Biden should go, but he’s almost certainly going to stay - By Jon Sopel
Jon Sopel gives his analysis of the disastrous first US presidential election debate.
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Should I stay, or should I go now?
Should I stay, or should I go now?
If I go, there will be trouble
And if I stay, it will be double.
Don’t really see the 46th president of the US as much of a Clash fan, but it is the question. His debate performance against Donald Trump teetered between catastrophic and catatonic. The reviews of it were universally hostile.
And a few days on, only two questions are relevant: if you are a Democrat supporter, do you think that his being the nominated candidate increases the risk of another Trump term; the second is one that all US voters are entitled to ask – and it’s this. Do you think President Biden, who would be 86 when he leaves office in January 2029 is mentally capable of executing the highest office in the land for the next four-and-a-half years?
It's hard to imagine many people watching the CNN debate last week could put their hand on their heart and utter a convincing ‘yes’ to the second question. And even if you are the most die-hard Biden supporter, wouldn’t you be just a teeny bit concerned that any more performances like that would render him completely unelectable? Age has diminished him.
The fact of the matter is there are alternatives. No, it wouldn’t be an easy manoeuvre to simply install another candidate, but it can be done. There is a long list of potential replacements: there is a slew of governors who would fancy their chances – Gavin Newsom in California and Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan the two most high profile. But Andy Beshear who has won twice in solid Republican Kentucky, and the new governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, has all the youthful charisma that propelled the relatively unknown Barack Obama.
Also, just think of the publicity this would get if it could be neatly executed. It could – it would, for goodness sake – be a game changer. It would suck all the oxygen from the Trump campaign as attention would turn to the new Dem nominee. And the central question of the November election would change. It would no longer be ‘is Biden fit’, but ‘is Trump fit’?
Just because Trump did better than Biden, don’t think the former president did well. He was spewing out untruths and demonstrable falsehoods at a staggering rate. There is also the matter that he now has a criminal conviction. Though goodness knows what happens to that after the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
The trouble with all this is Biden doesn’t seem to want to get out of the way. That is a big problem. There is no mechanism to force him off the ticket. It will require his closest advisors – his wife, Jill, sister, Valerie and one or two others to convince him. But they show no inclination to do so. Have another crack at it, they’re telling him.
He should go, but he’s almost certainly going to stay.