You don’t have to be a fan of Rep. Colin Allred to acknowledge that he is no fool.
He’s a savvy politician who has at least an outside chance of defeating his GOP rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, in November.
But his reticence to take a decisive stand on President Joe Biden’s fitness to remain on the Democratic ticket is nothing short of a cop-out in an election cycle where a little boldness would go a long way.
On Thursday, Allred broke his silence about Biden’s startling debate performance, telling The Dallas Morning News that he was, “disappointed with what I saw in the debate.”
Disappointed? That’s what you say when your candidate gaffes or has a Rick Perry-esque “oops” moment.
It’s not what you say when your candidate’s mental acuity is the salient question.
Horror and dismay would be more like it. At a minimum, some high-level concern.
After a career in the NFL, you’d expect Allred to be ready to make audacious plays and when necessary, take more hits.
Especially since he has not always shied away from rebuffing his party or the president in this election cycle.
In January, he joined only two other Texas Democrats (and every congressional Republican) in voting for a resolution that denounced Biden’s handling of the southern border. (He declined, however, to support subsequent rebukes.)
After Biden’s repeatedly disastrous border policy decisions that have been particularly detrimental to Texas, that vote should not have been a hard call for Allred, but it opened him up to criticism from his primary opponents.
He still roundly defeated them all, suggesting that a little chutzpah on the stump would not weaken his party support.
Of course, Allred and his political team are probably watching the polls very closely. The latest have Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden’s most likely successor, with a higher unfavorability rating than even Biden.
At least for now, that makes sticking with the Biden camp the safest bet.
And it’s worth noting that Cruz, Allred’s opponent, also stood by his presidential nominee, even helping his once-fierce opponent to cast doubt on the 2020 election results.
So, Allred’s in good company, I guess?
Trump is in no danger of losing Texas, with or without Biden on the ticket, which is most likely why Allred has chosen to remain “laser-focused” — his words, not mine — on his Senate race.
Cruz has aroused enough Democratic ire that Allred could still pull off an underdog victory regardless of what the top of the ticket looks like.
And like I said, despite his linebacker past, Allred is shrewder than he is tough.
Like most other congressional Democrats, he thinks being Switzerland is the best course of action. And it might be.
If Biden stays in the race, and if by some chance wins, Allred is in the White House’s good graces — regardless of who is actually in charge of the White House.
If Biden is bumped from the ticket, voluntarily or otherwise, Allred can rush in (no pun intended) and support whomever the new nominee is without ever looking like a Biden stan.
Smart.
But weak.
If I were a Democrat, I’d demand better.
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