" To serve his country, President Biden should leave the race ": this is the title of the editorial of the New York Times board after the disastrous performance of the Democratic candidate for the White House in the TV duel with Donald Trump. «Biden - we read in the fund - stated that he is the candidate with the best chance of facing this threat of tyranny and defeating it. His argument is largely based on the fact that he beat Trump in 2020. But that is no longer sufficient motivation to explain why Biden should be the Democratic nominee this year.”

«In Thursday's debate – we read – the president needed to convince the American public that he was up to the formidable demands of the office he is trying to fill for another term. However, voters cannot be expected to ignore what was evident: Biden is no longer the man he was four years ago ."

On Thursday evening, writes the NYT, «the president appeared like the shadow of a great public servant. He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Trump's provocations. He has struggled to hold Trump to account for his lies, his failures and his chilling plans. More than once he struggled to get to the end of a sentence ." The conclusion: "The greatest service he can render now is to announce that he will not continue to race."

The president's performance, the NYT argues, «cannot be dismissed as a bad evening (as Obama said, ed.) or attributed to an alleged cold, because it confirms concerns that have been growing for months or even years. Even when Biden tried to present his policy proposals, he stumbled . It cannot be offset by other public appearances because he has limited and carefully controlled his public appearances. The truth Biden must face now is that he has failed his own test ."

THE PERFORMANCE

Hoarse voice, blank stare, disjointed sentences, rigidity in movements. The performance of 81-year-old Joe Biden in the first TV duel against Donald Trump was a "disaster", a "painful spectacle" , so much so that it obscured the numerous lies of his rival and threw the Democrats into panic, forcing them to question the opportunity of seek an alternative in what would be a race against time in an unprecedented open convention.

But the only one who can pave the way for a replacement in the running is him, old Joe. Who has no intention of stepping aside, despite numerous authoritative appeals: "I intend to win these elections", he made it clear, holding a rally in North Carolina the following day. "I don't debate as well as I used to - he admitted - but I know how to do this job", he assured. “I know I'm not young but I know how to tell the truth,” he continued, attacking Trump again for his lies.

The proud and stubborn Biden therefore does not throw in the towel. The party leaders and the elected officials are trying to come together, at least officially. He is defended by his deputy Kamala Harris, the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, and former speaker Nancy Pelosi. But privately , managers, operatives (and a section of the base) think that the president's embarrassing performance jeopardizes the victory of the tycoon , who is already ahead in the polls both nationally and in six of the seven key swing states. And they discuss the possibility of changing horses. But having already won the primaries by a landslide, it should be Biden himself who takes a step back, possibly convinced by his wife Jill and his closest entourage .

In this case, the scenario of a 'brokered' convention would open up in Chicago in August, where the delegates - committed but not bound - could vote for another candidate among those who come forward in these few weeks. The first heir to the throne is deputy Kamala Harris , who however is less popular than Biden. The list of possible replacements includes various governors, from Gavin Newsom (California) to JB Pritzker (Illinois) and Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan) , although the suggestion of Michelle Obama remains (complete with hashtags on the internet), which so far she has always rejected every temptation.

(Unioneonline)

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