Joe Biden isn't leaving voluntarily, putting the mainstream media and the Democrats in a pickle. 

Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres aptly laid out the problem Democrats are facing now: sniping at Joe Biden under these circumstances is a political loser:

Regardless of where one stands on the question of President Biden’s political future, the intra-party mixed messaging strikes me as deeply self-destructive.

Those publicly calling on President Biden to withdraw should ask themselves a simple question: what if the President…

— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) July 8, 2024

This has been a problem from the beginning of the "Joe Biden must go" discourse: if you take a shot at the king, you better kill the king" is always true, but in this case, the problem isn't just revenge from Joe Biden but mixed messaging to the voters. 

 Democrats have been either whispering or shouting that Biden isn't competent to run for another four years, hoping that the growing momentum for his replacement would force Biden out of the race. But hope is not a strategy, and their hopes are not going to be fulfilled. 

'The bottom line here is we're not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere'. -@potus while calling in to Morning Joe pic.twitter.com/5FVyX5JU4a

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 8, 2024

Unless Biden glitches so badly that the Cabinet agrees to dump him--another political disaster--Biden will almost certainly be on the ballot this November. Co-Presidents Jill and Hunter Biden don't want him to go, and Joe is too stubborn to be pushed out of the race. 

Look, I’m not a political consultant, but I’m thinking that Biden screaming on Morning Joe isn’t going to soothe any souls about his condition.

How easily he’s angered is a symptom of his condition. pic.twitter.com/Sky56wtv6p

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) July 8, 2024

This leaves Democrats in a pickle--as if they weren't in one already. They have been almost unified in letting the public know that Biden isn't the right guy to represent their Party next November, but Biden is almost certain to be the guy at the top of the ticket. As the calls for Biden to get out have risen to a fever pitch, Biden has been digging in and refused to budge. 

The immovable object, it turns out, beats the irresistible force. 

These are largely the same people who developed and defended the insular media strategy that governs this administration. If senior advisors start resigning, it will only be because the party lost confidence in Biden and they want to work for future Dem admins. https://t.co/ehqd4n4jFN

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) July 7, 2024

This means that the majority of Democrats will likely be forced to fall in line, and that means they will have to do a pirouette and then settle down 180° turn and start insisting that Biden's performance was just jet lag and a cold. 

Like it or not, that's the end of that. Biden-Harris it is for Dems. Legally, Biden has the high ground--he has to agree to step aside and he is clearly not going to do so. Today's question: Will Dem officeholders, donors, rank-and-file reunify quickly, or will they do what they… https://t.co/Fj2mpP5MK0

— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) July 8, 2024

What choice do they have? Joe Biden isn't going anywhere because he doesn't care about anything other than his family business. Getting him out of the race will require ruining him, and if the Democrats go that route they destroy themselves. 

Look, I’m not a political consultant, but I’m thinking that Biden screaming on Morning Joe isn’t going to soothe any souls about his condition.

How easily he’s angered is a symptom of his condition. pic.twitter.com/Sky56wtv6p

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) July 8, 2024

Of course, many will refuse to embarrass themselves yet again, but they will be the minority. This is one of the reasons why so few went on the record with their concerns--they feared that they wouldn't succeed in getting Biden to leave. 

But enough have, including in the MSM, that the damage cannot be undone. 

But expect them to try and try hard. 

>> @JoeNBC, who is personally close to Biden and hosts Biden's favorite morning show, is back on the air for the first time in a week. He said last Friday that Biden needs to consider getting out of the race, and "I think we're still there," Scarborough said. Here's more >> pic.twitter.com/tmZ5rLJNrF

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 5, 2024

Already, the backtracking has begun, and we should expect more of it. 

It won't work, though. The Democrat Civil War has begun, and I doubt it can be stopped. 

One scenario might be something like Biden barely survives the current onslaught but then something else (another bad public appearance, revelations about his health, polling gets even worse) happens and the bottom falls out in a few weeks.

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) July 8, 2024

This time the reversals won't work. The time frame is too compressed, just as has been true with the "sharp as a tack" and "cheap fakes" debacles. If there had been more time between the reversals, the Democrats could have survived it, but it's all fresh in our memories. 

Does this mean that Democrats are toast? Maybe. They are changing election rules again, which means the margin of cheating is increasing. 

The basic dynamic: Biden has not made much progress since the debate convincing Democrats he's up to the job of beating Trump, but he's made progress in telegraphing to them it will be a murder-suicide if they try to take the nomination and fail https://t.co/EoBQh4VIrW

— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) July 8, 2024

This time around, though, if Biden wins it will be obvious to everyone that he did so by rigging the election. What then?