Trump, by contrast, only a few years Biden’s junior, was relatively calm, compared to previous debates in 2020, but was still rolling with lies about immigration, the Southern Border, abortion, inflation, and the economy, yet it was those few gaffes that not only led the media, but also the internet and the social media microblogging site X, formerly known as Twitter.
As we have previously noted, age, which has been carefully studied by psychologists can vary across the spectrum, and while undoubtedly the incumbent and his staff regret those lapses, it's debatable that Bidin is not fit for another term in the White House.
There are some polls that indicate a lack of confidence for some voters and Intelligencer reported on their website that, “According to the results of USA Today–Suffolk’s national poll of 1,000 registered voters (conducted over the weekend), 41 percent of Democrats said Biden should be replaced as the party’s nominee, as did 37 percent of Democrats who said they still planned to vote for him following the debate. Fifty percent of respondents said Trump won the debate, while only 11 percent said Biden won, and, per USA Today’s summary, “when asked an open-ended question about why they thought one candidate or the other had prevailed, most cited either the strength or the weakness of their mental acuity.”
Calls for him to dropout have helped print media, in its prized location, above the fold, and others in the media, smelling blood in the water have leapt to the forefront, but what is notable is that they have largely ignored the lies and falsifications that Trump, appealing to his base, said last Thursday evening.
While it’s unlikely that such a move by Biden will happen already there are names being floated as possible contenders, Gov. Gavin Newsom, of California, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Gov. JB Prtizker of Illinois, Josh Shaprio, former attorney general of Pennsylvania, and Vice President Kamala Harris, who despite low approval ratings, and some early mistakes from Biden, such as giving her a portfolio, similar to his under President Obama, of what The New York Times called “intractable” and “polarizing” issues of “illegal migration and voting rights”, as a seemingly coercive, yet despite those claims, the former prosecutor and senator from California has had a definite upwards shift, not only in stature, but staff to include experienced political operatives.
The traditional Sunday chat shows featured “Maryland Gov. Wes Moore [who] said Sunday that he will not seek the Democratic nomination this year and he does not foresee President Biden leaving the race, making clear that the president is staying the course despite the bruising debate performance that sparked concern among some members of the party last week.
"Joe Biden is not going to take himself out of this race – nor should he," Moore said on "Face the Nation," making clear that he "will not" seek the nomination.
The report also noted that, “Moore, a rising star within the party, has been among a group of names floated should Biden leave the race,” but stressed that, "Joe Biden is our nominee, Joe Biden is our leader, and Joe Biden has earned — and Joe Biden deserves — the confidence, the respect, and frankly the partnership that we now have to provide to him."
There are issues with all of these candidates, the most important being as former Senator Barbara Boxer told the Times,” It’s not as easy as it sounds, being vetted for president is like no other vetting. We don’t know what these people would do.”
What might be the wiser course for the Democrats is to have, not only Harris but other key administration officials fan out across the country to counter the lies that Trump said in the debate. A short list, of which would be:
That he was “the one that got the insulin down for the seniors.”; that “everybody” including not one, but all legal scholars, wanted to end Roe V. Wade; that Biden is fully responsible for inflation; that some states allow for abortions after birth, run, of course, by Democrats; and, of course, his standard punch lines about immigration, that in New York, migrants are being sheltered in luxury hotels, are poisoning the blood of Americans, that Biden is putting all migrants on social security, and that they're being sent by their governments from their prisons, and that there have been nearly 18 million to 20 million sent to the US by the Biden administration, figure that most government officials and researchers put at about one third of that.
The Associated Press reported that, “Biden appeared to acknowledge the criticism during a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, saying” I don’t debate as well as I used to.” But he added, “I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.” Speaking for 18 minutes, Biden appeared far more animated than he had the night before as he excoriated Trump for his “lies” and for waging a campaign aimed at “revenge and retribution.”
Fundraising for Biden increased the day of the debate according to his campaign to the tune of $27 million, in an attempt to increase the coffers, and to meet, or outpace Trump whose war chest increased to $141 million on the day he was convicted in a New York courtroom on 34 felony counts, to influence the 2020 election.
Biden himself, speaking at a fundraiser at the home of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said, “I understand the concern after the debate. I get it” and, “I didn’t have a great night. But I’m going to be fighting harder and going to need you with me to get it done.”
Even more succinctly the president added, ““I know I’m not a young man,” Biden said to cheers. “I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth!”
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