BETTER LATE THAN NEVER A Thursday meeting between Senate Democrats and senior aides to Joe Biden will be a marquee moment in the president’s attempt to quell intraparty concerns over his candidacy. But, no, the president won’t be there. Instead, it will be Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon, plus senior advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, speaking inside a closed-door meeting at Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters. The group was invited by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to provide an opportunity to address concerns within the caucus, we’re told. Numerous Democratic senators have said they need to see more from the president to prove that he’s up for the bitter campaign that’s sure to play out over the next four months. And some wanted this sort of opportunity to touch base with Biden world well before now. “Should have had it 10 days ago,” Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) told reporters Wednesday after saying publicly Tuesday he thinks Biden is on track to lose this November. Still, Bennet said he’s “looking forward to having the conversation.” He did not directly answer a question about whether he’s disappointed the president himself is not attending, instead saying he’s “not been able to focus on that” and looks forward to what “these folks have to say.” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who tried to organize a private conversation among Senate Democrats after the president’s disastrous debate performance, dodged questions on the Wednesday meeting, referring reporters back to his previous statement calling for “conversations about the strongest path forward.” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who has also acknowledged unease about Biden’s viability, would not confirm or deny whether he’s even going to the meeting. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) told reporters she’s eager to relay concerns she’s heard from her constituents. But Biden’s allies rebuked the idea that the meeting represents any sort of make-or-break moment for the president. While eight House Democrats have called on the president to step aside, no Senate Democrats have. That firewall has held through a tumultuous few days of questioning from a supersized number of reporters on the Hill this week. Still, a number of Democrats continue to insist that the decision is up to Biden — even as their pro-Biden colleagues insist the decision has already been made. “He gave a letter. He delivered it to the entire House and Senate Democratic caucuses saying he has a great record,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told reporters on Wednesday. “He sees clearly what a risk Donald Trump is to our country. He looks forward to being our nominee.” Coons added: “I do think that it's important that we have a robust conversation with the campaign about the path forward. ... I think tomorrow will be another constructive conversation.” — Ursula Perano GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday July 10, where we have a lot of feelings about the traffic in D.C. during the NATO summit this week.
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