Let the great Democratic civil war begin. The impending demise of Joe Biden and the patched-together coalition he represents is threatening to accelerate the very intra-party conflicts his presidency was meant to assuage.

In 2020, Biden was able to cobble together the remains of the old Rooseveltian New Deal coalition, along with huge support from both the oligarchic elite and the progressive left. This was possible in large part because the repellant Donald Trump alienated not only the left, including the rising Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), but also dominant elites and numerically strong moderate liberals.

Today, as the Republicans unite around Trump, the Democratic alliance has become creaky. As has been happening for decades, much of the traditional New Deal coalition has further abandoned the party. Biden’s inflationary policies and embrace of progressive cultural and environmental priorities have not gone down well with the traditional base of mostly working-class voters. This has been particularly alienating given that the majority of Democrats consider themselves moderate or even conservative.

Biden’s performance, even before last week’s disastrous presidential debate, has unsettled more than just his core voter base. It has also rattled the oligarchic elite that funded his 2020 campaign, as well as the party apparatus and its media appendages. They may still conveniently genuflect to cultural progressivism and climate-change hysteria, but are less likely to want a mass redistribution of wealth and other curbs on their power. There have been tentative signs, at least on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley, that some are now contemplating support for Trump instead. These defectors may be few in number, but they reek of money.

As does this core Democrat constituency: Hollywood donors ‘furious’ at movie mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg for ‘agewashing’ Biden: report.

Big-money Hollywood donors are reportedly enraged at movie mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg for the “agewashing” of President Joe Biden.

Katzenberg, who was named a campaign co-chair due to his prolific fundraising abilities, is being accused by his entertainment industry peers of misleading them by downplaying Biden’s age-related decline and failing to sound the alarm in time to allow the Democrats to pick a suitable replacement, The Ankler reported.

“Everyone in town is furious with him. Furious,” a top Hollywood observer told The Ankler when asked about donors’ views about Katzenberg, who has long insisted that the president is “fine” even though there were apparent signs of cognitive decline that came into full view during last week’s debate against Donald Trump.

If only there had been signs prior to last month’s debate:

Let’s not forget that time Biden froze up so awkwardly during an interview that the interviewer thought he died. pic.twitter.com/Ahkw3xJ2iD

— Kate Hyde (@KateHydeNY) July 5, 2024