Aftermath of the Debate
Let me start with a disclaimer that this is my opinion.
I think we can all agree that the debate was an absolute disaster. But where we diverge is what we think should happen from here.
There have been calls from all sorts of places for Biden to step aside. I disagree with those calls. He absolutely had a terrible night. But debate performance does not equal ability to do the job. We know he can do the job. We may not agree with everything he says and does but that's okay. He can do the job.
There should have been a real primary with options other than Biden. I was hoping for AOC, who turns 35 in October, for those who would question if she's old enough.
But here we are. The last time an incumbent Democrat withdrew from the race, it was LBJ. Hubert Humphrey got the nomination and we ended up with Nixon as president. Based on that precedent and how much worse Trump is than Nixon, a Biden withdrawal would be a mistake. He could pass the torch to Harris but she's not really a strong candidate.
Biden is not senile. He does not have dementia. He is not feeble. He had a cold and got tripped up by Trump's verbal fountain of lies and attacks, which is apparently known as Gish Galloping. The thing is, Trump is almost the same age as Biden and if either of them are cognitively impaired, it's Trump.
I am keeping an open mind. If Biden and/or the DNC decide he should step aside, I'll be watching for who they put up instead. If he stays put, I'm absolutely voting for him. He cares about this country and democracy, he has done quite a bit of good domestically, and we can't afford another Trump presidency.