can restart his campaign.
8. We can reboot the primary and give voters a choice.
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) April 25, 2020
Calling a Biden withdrawal both “the ethical position AND the smarter strategy to beat Trump,” Daou went on to say that Democrats would “lose ALL moral authority if we embrace ‘the lesser of two accused rapists.'”
9. This is the ethical position AND the smarter strategy to beat Trump.
10. We lose ALL moral authority if we embrace “the lesser of two accused rapists.”
11. Polls show other Dem candidates can win.
PRINCIPLES MATTER. WE CAN BEAT TRUMP AND PROTECT OUR VALUES.#DropOutBiden
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) April 25, 2020
Daou followed his initial thread with several addendums, the first of which addressed his position on sexual assault accusations regardless of the party affiliation of the accused. Arguing that #MeToo could not be partisan if it were to have any meaning, he said that the same standard should be applied to former President Bill Clinton.
ADDENDUM 1:
I made the same arguments about #Franken and #Kavanaugh.
If #MeToo means anything, it CANNOT BE APPLIED ON A PARTISAN BASIS.
And for the record, I also think the same standard should apply to Bill Clinton’s accusers.
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) April 25, 2020
The second addressed Sanders and the fact that he was calling for Biden’s withdrawal on moral grounds rather than an effort to promote the Vermont senator. “This is about RED MORAL LINES. Sexual assault is unquestionably one of those lines,” he tweeted.
ADDENDUM 2:
My thread is not about #Bernie winning. I explicitly stated that Biden can be replaced with any of the other Dem candidates and we can restart the primary and give voters a choice.
This is about RED MORAL LINES. Sexual assault is unquestionably one of those lines.
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) April 25, 2020
Daou’s overall assessment was that a campaign based on the “lesser of evils” would result in failure. “If you really want to win, DO NOT COMPROMISE BASIC MORAL STANDARDS. It is a sure formula for losing,” he explained.
ADDENDUM 3:
I want to defeat Trump and the GOP as much as anyone in America.
I’ve spent my life fighting them.
But we cannot defeat Trump with a lesser of evils approach.
If you really want to win, DO NOT COMPROMISE BASIC MORAL STANDARDS. It is a sure formula for losing.
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) April 25, 2020
Daou concluded with an attack on Democratic leadership in Congress, naming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer specifically and blaming them for allowing a number of President Donald Trump’s policies to get through.
ADDENDUM 4:
Spare me the “you’re helping Trump” b.s.
The only Dems helping Trump are Pelosi, Schumer, and their establishment colleagues who have given him a space force, Patriot Act, trade bill, ICE funding, and all the rightwing judges his heart desires.
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) April 25, 2020
Daou joined a number of people on both sides of the aisle in sharing the hashtag #DropOutBiden in the wake of the most recent information about Tara Reade’s alleged sexual assault.