Originally published at: How To Process Biden’s Debate Disaster
A special edition of Morning Memo focused exclusively on last night’s presidential debate. Sign up for the email version. Say It Ain’t So, Joe I loathe theater criticism-style debate coverage, but by any standard it was a disastrous performance by President Biden. But for all the mumbled answers, muffed one-liners, and inability to seize control…
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Congratulations to RFK Jr. for last night’s debate.
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I couldn’t stay in the live blog last night due to this pathetic forum software. So the only thing I’m going to say instead of a long rant about how Biden should have bowed out long ago, is that I hope to FSM that there will be enough “negative partisanship” in November for Biden to win with voters who want to stop Trump.
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The Worst Possible Presidential Debate Was a Sad Night for America
Last night, Biden lost. Trump lost. American democracy lost. And although televised presidential debates rarely change the trajectory of an election, for Democrats, the spectacle on CNN was the sum of all their fears
Anyone who thought before Thursday’s televised U.S. presidential debate that despite a very good record as president, a meandering and unfocused Joe Biden should not run for reelection and needs to allow another Democrat to be the candidate must feel vindicated now.
Anyone who thought before the debate that Donald Trump, a twice-impeached and 34-counts convicted ignoramus and pathological liar, is patently unfit to be president and is a clear and present danger to American democracy must feel doubly vindicated now.
Anyone who thought that both assertions were valid, however qualitatively different, wins the vindication sweepstakes.
If you’re a Biden voter, you cringed. If you’re a Trump voter, you didn’t cringe because you don’t know how to. If you’re the world, now’s the time to cringe
This was a sad night for America: Biden lost. Trump lost. Hosting news channel CNN lost. And American democracy lost.
The Founding Fathers of the American Republic never in their wildest fears – all of which are expressed in the Federalist Papers – could have imagined that a twice-impeached president, a felon convicted on 34 counts and awaiting sentencing, would actively seek the presidency again.
They also never envisaged that a man who tried to overturn election results through a violent insurrection would four years later run again on the same platform, pledge not to necessarily accept the election results and be supported, cult-like, by 45 to 50 percent of America.
Abortion, immigration, the economy, perceptions of inflation and foreign policy issues all came up during Thursday’s debate. But whether Americans are fully aware of it or not, this election, much like 2020, is about the future and resilience of American democracy.
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What was surprising/puzzling/vaguely heartening was hearing him talk to his crowd after the debate. He had so much more energy and coherence. If he could explain that he had a cold and then go on a week long blitz of appearances ending in a press conference that he performs well in, we could likely put this aside. But that’s a lot of ifs.
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Thanks, David. Appreciate your sober-minded analysis – and especially the “I don’t know” part. (You’ll never get in a cable green room with that attitude!)
My own gut is that Joe should pull an LBJ and announce he will not be the candidate. But, as has been all too often yelled about, that brings up a ton of other questions: Does Harris get the nod automatically? Is there a genuinely open convention? Can the Democrats – truly a far more big-tent party than they were in 1968, when party bosses still had control – manage this?
To which I also say, I don’t know.
I also don’t know why the other guy hasn’t been taken down by apoplexy or an open manhole cover, but that’s beyond my theology.
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I know that we are all still reeling from last night, so why not take a moment and watch this great ad…
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Biden arguable won on substance and style
But the look of a 79 year old guy like that would make all the fellas in the Sunday Golf game whisper worriedly about a guy that we shouldn’t let drive home, let alone lead country
I’m not a fan of the handwringing, but if there isn’t a potential plan to switch leads and turn the reins over to a delegate lead vote for a replacement. Then have a historic compromise and get massive media attention - get all D in. Row and make it clear Democratic leadership is about the Policy and the American People - and that the movement will continue under any of the leaders we might select - Pete, Gavin or Kamala
Sticking at this point seems disingenuous to the honor of the position
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2020: trump came close to killing Biden with Covid.
2024: Biden came close to killing America with a cold.
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The Democrats have one thing going for them. The classic voter reaction to last night’s debate was “Trump? Hell No.” “Biden? Oh no.”
Trump was bad all night and got worse toward the end when he just started spewing his stump speech. That speech is long on greivence and short on the future. Worse, Biden called Trump a whiner and that is exactly what he is.
“Oh no” is better than “hell no.” Newsome’s comment above is spot on. Biden has to do a deep reassessment but a Democrat can still win.
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All I could think of when I heard about the cold was, didn’t anybody suggest Joe wear a mask while practicing? It’s not like he’s been mixing it up campaigning in the last couple weeks.
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Joe had a poor showing last night
He’s giving supporters a fright
But Trump’s a tax cheater,
creep, felon, coup leader
So let’s keep our perspective and fight
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Kamala is at least as polarizing if not more so as Hillary.
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The one thing he could have done at the very beginning was do a quick apology for having a cold and being a bit hoarse. That would have settled a lot.
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Kamala is going to have to become the point of the campaign. She is a very good communicator.
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CNN should have let their well regarded fact checker Daniel Dale run a fact check chyron on the side of the screen. Or pop ups like the old VH-1 video music show did. Candi Crowley, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
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