Biden needs to paint a sharper picture of Trump’s America

Joe Biden ‘Is Not The Same as Donald Trump, But He Is The Same. I Know What I Am. But I Don’t

The problem is not the debates. It’s the debaters — and this whole wretched rematch of a campaign. Time labels it “the dread election.” Across a lot of different things, Americans describe themselves as exhausted, indifferent, depressed. A recently categorized voter, the “double hater,” is the star of a report that identifies Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump as the most disliked pair of presidential candidates in at least 36 years — twice as disliked, in fact, as they were in 2020. It is unlikely that watching them jab at one another for 90 minutes makes them more appealing.

RALEIGH, N.C. — President Joe Biden delivered an energetic campaign speech that tried to quell the fears of the democrats that he would be removed from the ticket after a disappointing debate performance.

Speaking to a crowd of roughly 2,000 supporters in Raleigh, Biden reiterated his belief that former President Donald Trump is bad for the country on issues like abortion and the economy.

Montanaro said party leaders and strategists had to be wondering if any of the other Democrats would stand on that stage if he delivered the kind of performance they were worried about. The president “often wasn’t able to show vigor or consistently convey what he wanted to say. Biden has delivered the kinds of happy-warrior blows audiences have seen from him in the past.

“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!”

Biden sounded raspy and confused at Thursday’s 90-minute debate. The performance highlighted the concerns about age and fitness to serve another four years as commander in chief as his campaign said he had a cold.

He labeled Trump as a threat to American democracy because of his views on abortion rights. He attacked his opponent in ways that were not present in the debate stage, using a perosn and energy from the crowd.

Biden narrowly lost North Carolina and is investing heavily in the swing state this year as a state to flip, and voters who came to watch him speak were undeterred by the debate’s under par performance.

The Age of Joe Biden and the Future of the Democratic Party: What Should the Democrat’s (Middle-Landau) Campaign Can Do?

After the rally had ended, Simone Langely said that last night was hard to watch. “Because you could tell that it was a little late for Joe and things just didn’t go like I thought they should.”

The campaign announced Friday morning that it saw the best grassroots fundraising hours in this election cycle come immediately before and after the debate, as cable news panels, opinion columnists and other left-leaning media panned his abilities and speculated about ways to replace him as the nominee.

Healy: In 2021, you argued that it wouldn’t be a good thing for the country to have a president at the end of his second term. But the last two years, the Democratic leadership all but buried their heads in the sand over Biden’s age. Early voting for the president in September is three months away. What should the Democrats do?

Michelle Goldberg: I think Biden has to get out. As you know, I’ve been arguing since 2022 that he’s too old to run for re-election. I wondered if it was too late when people asked about it. The debate showed that Biden’s position is not sustainable and it would have been better if he had allowed a normal process for picking a successor. I think it’s quickly becoming the consensus among senior Democrats, not just panicky pundits.

I was very struck by this statement that Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, gave to an Associated Press reporter Friday morning about Biden: “Until he articulates a way forward in terms of his vision for America at this moment, I’m going to reserve comment about anything relative to where we are at this moment, other than to say I stand behind the ticket.” That is not something that you say if you think everyone is overreacting.

If Vice President Kamala Harris wants to compete, she should. Voters deserve an open process in the search for a Democratic presidential nominee who can unite the party and the country, by offering something neither man on that Atlanta stage did: a compelling synopsis of where the world is right now and what America can and must do.

If the leaders of the GOP had integrity, they would demand the same, but they don’t. That makes it all the more important that Democrats put the country’s interests first and announce that a public process will begin for different Democratic candidates to compete for the nomination — town halls, debates, meetings with donors, you name it. I can see how it could get chaotic and messy when the Democrats hold their convention in August, but I think delegates would rally around a consensus candidate.

Remarks on First Debate Performance of Mitt Romney: How Reply Candidates and House Minority Leaders Metaboled on his Departure from the House

More publicly optimistic Democrats have pointed to then President Obama’s disastrous first debate performance against Mitt Romney, the Republican standard bearer in 2012, and how he recovered from it to win re-election. Some pointed out candidates who lost the election after winning the debates.

Multiple Democrats were hesitant to support a second debate and many said the campaign should not have agreed to it.

Those who did respond, like Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-NY, took a mostly measured approach. Suozzi said one could wish for a “better performance” but said any decisions about Biden’s fitness to lead the party were “above [his] pay grade.”

House Democrats were inundated with questions Friday morning as they arrived at the Capitol in Washington. The members refused to answer or speak to the staff because they did not want to talk about Biden’s performance.

House Minority Leader Leader Jeffries, asked about Democrats calling for Biden to drop out, says “that’s not my position.” He simply replied “yes”, if the Democrats can win back the House with Biden on the ticket.