Biden Must Go Now

Part of me wanted Joe Biden to implode last night.

On Monday I wrote that I felt bad about hoping that Biden would perform so poorly at his debate with Donald Trump that the party would be forced to look for a new standard bearer. And now that it has happened I do feel bad for Biden personally. He’s a good man who is simply way past his prime and it was awful to see him in his diminished capacity on a big stage.

But for America this is for the best.

For those of you who watched the debate or heard coverage of it this morning, I don’t need to recount the details. Suffice it to say that Biden looked and sounded all of his 81 years and then some. Worse, he lost his train of thought more than once, he meandered from topic to topic and he failed to connect on even softball questions. His performance raised questions about whether he was fit to serve now, much less over the next four years. It was a disaster.

So much of a disaster that Democrats are now talking openly — and talking even more furiously behind the scenes — about forcing Biden off the ticket. That’s easier said than done because, with the nomination secured, only Biden can remove himself. He’s stubborn, he’s spent a career steeping himself in his own mythology of being a fighter, and who wouldn’t want to hold onto the power, the plane and the government housing?

What this points up is the flawed system we have for nominating presidential candidates. Based on last night’s performance neither of these guys looked qualified to be assistant dog catcher in Watersmeet. Both men excel at unpopularity. And yet, somehow, the system gave us this awful choice. A serial liar and convicted felon or a very old man dancing on the edge of senility. We need a little more smoke-filled room in this process where party elders can intervene in a situation where the presumed nominee is clearly incapacitated. The New York Times reports that Biden and his team have a previously scheduled meeting with major donors today. That would be a good opportunity for them to urge him to drop out.

True believer Democrats want to pivot to Trump’s lies. That won’t work because Trump didn’t say anything he hasn’t already said a million times. If Trump couldn’t lie he couldn’t speak. Americans know this. If they care they won’t vote for him. Those who will vote for him don’t care.

Biden’s problems were of a different kind. People wonder if he’s up to the job at even a basic level. Last night’s answer was a resounding, “No!” This raises questions not only of his competence but of those around him. Remember it was the Biden camp that wanted this early debate and insisted on the format details. And then that same crack team spent a week filling Biden’s head with so many details that it befuddled him. At times he seemed to be grasping at one fact or one rehearsed line that he was told he must get in. They created the mess they now find themselves in.

What the true believers in the Biden camp need to come to grips with is that this is not about Joe Biden. This is about defeating Donald Trump. In previous blogs I’ve rated Biden’s chances at about 40%. After last night I’ll make that 20%. What’s important is not Biden’s feelings or his ego or his past record. What matters is nominating a ticket with the best chance of keeping the most awful man ever to occupy the White House out of it. That ticket cannot include Joe Biden or the equally unpopular Kamala Harris.

And there’s plenty of talent on the bench. I like Govs. Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Shapiro and Andy Beshear. I also like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. A lot of people speak highly of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Imagine how any one of them would have done up against Trump last night.

Biden and those around him have a simple question to ask: is it about you or is it about your country?