From the International New York Times, these words give me cause for pause and fill me with fear:
“I watched the Biden-Trump debate alone in a Lisbon, Portugal, hotel room, and it made me weep. I cannot remember a more heartbreaking moment in American presidential campaign politics in my lifetime — precisely because of what it revealed: Joe Biden, a good man and a good president, has no business running for reelection. The Biden family and political team must gather quickly and have the hardest of conversations with the president, a conversation of love and clarity and resolve. To give America the greatest shot possible of deterring the Trump threat in November, the president has to come forward and declare that he will not be running for reelection and is releasing all of his delegates for the Democratic National Convention.”
Other international press reviews were equally sour on Biden:
Wall Street Journal–“In the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign, President Biden gave the kind of delivery that Democrats feared, one that lacked vigor and combativeness. Trump, meanwhile, uncharacteristically was able to keep his composure in a 90-minute show that brimmed with insults and policy contrasts.”
Associated Press–Biden “just didn’t have the spark that we needed tonight,” Rosemarie DeAngelus, a Democrat from South Portland, Maine, said from her watch party at Broadway Bowl. Trump, she said, showed “more spunk or more vigor” even if, in her view, “he was telling a pack of lies.”
CBC–“How bad was it? It had the Democrats on post-debate panels asking if Biden will drop out.”
DW–“One of the biggest takeaways: The Democrats are in trouble. From the very start, Biden’s voice sounded brittle, which several campaign sources after the debate attributed to a cold. This would normally not be a huge deal, normally, it made 81-year-old Biden, whose age has been a major point of contention throughout the campaign, seem extra frail.”
Politico–“Europe’s press was stunned by Joe Biden’s “near-catastrophic” performance in the first U.S. presidential debate of 2024 in the early hours of Friday morning. The Continent’s leading websites splashed with scathing reactions and commentary about the showdown between Biden and former U.S. President Donald Trump, with many singling out Biden for criticism after a rocky display in which he struggled with detail and delivered halting lines.”
CNN–“If Joe Biden loses November’s election, history will record that it took just 10 minutes to destroy a presidency. It was clear a political disaster was about to unfold as soon as the 81-year-old commander in chief stiffly shuffled on stage in Atlanta to stand eight feet from ex-President Donald Trump at what may turn into the most fateful presidential debate in history.”
HuffPost–“Biden struggled to land any real blows himself. Democrats are sounding the alarm about the president’s performance. We knew the stakes of this debate were high — but the impact on November’s election is hard to understate.”
Hollywood Reporter–“The president has been locked away at Camp David engaging in strenuous preparations for the last week, but you wouldn’t know it from his rambling, unfocused performance. From the very beginning, he spoke too quickly, failing to form coherent sentences and frequently losing his train of thought. And why, oh why, did no one think of giving him a lozenge? He didn’t just have a frog in his throat — he had the entire amphibian kingdom.”
The Guardian (UK)–“Could there be a contested Democratic convention? How would that even work? Replacing the president may not be an option, they said, but many acknowledged Democrats are talking about it, spurred by Biden’s troubling debate performance.”
New York Times–“A halting debate performance by President Biden left Democratic strategists reeling, raising questions about his fitness to stay in the race. President Biden’s shaky … debate performance has Democrats talking about replacing him on the ticket.” Later, the NYT’s editorial board issued a call for Biden to step aside.
Bloomberg–“Joe Biden delivered an excruciating performance, at one point freezing mid-sentence, heightening fears about the 81-year-old president’s mental acuity. It also reminded the rest of the world what they’ll get if Trump wins in November.”
BBC–“Before Thursday evening, many Americans had expressed concerns about Joe Biden’s age and fitness for office. To say that this debate did not put those concerns to rest may be one of the greatest understatements of the year.”
Público (Portugal)–“Biden had a ‘disastrous’ debate against Trump and left Democrats in ‘panic.'”
