The aftermath of the debate, where both of the candidates looked really bad, has caused Democrats to step back and re-evaluate. Some say we are in chaos. I think that’s an exaggeration. But there are many questions that need to be answered. Let’s all practice deep breathing, flush out the panic, and get to work:
- What is the real state of Biden’s health? Some people will say that we all knew that he is old and we shouldn’t have been surprised that he zoned out during the debate. Well, I was shocked, along with a lot of other people. Why were we shocked?
- Biden’s polling numbers dropped after the debate, but not by much. Why is that?
- Should Biden drop out? If so, who should replace him? What happens to his campaign money?
Ok, let’s frame up a plan to answer those questions. But first, let me state the obvious, if the Democrats put up a dead skunk in the middle of the road against Trump, I’m voting for the skunk.
- Why were we shocked? A: Because
- Biden has performed great as president and accomplished so much.
- He has spoken well during speeches and press conferences.
- Biden and the Democratic party implied to us that he is healthy enough to serve four more years. It’s true that nobody signed a pledge to that effect. Nevertheless, most people assumed that Biden and the Democratic party were being truthful. Now those people feel like they have been betrayed. You can say shame on you for believing politicians. But people feel how they feel. One of Biden’s assets has been the contrast between Reliable Joe and the Pathological Liar Trump. Now Biden and the Democratic Party have to earn back that trust.
They can earn it back by giving us an open assessment of his health. This won’t be easy, but it has to be done. I’d love to be assured that the debate incident was a one-off. Until I see strong evidence to the contrary, I have to assume otherwise. Biden has to start having open conversations with the voters, through speeches and press conferences. Does he have that stamina? Let’s see the proof.
2. Why did Biden’s polling drop so little? A: Because there were two people who had bad nights. Biden’s was maybe worse, but Trump’s was awful, too: non-stop lies. It was in-yo’-face for a lot of people who haven’t been paying attention. Of course, the MAGAs lap it up.
Imagine where the polls would be if Biden had been on his game.
3. Should Biden drop out? If so, who should replace him? A:
- Whether Biden should drop out depends on the answers to #1. If Biden can re-establish our trust, then I think we’d be with him all the way. If not, then the Democrats have a strong bench. If Kamala Harris runs, she gets all of Biden’s money. If she doesn’t, it gets complicated.
- Democrats should use polls, focus groups, and political instinct with one goal: the candidate with the best chance of winning. Then everyone needs to get behind that candidate no matter who it is.
This is a rough outline of the decision pathway that Democrats must explore. Everything depends on getting it right. The alternative is a police state.
Happy 4th of July.