WASHINGTON: US Democrats are in panic mode after a disastrous Presidential debate on Thursday night in which their presumptive nominee Joe Biden had what can charitably described as several senior moments, including a brain freeze that became a gif (repeat gif) that will keep on giving.
The sitting President’s performance was so sketchy and shaky that some Democrats are suggesting he should step down and allow the party convention to nominate a new younger candidate to take on Donald Trump, 78, whose performance at the debate was shallow and superficial, but who at least projected confidence along with his familiar bluster.
In contrast, Biden, 81, came across as frail and feeble. Speaking in a thin, raspy voice — ostensibly because he is recovering from a cold — he was often incomprehensible and disjointed, his voice trailing off into mumbles. He failed to corner a rival who is a recently convicted felon, and who was winging it with vague generalities and dissembling when asked specific policy questions.
Despite calls from some quarters to quit the race, Biden associates said he will be preparing to participate in the second presidential debate on September 10. He will have nearly ten weeks to shape up if he is not shipped out by them.
Even Biden partisans were shocked by the evening’s debacle.
“I love Joe Biden. I know he’s a good man. I know his heart is good. I know he’s dedicated to our country and is surrounded by good people.Tonight was heartbreaking in many ways. This is a big political moment. There’s panic in the Democratic party. It’s going to be a long night,” Maria Shriver, the former first lady of California and a member of the Kennedy family wrote on the social media platform X.
Former Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill offered a more blunt take, saying while the debate showcased that Trump is “a liar, a flawed character, mean, a jerk, very unlikable,” Biden “had one thing he had to accomplish and that was reassure America that he was up to the job at his age, and he failed at that tonight,”
“I’m not the only one whose heart is breaking right now. There’s a lot of people who watched this tonight and felt terribly for Joe Biden,” she added.
Party veterans tried to stem the panic, suggesting that voters should look at the larger picture. “It’s a choice between someone who cares about you — your rights, your prospects, your future — versus someone who’s only in it for himself,” former First Lady, Senator, and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said.
But with polls showing Biden’s age is going against him, there is pressure in the Democratic establishment from activists and donors to act quickly. “Joe had a horrible night, cementing concerns about his age, his greatest electoral weakness. Our odds of Trumpocalypse II just materially increased. It’s tragic, since we could have chosen to let Trump and the nation marinate over him being a convicted felon,” Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and a Democratic donor was quoted as saying in an email to party insiders.
The sitting President’s performance was so sketchy and shaky that some Democrats are suggesting he should step down and allow the party convention to nominate a new younger candidate to take on Donald Trump, 78, whose performance at the debate was shallow and superficial, but who at least projected confidence along with his familiar bluster.
In contrast, Biden, 81, came across as frail and feeble. Speaking in a thin, raspy voice — ostensibly because he is recovering from a cold — he was often incomprehensible and disjointed, his voice trailing off into mumbles. He failed to corner a rival who is a recently convicted felon, and who was winging it with vague generalities and dissembling when asked specific policy questions.
Despite calls from some quarters to quit the race, Biden associates said he will be preparing to participate in the second presidential debate on September 10. He will have nearly ten weeks to shape up if he is not shipped out by them.
Even Biden partisans were shocked by the evening’s debacle.
“I love Joe Biden. I know he’s a good man. I know his heart is good. I know he’s dedicated to our country and is surrounded by good people.Tonight was heartbreaking in many ways. This is a big political moment. There’s panic in the Democratic party. It’s going to be a long night,” Maria Shriver, the former first lady of California and a member of the Kennedy family wrote on the social media platform X.
Former Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill offered a more blunt take, saying while the debate showcased that Trump is “a liar, a flawed character, mean, a jerk, very unlikable,” Biden “had one thing he had to accomplish and that was reassure America that he was up to the job at his age, and he failed at that tonight,”
“I’m not the only one whose heart is breaking right now. There’s a lot of people who watched this tonight and felt terribly for Joe Biden,” she added.
Party veterans tried to stem the panic, suggesting that voters should look at the larger picture. “It’s a choice between someone who cares about you — your rights, your prospects, your future — versus someone who’s only in it for himself,” former First Lady, Senator, and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said.
But with polls showing Biden’s age is going against him, there is pressure in the Democratic establishment from activists and donors to act quickly. “Joe had a horrible night, cementing concerns about his age, his greatest electoral weakness. Our odds of Trumpocalypse II just materially increased. It’s tragic, since we could have chosen to let Trump and the nation marinate over him being a convicted felon,” Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and a Democratic donor was quoted as saying in an email to party insiders.
