Biden's Performance at the Debate
Who could replace him if we get to that (which we won't)?
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee (Your Daily Poem).
Democrats across the nation are mourning today. From the moment our great, old (and white) hope to save our nation’s democracy answered the first question in his raspy voice through the stumbles and until the bitter end, Joe Biden, it would appear, demonstrated to many that perhaps he should have opted not to run for a second term in office to make way for the future of the party (by the way, Biden’s opening answer was quite good and much better than the nonsense spouted out by Trump).
Today, and it might be a mild overreaction, but “one never knows, do one,” good, patriotic Americans are mourning the imminent death of our democracy. Trumplicans, MAGidiots, and the hordes of cultists are celebrating what they now believe will be a leisurely stroll into the White House in November.
To put it mildly, it didn’t look good for our team. It didn’t look good for Republicans either, though, because nothing Trump said was void of his usual bluster, penchant for lying, and nastiness. He demonstrated that he is unfit, and his performance more than likely hardened views against him, which might have pulled a few undecideds against him. Nonetheless, Joe Biden was not the Joe Biden we saw at the January State of the Union speech. He was halting and sometimes unable to string together strong responses to Trump’s torrent of lies and attacks.
To Biden’s credit, however, when it was possible to hear everything he was saying, many of his answers were good ones — ones that, if Americans were listening, proved that of the two men on the stage, only should be president and the other shouldn’t be trusted to babysit any female under the age of 20.
However, the panic has set in. Alarm bells were ringing before even ten minutes had passed. I get it. As much as I think Joe Biden is one of the best presidents we have ever had, his record won’t be remembered if he loses to Trump, thus unleashing on the nation the fascist forces whose collective mouth is watering in anticipation of seizing power and ending our democracy. History will remember Biden as the man too proud to step down and let candidates who could dismantle Trump take over. If Biden did that, every potential replacement, Gretchen Whitmer (my favorite), Gavin Newsom, or Kamala Harris, would be obligated to continue his program for America, thus codifying his legacy.
As scary as this moment is, I don’t think it helped our Blue cause that so many people made it so obvious that Biden has to go. Many Americans don’t pay much attention to any of this stuff. These same people will soon forget the debate, and other things will sway when they go to vote in November. A felony conviction didn’t really sway many voters to reject Trump. Will a subpar debate performance drive hordes of Americans to the worst and most criminally dishonest president in our history? I am not so sure.
Biden stumbled. It was a major stumble. Can he still recover? I believe he can. I don’t believe he is “senile” or too old to be the president. Biden, unlike Trump, relies on his advisors and experts to do their jobs and guide the country to greatness. Trump is a loudmouth from Queens, shouting at the boxers in the ring which he would “whoop them well if they show up in my neighborhood — until they do show up, and then he runs for the hills or kisses up to them cowering the whole time. I know these New York big mouthes pretty well because there are also a lot of them in New Jersey. Big words until pushed to back them up. Trump is a monster unfit for the presidency, not to mention fatherhood.
After all I have said here in support of Joe Biden, I wish for the sake of the Blue party, my nerves, and the sleep I will lose between now and Election Day that he would step aside and let in Whitmer or Newsom. Such a decision would totally reenergize the party and, I believe, vanquish many in MAGA back to their road kill and My Little Pony collections.
I would also like to use this moment to send a special shout-out to David Axelrod, President Obama’s political guru: Shut the f*** up, jackass! James Carville would never be so openly hostile to an incumbent president the way Axelrod is, but it seems that Axelrod needs the attention.
Does Joe have to go? No. Should Joe go? Probably yes. This election is not about Joe Biden. It is about our country. I really hope someone close to him starts to explain this to him.
Remember the first half of the John Donne poem:
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were (Your Daily Poem).