Jornal de Noticias (Portugal)–“Biden’s shaky performance, especially at the beginning of the debate, has fueled concerns among many voters who fear an uncertain future with his reelection, sparking a new wave of calls among Democrats for the candidate to step down and make way for someone more capable of standing up to Trump at the polls. Despite playing the offensive role in his speeches, the current president appeared confused and lost his train of thought several times, mixing different topics in the same response and stopping for a few seconds while searching for the right word.”
Diário de Noticias (Portugal)–“US Vice President Kamala Harris emerged early Friday as a critical figure in the Democratic campaign, following Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in the first presidential debate with rival Donald Trump.”
Sky News (UK)–“Democrats are questioning whether Joe Biden should continue his re-election bid after a debate “disaster” against Donald Trump.”
Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)–“The true losers of the first TV debate in the U.S. election campaigns are the Americans.”
Matt Kiser (WTF Happened Today)–“The first presidential debate between the two oldest candidates to ever seek the White House was an embarrassment for America – and a disaster for Biden.”
And this from No Labels–“No Labels saw our effort as a necessary insurance policy against the possibility that both major parties would put forth candidates most Americans don’t want—which is precisely what they have done. If there was one good thing about the presidential debate starting at 9 p.m., it’s that we didn’t have to subject our children to … whatever THAT was. Two men were arguing about their golf handicaps and struggling to make honest, coherent points about solutions for our country. You better believe Hamas terrorists, Russia and China were watching. This is why we tried to add a third choice for president to the ballot. Extreme forces took unprecedented and potentially unlawful action to stop us. Now we’re fighting back “
On June 14th last year (2023), I posted these words on this blog:
“For the greater good of the USA and democracy, per se, I believe President Biden needs to complete his term, step aside, and defer to another.”
https://pastorbrucesblog.com/2023/06/14/political-options-2024/
People may say (or tell pollsters) that they’ll be voting for Biden … but how many, instead, will stay home … or vote for third-party candidates in protest? Even voters who are “resigned” to the current candidates are looking — and hoping — for a lifeboat.
In this perfect storm, the damage has been done.
But, can it be rectified?
I will vote Democrat, regardless of the candidate. But, like those on The View and MSNBC (see links below), I feel only resignation about voting for Biden. No joy or excitement … as Trump is eliciting from his MAGA Repugs.
As my British friend living in Spain put it, “There is a school of thought that debate was scheduled early to ‘manufacture consent’ for Biden’s removal. The article simply represents the consent that has been manufactured.”
We need to nominate charismatic leaders — like Gavin Newsom (CA) or Roy Cooper (NC) and Gretchen Whitmer (MI) or Amy Klobuchar (MN), around whom people will rally … and vote!
Have you seen this discussion among women on The View?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TG7wL2okds
Or this of real voters on MSNBC?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_clVA97rN0
Veteran journalist Bob Woodward declared Biden’s debate performance deplorable, egregious, the worst he’d ever witnessed. The Washington Post Associate Editor said, “We know WHAT happened.” But, “as journalists” reporting to the public, he demanded to know “HOW” and “WHY” it happened. Therein is the real story.
Why weren’t Biden’s spark plugs firing? Was it a matter of not enough rest and sleep? Stress overload? Something clinical, perhaps, and degenerative? Pharmaceutical? A focus on something else, something even more important happening elsewhere? When-how-why might it happen again?
For the sake of the country and its democracy, I am among those who believe Biden should step aside. If he does, his legacy will treat him well for everything he’s accomplished during his four years in office. If he doesn’t and Trump wins — with such razor-sharp margins, perhaps Trump has a better chance of doing so now, after this debate — Biden will be remembered for allowing Trump and his legions to destroy democracy … and the USA.
Pastor, professor, publisher, and journalist Bruce H. Joffe is an award-winning author of magazine features, academic research, journal articles, self-help manuals, and newspaper stories. His nine books deal with international (intercultural) living, progressive theology, gender studies, “social” politics, our vulnerabilities, marketing, and the media.
"Exactly!" 